A public housing housewarming celebration has turned into an unexpected neighborhood drama after a resident complained that their new neighbor set off party poppers in the corridor, allegedly sending loud bangs towards their front door and frightening their cat.
The resident posted in a social media group for Kwai Shing East Estate residents, saying the cat was so startled that it bolted into hiding under the bed.
Photos accompanying the post showed several spent red party popper tubes outside the neighbor’s flat, while colorful paper confetti was scattered across the corridor floor.
At first, some commenters appeared to think the items were firecrackers, with the post prompting questions about whether dangerous explosives had been set off inside the public housing block.
But then came the first twist.
Other users pointed out that the items were actually party poppers commonly used at weddings and celebrations. One commenter even posted a product photo showing a similar confetti-filled popper and said it contained no gunpowder.
The complainant later confirmed that the neighbor had cleaned up the scattered confetti.
But the clarification did little to settle the argument.
Some users defended the neighbor, saying a housewarming was a happy occasion and setting off a few party poppers during the day was hardly a major issue if the mess was cleaned up afterwards.
Others took a different view, arguing that the problem was the sudden noise rather than the confetti — especially with the poppers allegedly fired towards another resident’s front door.
“Why not set them off inside your own flat?” one commenter asked, while others warned that an unexpected bang could frighten elderly residents, children and pets.
Then the story took another unexpected turn.
After the complainant mentioned that their cat had been frightened, some commenters shifted their attention to the pet itself, questioning whether cats were allowed in public housing flats.
Some even suggested that reporting the neighbor to the Housing Department could end up drawing attention to the complainant’s own pet if it was being kept without permission.
Other public housing residents quickly came to the cat’s defense, pointing out that neutered cats can be kept in public rental housing under certain conditions.
