Is it responsible for a national body to promote irresponsible behaviour?

Directly or indirectly?

http://groups.msn.com/singaporecats/general.msnw?action=get_message&mview=1&ID_Message=16594


Again, I'm filled with that sense of "Not that I want to say ah..."

In Chinese: 不是我要讲啊。。。

In Hokkien: Mmm si wo ai kong ah...

*Triple roll eyes*

Just don't send me to the gallows.

After all, when I was small and cute, YOU picked me to be part of your family.

9,300 pets abandoned by owners

ST 27 Sep 2008

9,300 pets dumped in just 1 year

SPCA teaming up with animal welfare group to educate owners in exhibition

By Judith Tan & Liaw Wy-Cin

'BARKING too much.'

'Too hyperactive.'

'The maid is gone.'

These are some of the silliest reasons pet owners have offered for dumping their furry friends, said Ms Deirdre Moss, the executive officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) here.

But they are why 9,328 animals - cats, dogs, rabbits and hamsters - were left at the SPCA between July last year and June this year.

Of this number, more than 3,000 were dogs. And among abandoned dogs, over half were pedigreed.

To stem this flood, the SPCA gives talks at schools - from primary to tertiary - to spread the message about responsible pet ownership.

It is an attempt to tackle the problem at the source - the SPCA lacks the space and resources to care for every animal left at its premises in Mount Vernon Road.

Of the more than 3,000 dogs it received from July last year to June this year, over 2,000 had to be put down.

All licensed pet dogs are required to be micro-chipped, but the SPCA still finds 80 'lost' dogs each month with no information on them.

Barely one in 10 of all animals the society gets is adopted or claimed by owners.

Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD), a non-profit organisation which rescues stray and abandoned dogs, has a no-kill policy, but it has to rely on its network of 20 to 30 dog owners to help look after them temporarily.

The ASD has close to 100 dogs at its adoption centre in Lim Chu Kang and elsewhere.

Its president Ricky Yeo, 40, said: 'Many of these dogs are abandoned when young couples move on to start a family or break up.

'Couples will fight over the house, but no one wants the dog. One was even tossed out from a moving car.'

The Cat Welfare Society, a charity run almost entirely by volunteers, said many cats are dumped on the streets when they outgrow their 'kitten cuteness'.

Said committee member Ang Li Tin: 'There are many who take stray cats home, let them roam and mate with other cats in the area, and then dump the kittens in carparks or dumpsters.

'The kittens either starve, get abused or survive on the streets, while contributing to more cats being born to live on the streets.'

Mr Goh Shih Yong, a spokesman for the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, said the only long-term solution is to teach people responsible pet ownership.

Many people are willing to pay between $650 and $2,000 for Maltese puppies 'because they are cute, white and fluffy'.

But this breed ranks high in the statistics of dumped pedigree dogs - 106 went unclaimed in the first eight months of this year.

'Education is key to arresting the pet abandonment and stray animal problem in the long run,' Mr Goh said.

The message is getting through to at least some tertiary students, who have stepped forward to promote animal welfare.

People for Animal Welfare (PAW), formed in 2005 by a group at the Singapore Management University, is doing just this.

It will team up with the SPCA to mount an exhibition on the issue at the East Coast Parkway on World Animal Day on Oct 5.

There will also be a photo gallery of animals available for adoption. T-shirts and calendars will be on sale to raise funds for the society.

Ms Moss said: 'Because we take in so many animals, we are not able to find homes for all of them. Keeping a pet is a life-time commitment, and not just for the novelty.'

(Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_282999.html)

It's not just food, or milk...

Sigh... even China-made chairs are toxic.

French retailer in hot seat over Chinese chairs

Eczema, anyone?

Shiny update

Update on Sat, 20 Sept '08: Shiny's 3rd eyelid on her left eye has receded a little bit more, and the swelling on her right eye looks a little smaller (or was it my wishful imagination?). Anyway, the left eye definitely looks better, which is a little bit comforting for me.

