Singapore foils cat-in-pants smuggling bid

It was not exactly a well thought-out plan as there was never a guarantee that the accomplices would cooperate, and predictably they didn’t: their meows gave them away.

Singapore’s immigration officers busted a man when he attempted to smuggle four kittens into Singapore by stuffing them in his pants, leading to an announcement filled with predictable puns.

In a statement, they hailed their “fur-midable” officers for stopping the “impawsible” attempt to transport the animals through a border checkpoint with neighboring Malaysia.

“Our officers were checking the travelers in the car, they heard a meowing and saw the bulge in the man’s pants,” an immigration authority spokeswoman told AFP.

The officers asked the 45-year-old Singaporean whether he had anything to declare, before discovering the live kittens he took.

The spokeswoman said that hiding items, such as contraband cigarettes, under clothing is a common method of smuggling.

“But to stuff four live kittens into one’s trousers, this is the first time we’ve seen it,” she added.

The kittens survived the ordeal and are active and well in quarantine.

The smuggler faces up to a year in prison and a maximum fine of Sg$10,000 ($7,300).

It is not clear why the man was trying to bring the kittens into Singapore on January 2, although it could have been to sell on as pets.

Singapore requires people wishing to bring cats into the country legally, to obtain an import license and health certificate.