Warning to you all!
May 13, 2006
When I left the house yesterday evening, I was a bit apprehensive leaving my mum at home, alone. I just had a funny feeling something was going to happen. As I turned the lock of the main door, I was thinking, ?Shall I just go check on mummy before I leave?? ?If she falls or something, will she be able to call me?? ?What happens if she?s hurt, and she?s left there all alone??
But I shrugged it off, thinking I was just being an over-paranoid, worry-wart.
It was slightly pass 10pm when my phone rang, and on the other end, was my frazzled panic-stricken mum who was just blubbering out sentences so fast I could only pick up words like: big cat, wild, attack, vicious, police!
Here?s what happened:
My mum was walking around her lovingly tendered garden, when she saw what looked like an over-weight cat walking on our fence. We have this mischievous little tiger cat that loves to eat our pond fish and defecate in nobody?s house but ours, so she tried to shoo it gently ?shoo! Go away!?
It just stood there transfixed on her.
That was a bit odd, she thought; maybe it?s a different cat. Plus it looks a lot bigger than the naughty cat. So she went in the house to turn on the patio lights, leaving the door slightly ajar behind her. As she walked back to the car porch fence, it was gone? Hmmm… Suddenly, it ran out from under the car and tried to strike my mum, missing her by inches! The poor woman jumped out of the way just in time and tried to scare it by stomping her foot! It then scurried back under the car.
By then she was so terrified, she ran to the patio, but when she looked back, there was that thing charging at her again!! It must have sensed her fear, jumped through the side plants and tried to attack her second time!! She stomped her feet again, and it stopped in its track.
The door was just within reach, so she made a dash for it! THAT THING RAN AFTER HER, missing her ankles by inches yet again!
She closed all windows, doors and locked herself in.
This cat-like animal was greyish, had claws, big teeth, and a long long tail. What the hell was that!!!!!
By the time I got home, my brother-in-law and sister had come to my mum?s rescue with sticks and torches in hand. She was shell shocked, sipping a cup of hot tea to calm her down.
So what was it? We?re 100% sure it?s a civet cat!
If the cat just decided to just walk away when shooed, and left us alone, I wouldn?t even bother blogging about it. But the fact that this wild animal tried to attack my mum, is no laughing matter! My mum stands at 156cm, and yet this animal looked like it took her as prey!
We now have sticks on standby at all doors and gates, and my mum insisted that Wayne walks me to the front door every time he sends me home.
So those in my area, please be extra careful. Psycho civet on the loose!?!
posted in Family |
Goodness gracious :S:S. Most certainly do NOT judge the book by its cover, especially in this case.
I’ve never seen one of those things around before, and i sure hope i don’t ever do!
Hope ur mom’s feeling better now
Comment by Shaun — May 14, 2006 @ 1:58 am
Oh dear, that must’ve been a shock for your mom. Hope she is feeling better.
If it’s civet cat, it certainly looks vicious. Are there any products that could repel them from the garden & house?
Comment by Lisa — May 14, 2006 @ 8:57 am
That is really scary. Hope your mum is feeling better. You be careful since it’s still lurking around somewhere.
Comment by Cas — May 14, 2006 @ 9:34 am
Ok, I have some good news and some bad news.
Firstly, good to hear your mum is ok.
Secondly, spare a thought for the humble civet. They’re fruit-eating animals so your mum was more predator than prey. Taken from About.com:
“The civet’s taste for fruit has been its downfall in at least one area of southeast Asia; as early as the 18th century, the durian fruit was also called “civet fruit,” because it was used as bait for catching civets. These wild animals are considered great delicacies in China, and are bred there for human consumption. Unfortunately for the civets, their habitat has been razed for new coffee orchards, and their decline has furthered because of the Vietnamese appetite for barbequed civet meat. Last, the civet has been the source of a highly-valued musk, used as a stablizing agent in perfumes. Maligned, abused, and beleageured, the civet cat has an unknown future on many fronts.”
Ok, now that “man-civet love” has been restored, here’s the bad news (also from “About.com”):
…According to an article on the WHO web site, “much more research is needed before any firm conclusions can be reached. At present, no evidence exists to suggest that these wild animal species play a significant role in the epidemiology of SARS outbreaks. However, it cannot be ruled out that these animals might have been a source of human infection.”
Ouch!