I'm hoping to increase her weight a bit within this 3 to 4 weeks before we travel. L (who's concerned about Shiny) will also be travelling, and she's asked her neighbour C to feed Shiny during our absence, which is great (must remember to pass some RC dry food to them). I'm worried that Shiny may not be getting regular meals from her usual household as the domestic helper has gone on leave, or Shiny may get chased away by the ginger pair of Humm Humm & Jambala (that's what the domestic helper told me).

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Almost 2 weeks have passed since we started giving Shiny the eye drops treatment, twice a day (except for the first two days).

She seems weak at times, and unable to eat much dry food, which kind of tickles her throat and makes her cough. I've started to give her dry food softened with water and less canned food, hoping that she can gain weight with the intake of more dry food, but sometimes, she seems so hungry that I give in and feed her one whole small can, which she eats enthusiastically.


While her left eye looks clear (although still has 3rd eyelid), the swell in her right eye seems to have stopped improving, so we've decided to stop the eye drops today and will keep observing her.

The Indian cleaner in the area, who'd once lectured me about clearing up many months ago (when I didn't even litter) has gotten used to our feeding Shiny and has never bothered us with her lecture again.


Whether she likes it or not, I have started to tell the other lady feeder (who's concerned about Shiny) that if she does feed, she has to please ensure that she clears up afterwards. On a couple of occasions, we've had to clear her leftovers the next day, which by then had attracted hordes of ants and several roaches. I worry that Shiny may get bitten by the ants and I sure don't want the cat-tolerant residents there to start complaining of the litter left at their doorstep. Even I would not like that, no matter how tolerant I may be of community cats.


I would say the residents and even the two Indian cleaners are cat-tolerant, because so far, no one has removed the small plastic bowl of water which I have left there for Shiny for about a week. I change the water twice a day, and change the bowl to a different one everyday, so that they know the water is fresh and won't have to worry about mosquitoes breeding.

MP speaks up for community cats

I think it's a breakthrough for the social and moral progress of Singapore, even by just a little bit!

Only the brave with the most sincerest heart to serve would dare do this in parliament. It takes real courage to speak up for something that's always been considered mundane and unworthy of any attention by the authorities.

I've always enjoyed reading Mr Siew Kum Hong's articles to the press before he became a NMP. Now he can be my hero. :D

http://meowies.multiply.com/journal/item/880/HDB_will_not_build_Cat_Cafes

Uhmm...

I was feeding Timmy et al this evening, when a woman and her young son of kindergarten age walked by. They must have seen Timmy eating as I overheard their conversation.

Mummy: Do you know why we cannot disturb the cat when it's eating?
Boy: Because....

Oh, what a nice mother to be teaching the son not to disturb the cat, I thought to myself.

No, I am not Timmy. I am Charlie, ok?

Next, she said to the son: Because.... the cat will scratch you! When it gets angry!


Sigh... It's a case of ignorant people teaching rubbish things to the young.
*Grrr... *

A kinder TC?

After having seen a few TC posters with the anti-littering message which were rather anti-community cats in nature, I thought this one is the kindest. It focuses on the people who commit the littering act, and there seems to be an implicit acceptance of community cats. Yayy!! :)


The message says:
If you want to keep pets, clean up after them.

The Chinese version:
饲养宠物之余，也请保持环境干净。


What a big improvement over those messages sent out by the strictly-follow-the-book, run-of-the-mill TCs, which create the wrong impression about community cats. However, I do note that the poster doesn't say "if you want to feed the strays...". Oh well, one small step at a time. :)

This one is by Bishan-ToaPayoh Town Council.

Anyhow call "cat town" report

Kitty debate divides residents in 'cat town'
CARS ALONG JALAN PEMIMPIN SWERVE DANGEROUSLY TO DODGE CATS
By Ho Lian-yi
July 21, 2008

Pizza despatch rider Syed Faizal Mohsen, 25, would like to know, after getting into a crash because of one.

