#trending: 'Is Tom looking for Jerry?' Cat escorted out of MRT station just 2 days after rat sighting on train
Videos of a rat and a cat spotted in an MRT train and station within days of each other have gone viral on TikTok, prompting references to the American cartoon series Tom and Jerry.
SINGAPORE — Just two days after videos of a rat scurrying across an MRT train floor went viral on TikTok, a cat apparently wandered into Pasir Panjang MRT station.
In a video posted by TikTok user "chrisstynn" last Friday (April 28), seated commuters can be seen lifting their legs and bags from the ground as a small, dark-coloured rat runs down the carriage.
The video has since received 871,500 views and 610 comments.
Most online users were amused by how the commuters calmly made way for the little rodent, likening their "synchronised leg raises" to Singapore's iconic Kallang wave.
The Kallang wave usually occurs at stadium events, where spectators stand and sit in turn to create the illusion of a wave passing through the crowd.
Some joked about the rat skipping its train fare, while others compared the train to the New York City subway in the United States, known for its major rat infestation.
The incident also spawned a series of puns and references to the 2007 animated American film Ratatouille, in which a young rat named Remy realises his dream of becoming a chef.
One user on online forum Reddit commented: "Looks like he's gonna alight at Rat-ffles Place station."
This might indeed have been possible, as a separate video posted by TikTok user "salimscorpio" showed that the incident took place on an East-West Line train bound for Pasir Ris.
In an update from "salimscorpio", SMRT staff members can be seen standing in the train. The TikTok user said in his caption that three station staff members came on board to catch the rat, but it had already disappeared.
This prompted TikTok users to joke about how the incident was reminiscent of Tom and Jerry, an American animated television series that is centred on a scheming cat trying to catch a bold mouse, which constantly outwits him.
Then, just two days later, a cat was spotted wandering into Pasir Panjang MRT station.
A video posted on Sunday by TikTok user "jiannaaaaah" shows a cat slowly ambling down the stairs to the train platform of the MRT station.
Two SMRT staff members are then seen trying and failing to pick up the cat before escorting it out of the station.
The video now has 190,100 views and 320 comments, with many joking that it was just another instance of Tom missing Jerry again.
One top comment read: "He probably saw the news about Jerry scrambling around the MRT."
Another pointed out: "It's chill. It's just taking the Meow Rapid Transport."
Others suggested that the cat could have been on its way from "Paw-sir Panjang" to "Mew-ton" or "Tanah Meow-ah" — all playing on the names of various MRT stations.
Mr Ng Chan Cheok, SMRT's head of Circle Line, told TODAY on Tuesday that a commuter had alerted the Pasir Panjang station employees to the presence of a lost stray cat on the platform on Sunday.
TikTok user "chrisstynn" said that she had called SMRT for help because she was afraid that it would "fall in the platform gap or something".
"I think the cat’s a regular there because the staff were calling his name," she told national daily The Straits Times.
Mr Ng added: "To prevent any distress to the cat and discomfort to commuters, our staff gently led the cat away from our premises."
As for the rat, SMRT Trains' president Lam Sheau Kai said that a commuter had alerted station staff members at Jurong East station to the sighting on an eastbound train on the East-West Line last Friday.
"Our staff boarded the train to check but were unable to locate it. The train was subsequently withdrawn to the depot, where our staff managed to locate and remove the rodent."
He added: "We thank the commuter for alerting our staff of this incident, and would like to remind everyone to refrain from eating and drinking on trains and buses so as not to attract pests."
SMRT also advised commuters to remain calm and approach station staff members immediately in similar instances.
This was not the first time that animals have been spotted in MRT trains and stations. Just last month, a lost dog wandered 1km away from home and ended up at Buona Vista MRT Station.
SMRT workers took care of the dog in their office and helped to reunite it with its owner.
