SINGAPORE: The recent passing of Brownie, a cat under the care of a pet grooming salon in Pasir Panjang, has raised serious concerns regarding pet handling and emergency preparedness in grooming facilities.
Brownie’s owner, Ms Audrey, who had been a loyal customer of the establishment for over two years, has come forward with distressing details about the incident, alleging improper handling and a lack of urgency in responding to the cat’s distress. Despite immediate efforts to save him, Brownie tragically passed away at 12:45 PM on 18 February 2025.
Screenshot of Instagram story: Instagram/tippytoess
A Distressing Grooming Session
Audrey arrived at the salon that morning at 11:35 AM with her two cats, Brownie and Bunnie.
As requested by the staff, she dropped them off and left.
At 12:14 PM, the staff brought the cats into the grooming room, where two groomers attended to them.
One groomer was in charge of Brownie, while the other tended to Bunnie.
At some point, Brownie’s groomer left him unattended on the grooming table to assist with Bunnie, but the CCTV footage shows Brownie remaining alert and active during this time.
However, distressing footage from the session later revealed that the grooming process took a tragic turn.
Alleged Rough Handling and Signs of Distress
At 12:29 PM, Brownie was placed in a small tub for his bath.
The CCTV footage shows him standing on his hind legs at the edge of the tub, appearing to gasp for air.
The groomer gripped him by the back of his neck—a technique called scruffing—which is widely discouraged as it causes significant fear and discomfort in adult cats.
Despite Brownie showing no aggression, the groomer continued to use this method.
The footage also shows the groomer lifting the five-kilogram cat by the scruff with one hand, a move that could have caused extreme distress.
Image courtesy of Ms Audrey
After the bath, Brownie was placed in a drying box alongside Bunnie.
At 12:36 PM, the second groomer noticed that Brownie was panting and showing signs of distress, including sticking his tongue out.
Image courtesy of Ms Audrey
However, neither groomer stopped the session or contacted Ms Audrey immediately.
A Race Against Time
Ms Audrey returned to the salon at 12:38 PM and, upon seeing Brownie struggling inside the drying box, insisted he be taken out immediately.
Once removed, Brownie was placed on a table, foaming at the mouth and struggling to breathe.
Despite the severity of the situation, the groomer attempted to place Brownie into his carrier so that Ms Audrey could take him to a nearby vet.
However, the distressed cat thrashed violently in the carrier, unable to breathe properly.
Moments later, he collapsed on the floor and went limp.
Emergency Vet’s Findings
At 12:46 PM, Ms Audrey rushed Brownie to Beecroft Animal Specialist & Emergency Hospital via a Grab ride, arriving at 1:03 PM.
Veterinarians immediately attempted to revive him, administering CPR and adrenaline shots, but at 1:45 PM, the emergency vet confirmed that Brownie could not be saved.
Medical findings ruled out a heart attack or stroke, instead pointing to fluid in his lungs as a significant factor.
The vet suggested strangulation or an electric shock as potential causes of death.
Grooming Salon’s Response & Allegations of Mishandling
Following Brownie’s passing, Ms Audrey requested the CCTV footage from the grooming salon’s owner.
However, instead of providing the full footage, the owner and his wife—who was one of the groomers—showed her a shortened, edited version on an iPad. The timestamp appeared inconsistent with the actual events.
When questioned about the necessity of scruffing, the groomer justified it by saying Brownie was a nervous cat, despite the footage showing he had not scratched or bitten anyone.
Heartbroken, Ms Audrey ultimately chose not to proceed with a post-mortem, as the vet explained that CPR-induced trauma might result in inconclusive findings.
Brownie was cremated at 6:15 PM that evening.
According to Ms Audrey, the salon’s owner later reached out to apologize over the phone.
However, the groomer directly responsible for handling Brownie never contacted her and was allegedly still employed at the salon.
Call for Action & Investigations Underway
Following the devastating incident, Ms Audrey filed reports with the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) on 19 February, followed by reports to the police and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) on 20 February.
Ms Audrey has since urged pet owners to remain with their pets throughout grooming sessions, citing a stark difference in how Brownie was treated when she was present versus when she wasn’t.
She also expressed disappointment at the salon’s lack of emergency preparedness, stating that the staff appeared panicked and did not know how to perform CPR.
According to MustShareNews, SPCA has confirmed that AVS is currently investigating the incident.
In response, the grooming salon made a brief statement on Instagram on 21 February, stating that they are “following up with NParks regarding an incident” and adjusting their “operations and staffing arrangements” pending investigations.
Broader Concerns Over Pet Grooming Standards
Brownie’s tragic passing is not the first case to raise concerns over pet safety at grooming salons.
Previously, in July 2024, a corgi named Fendi lost its life after being left unattended at the home-based grooming salon Pawkins SG.
CCTV footage revealed that Fendi fell from a grooming table and became entangled in her leash, struggling for about a minute before losing consciousness.
The groomer responsible, Vanessa Chiu Yan Er, was later charged under the Animals and Birds Act for causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal. If convicted, she could face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to S$40,000.
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