The Ngee Ann Polytechnic student, who works part-time, was riding a company-issued motorcycleon 6 Jul near Bishan, at Jalan Pemimpin, an area he said is 'notorious for cats'.

He was delivering pizza at around 8.50pm when he saw from the corner of his eye a stray white cat dash across the road.

He braked heavily and was thrown off his vehicle.

Mr Syed Faizal, who had cuts and bruises from the accident, said: 'I'm a cat lover so I didn't want to hit the cat.'

Two security guards who work nearby called an ambulance and he was sent to hospital for outpatient treatment.

The two guards told The New Paper on Sunday that Mr Syed Faizal was not the only person who had had mishaps because of the stray cats.

One of the guards, Mr Affendi Ismail, 37, said he had witnessed some of these accidents.

He said: 'The cats, they just cross the road, it's very dangerous. Sometimes, the cars try to avoid the cat and they will swerve. It's dangerous for pedestrians like me.'

His colleague, known only as Das, said: 'Every week, one or two cats will surely be hit by a car.'

Just a day before the pizza despatch rider accident, Mr Affendi said that he saw a car hitting a cat and injuring it.

And the day before that, a cat was killed in another road accident in the area, he added.

Mr Affendi said that there were many cats in the area because someone had been feeding them.

He claimed that one of the feeders, who arrived after Mr Syed Faizal was sent to hospital, had made sure the cat was sent to a vet.

But when told about the despatch rider who was also hurt, she seemed 'expressionless'.

MISSING

On 8 Jul, The New Paper on Sunday met the feeder, an executive secretary in her 40s who wanted to be known only as Ms Ong.

She was petite, bespectacled, and was hefting a backpack.

Ms Ong said that what Mr Affendi said was 'prejudiced'. She claimed that she had told him she was 'concerned for both parties'.

She said she knows that the rider was receiving treatment, but what about the poor cat?

'It is also a life,' she said.

As for the cat population boom cited by the security guard, she said that the number of cats there have actually dwindled by more than half since she first started her nightly feeding at least eight years ago.

'Many have gone missing,' she said.

Perhaps pythons have been eating them or residents have been trapping them, she suggested.

Ms Ong admitted that she has had some run-ins with unhappy residents, and said that she has sterilised the cats. She believes that she must have neutered more than 100 cats at the vet in the last eight years.

She agreed to let The New Paper on Sunday follow her on her daily feeding.

Her boyfriend, who lives in the east of Singapore, also joined her.

Pointing to one group of cats, she said: 'There used to be 20 cats here.

'Now only five.'

As for the cats being a traffic hazard, she said that it works both ways. In the last six months, more than 20 cats have disappeared or died, some possibly to vehicle accidents, she said.

'People don't think of cats, they only think of people, and their cars,' she said.

While some people who visited and worked in the area said that the cats did not inconvenience them or pose a traffic hazard, others, such as Madam Ng, 68, a housewife, called them a disturbance.

She said cats sometimes invade her kitchen to get at the food and leave their droppings in her garden.

However, another resident, a pharmaceutical salesperson in her 40s who wanted to be known only as Judy, said that she was surprised that there were complaints, especially about the cats causing traffic accidents.

'You hardly see them,' she said, adding that they appeared only when a feeder was around.
________________________________________________________________

Stray cat problem: Does neutering work?

1. The total number of cats being impounded by Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) over the last three years has been falling:
# 2005: 5,518

# 2006: 5,134

# 2007: 3,777

2. Does a trap, neuter and return policy work?

Sterilising a cat helps to prevent procreation. However, sterilised cats can pose other problems, such as when they go into houses and defecate or take food from the premises. It would depend on the community of the estate if they are willing accept a trap, neuter and return scheme.

3. What is AVA's policy when it comes to people who feed cats?

People should not indiscriminately feed cats and litter the area. They should, as far as possible, find homes for the cats, have the cats sterilised, or surrender unwanted cats to the authorities.