– Brian (Parkmaidong)
Comment by Brian — May 14, 2006 @ 9:57 am
hey brian, but from another website it said:
“This civet will feed on rats, squirrels, small birds, lizards, insects, grubs and fruit. If given the opportunity they will eat domestic poultry. They prefer to seek for food on the ground, though they can climb trees with agility”
“The large spotted civet is solitary, and can be very aggressive towards members of its own species. They are believed to forage entirely on the ground, as they have never been observed in the trees. They are nocturnal, and sepnd the day sleeping in thick vegetation.”
and thanks for the SARS thing, i feel alot better now HAHhaHAhaaha i didn’t know about that. argh… darn cat!
shaun: its like a very very fat cat apparently… and the horrible thing is, that thing wasn’t afraid of my mum at all!!
lisa: im not sure… problem is, ive got alot of snakes, rats, fish, birds, squirrels in my area.
cas: she hasn’t slept well in 2 nights. I think she’s quite traumatized. At night, her whole body tenses up, and she’s been having nightmares…
Comment by Angela — May 14, 2006 @ 10:28 am
your mum must have had a bad scare. i’d have freaked out and fainted if a cat charged at me, let alone a seemingly-vicious civet.
are there any authorities that you can alert about these wild animals hanging out in your estate?
Comment by Candice — May 14, 2006 @ 11:54 am
I think the AVA can take care of this right? The mad cat should be arrested!!!
By the way, which area is that?? Reminds me of those annoying possoms!
Comment by Kuen — May 14, 2006 @ 4:19 pm
Eeps! Your poor mommie!! I am glad she wasn’t hurt!
Please be careful!
Comment by Drea — May 14, 2006 @ 4:27 pm
eek! fat and ferocious cat! Glad to hear that your mum’s safe and sound. guess i wouldnt see it anywhere near hdb flats XD
iz a jungle out there!!!
Hope Mother’s Day can lift your mum’s mood and forget abt that psycho kitty.
Happy Mother’s Day to all!!!
Comment by ginA — May 14, 2006 @ 5:32 pm
candice & kuen: yeah we’re calling them on monday when they’re open, but i doubt they will do anything. its a bit hard to catch it now.. unless he decides to have another go at us. i live in the holland area, lots of dense bushes, trees, parks, private estates.
drea: will do.. thanks for the concern!
gina: lets hope some nice hot teochew porraige tonight will cheer her up!
Comment by Angela — May 14, 2006 @ 6:35 pm
oh dear, how scary for your mom!
i hope it doesn’t come back again to disturb you guys…
Comment by debbs — May 15, 2006 @ 10:27 am
debbs: i hope so too… random fact: they love eating coffee beans, and they shit it out and apparently the coffee beans then cost a bomb! becomes a special coffee blend!! can u believe that…ewwwww
Comment by Angela — May 15, 2006 @ 5:42 pm
gosh!
i’m suddenly extremely grateful that i don’t drink coffee!!
Comment by debbs — May 15, 2006 @ 7:05 pm
From now on i’m ordering coffee from coffee bean, specifying that i don’t want those with shit
Comment by Kuen — May 16, 2006 @ 2:05 am
thank goodness your mum is ok. i hope her nerves have settled by now.
i have an (almost) irrational fear of cats and it’s been the case since i was a kid - i just pray i never have to cross paths with a civet cat. i’d heard nasty stories about them when i was in australia.
look after yourself!
Comment by Trina — May 16, 2006 @ 10:51 pm
i have one of those, but we keep it in a cage. I’ve never tried to pet it cos it’ll definitely bite me. We call her Tina haha
Comment by limberini — May 21, 2006 @ 5:18 am
Wholly potatoes! I hope Aunty Linda is alright. Imagine what could’ve happened if it bit her! She’d have to be taken to the hospital. Can’t you call some wild animal control service to come hunt it down? Are civet cats normally lurking in Singaporean suburbs? Don’t leave any window open!!!
Comment by Debbie — May 21, 2006 @ 9:32 am
WOW WEE. Glad your Mom is okay. That was a very gripping story. Anyway, hope you are keeping well. I am moving to San Francisco on May 31st…you never got to visit NYC in the 4 years I was there! Take Care…
Comment by dru — May 24, 2006 @ 6:13 pm
ANGIE,Hope evreythings ok now.did THE BIG BOY get in to the trap?
Comment by shanthini — July 24, 2006 @ 11:45 am