4. What can you do if there is a stray-cat problem in the area?

AVA provides loan of cat traps to residents troubled by stray cats. It is a free service. Residents may contact AVA's Centre for Animal Welfare and Control, 75 Pasir Panjang Road, to arrange for a loan of traps. (Tel:1800-4761600)

- Information from Mr Madhavan Kannan, Head of AVA's Centre for Animal Welfare and Control
________________________________________________________________

SHOULD THE FEEDING OF STRAY CATS BE BANNED?

SOME residents at affected housing estates are in favour of making the feeding of stray cats in housing estates an offence because it could cause the population to increase further.

While some people have been fined for feeding wild monkeys, there is no rule against the feeding of stray cats.

Experts have said that feeding monkeys changes their dietary habits and makes them aggressive when they are denied food.

Be they cats or monkeys, Mr Wong Tuan Wah, National Parks Board's (NParks) director of conservation, said: 'We do not allow feeding of stray animals in our parks.' *

Under the Parks and Trees Act, monkey feeders can be fined up to $50,000 and/or jailed up to six months. NParks also increased the composition fine from $250 to $500 in February.

While it is not an offence to feed cats in housing estates, those who do so can be booked for littering if they dirty the surroundings.

Mr Chong Gid Chuan, 38, a manager, said he found the feeding of cats 'very dirty'.

Madam Hau, 55, an assistant general manager, said that she would be fully supportive of a ban. She claimed that one cat that was 'maintained' by a feeder loved to go into her lawn and leave droppings behind, and it was 'very smelly'.

But others were against the idea of a ban. Ms Deirdre Moss, executive officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said: 'The SPCA objects strongly to the suggestion of banning the feeding of stray cats. It is an extremely shortsighted suggestion, and not humane.'

SPCA has a voucher programme for the sterilisation of strays, which enables members of the public to take a stray animal to a participating veterinary clinic for sterilisation. SPCA pays the cost.

Mr Marcus Loo, 28, a businessman selling pet products, said that as long as feeding was done discreetly and cleaning up was done afterwards, he had no problem with it.

He said: 'If you really take out the majority of cats in the area, in a month's time, other cats will just take over the territory.'

Video editor Farah Iqbal, 26, said that cat-feeding is not comparable to monkey-feeding, since cats do not become aggressive.

A resident in the Jalan Pemimpin area, who wanted to be known only as Judy, said: 'Some cat-feeders are responsible people who sterilise the cats. If the population of cats is under control now, why can't we feed the cats?'

(Source: http://www.tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,171225,00.html)

* I laughed out loud when I read this part... :P

Readers' love stories

On the "Your Voice" page of this bi-monthly publication by the Central Singapore CDC (which stands for Community Development Council), the two most touching love stories were published, and which won their writers a $20 book voucher each.


The surprising thing (or unless it's because there were few letters?!?) was that both love stories are not about human relationships, but about the writers' cats!


The first story is about a cat called Lucky (click photo to read).


The 2nd one is about a cat called Snowy, who incidentally looks like Simbal (with his crossed eyes!) from Metta Cattery. :P

(click photo to read)

What does it mean when the grassroots authorities publish stories about pet cats like these?

Hahaha! :)

No Singaporean should have to beg: MCYS

Straits Times Forum, 2 July 2008
No S'porean should have to beg: MCYS

I REFER to last Thursday's letter by Mr Tan Say Joon, in which he said he had been approached by Singaporeans begging in order to eke out a living. He urged the authorities to do more for individuals who cannot look after themselves and their families, no matter how hard they try.

Singaporeans in financial distress do not have to beg. Help is available to them, including with their medical bills. Needy Singaporeans can approach their community development council, family service centre or grassroots leaders. If they do not know where to go, they can call the ComCare Call Service on 1800-222-000, which will link them up with the right agencies.

Members of the public can call the ComCare Call Service to report cases of begging so the ministry can assess and help those in genuine financial distress apply to appropriate agencies for financial, employment and other assistance. This is the best way to help these needy people.

We wish to thank Mr Tay for his feedback.

Jason Wong
Director
Rehabilitation, Protection and Residential Services
Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I would really like to believe what this person from MCYS says each time I see those old folks digging their arms into rubbish bins to hunt for an empty drink can, or selling tissues in the streets, which so many are doing.

Even if the poor does get help, how much will they really get? Would it really be enough? What are the conditions and the red tape involved?

As it is, getting the $300 "free money" of growth dividends from the CPF is so hard for the old folks already (see letter below), what more having to prove one's needy circumstances to the authorities?
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Straits Times Forum, 3 July 2008
Why make it so hard?

MY GRANDMOTHER, Madam Lim Hong, received a letter dated April 29 from the Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board which contained a cheque for growth dividends in the amount of $300.

The validity of the cheque is 90 days for encashment with any OCBC branch office. The last day is stated as July 28, both on the cheque and the payment advice.

My grandmother is now 99 years old, bedridden and staying in a nursing home. I have two affidavits from the management that she has appointed me to handle her private matters. Armed with the cheque, the two affidavits and her IC, I went to one of the OCBC branch offices.

The officer told me that the bank was willing to encash the cheque but could not do so after checking with the CPF Board.

They made the phone call from their back office while I was waiting at the counter.

It seems that I had to visit the CPF office personally to get an authorisation from them in order that the cheque could be encashed.

I had already spent two hours on this matter. If I were to visit the CPF office and then OCBC again, I would have to spend at least another three hours on such a trivial matter.

With much regret, I am returning the original cheque with copies of the two affidavits and a copy of my grandmother's IC.

While I appreciate the kind gesture from the CPF Board on rewarding our senior citizens who have indeed built up this country, I cannot help feeling disappointed at the way the board is handling the administration of this matter.

On behalf of my grandmother, I thank the board for recognising the generation of solid citizens who have played a vital role in making Singapore what it is today.

Juliet Hasselblad (Ms)

New cat blog for community cats

Chinky has started a new blog which he hopes will reach out positively to the Malay community.


Come visit my blog, ok?

KuchingSingapura

Three nice letters

These are a bit old news, but I really like the way the letters are written, especially the analogy used by Celeste Lock in the first letter. The DJs ought to feel ashamed for their unnecessary comments and remarks about strays after reading her letter. ;)

I'm keeping them for reference for those times when I have to try to educate those anti-cat people or worse, those idiots like this Chinese gal in her late-20's who thinks sterilising stray cats is an act of misplaced kindness by humans, coz she thinks that stray cats should be left alone to have their own sex lives and their own family. I finally stopped trying to talk to her after I almost vomited blood.


Letter #1 : ST Online Story, 16 May 2008
DJs' remarks on stray cats not funny and irresponsible

THIS is what I think of Ms Siau Li Chao's online letter, 'Radio DJs made tasteless remark on cats' (Monday).

One does not joke about the sufferings of the others, whether humans or animals. I do not find the DJs' comments at all funny. In fact, I think they were distasteful, uneducated and reflect the lack of empathy and basic respect for the lives of others. In a supposedly civilised society like Singapore, I am deeply disturbed and saddened by such comments.

I wonder: What is wrong with being kind to the homeless animals? Kindness and benevolence are open to all, not just human beings. Is there such a thing as 'selective kindness'? It is appalling to think that a Jack Russell Terrier owner should find 'street cats should be sent to Peru to be eaten' joke funny.

If I were to give money to a homeless human beggar so that he could buy food to fill his empty stomach, should I be fined and ridiculed for my act of empathy and kindness? I cannot possibly be giving money to a cat, can I? It would save the kind and responsible caregivers a lot of work if it were possible. If cats know how to buy food with the money then, perhaps, we run the risk of being sent to Peru instead.

Radio DJs must realise that they are on national radio and should be sensitive and responsible about the comments and/or jokes they make.

A responsible act of kindness should be fine, not fined.

Celeste Lock (Miss)


Letter #2 : AsiaOne News, 15 May 2008
Sterilising is best way to prevent more strays

I REFER to the letters 'Fine for giving food to monkeys should apply to feeding strays too' and 'Stray cats near Temasek Poly' (my paper, May 14).

Responsible stray cat feeders do not leave food and then walk away. They wait for the cats to finish and they clear up the leftover food.

Those who leave food lying around usually do it out of pity for the cats or for some other reasons. They need to be educated on the proper and responsible way of feeding strays.

Cats have a natural instinct to bury their faeces and urine, and they are not usually known to urinate or defecate on concrete floor or near objects such as shoes. They might, however, do so on sandy areas and soil.

Cats may scratch trees or wood but they retract their claws when walking on smooth surfaces such as a car bonnet, so there won't be any scratches on the car when they walk on it.

The best way to prevent more stray cats is to sterilise them and, despite ongoing publicity to do so, I have met many cat owners who feel that it is a 'pity' to sterilise their cats. They think that it would deny them of having a happy family.

However, cats, unlike human beings, do not mate for enjoyment. They do so because it is a natural instinct that they have no control over.

The simple procedure of neutering the cat would also solve the issues of spraying and caterwauling at night. Neutered cats are quiet and they do not fight for territory as compared with an unneutered feline.

In short, neutered cats generally do not create a nuisance. The public needs to be educated on this.

Moreover, if you remove sterilised strays from one area, it would only leave a void which other stray cats would fill.

Adding to the problem of stray cats are people who buy or adopt pets on a whim, only to abandon them when they realise they don't have the effort, time or money to maintain them.

Mrs Grace Peh


Letter #3 : AsiaOne News, 15 May 2008
Culling sends wrong message to children

I REFER to the two letters about stray cats by Ms Florence Goh and Madam Jacqueline De Souza.

I am glad to note that Ms Goh said she certainly did not condone the killing of animals, because some town councils cull stray cats in response to residents' feedback.

Many neighbourhoods do have a cat management programme called Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage and it has been successful in the reduction of the cat population.

I am not surprised by Madam De Souza's fear of stray cats spreading diseases, as this perception has been perpetuated by town council posters on not feeding strays.

However, we are at greatest risk of contracting diseases from fellow human beings on crowded trains, buses, shopping malls, for example.

A call for the removal of stray cats in the neighbourhood would lead to the rounding up - and culling - of the animals by pest controllers.

Is this the message we want to send to our children - anything that is deemed a nuisance is to be killed?

Rather, this is a great opportunity to educate school children on how the problem can be addressed with a more humane approach which includes sterilisation.

This will certainly inculcate the spirit of compassion that is sadly lacking in our increasingly materialistic society.

Dr Tan Chek Wee

Plight of abandoned & unsterilised cats - TNP

The Electric New Paper, 9 April 2008

Plight of abandoned & unsterilised cats

ON Friday morning, as I was walking towards the clinic where I work, I spotted a tiny black kitten, small enough to sit in the palm of my hand.

It was skinny, hungry and so thirsty that it was lapping up water that flowed out from the washing of a rubbish chute.

I noticed an inflamed backside. The kitten was trusting enough to let me pick it up so that I could examine its anal region.

To my horror, the anus was almost completely covered with tiny maggots!

The few cats seen regularly in the vicinity of the clinic are all sterilised, as indicated by a small surgical cut on the tip of the left ear.

This meant the kitten was almost certainly abandoned by an irresponsible cat owner.

It would have been slowly eaten alive by the maggots if I had not seen it then.

The kitten was subsequently handed over to a friend, who is taking it to the vet and seeing to its re-homing.

Abandoned cats and kittens often suffer terribly. I strongly appeal to all cat owners to sterilise their cats.

I suggest that the town councils and the Housing Development Board work with organisations such as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Cat Welfare Society to formulate effective grassroots methods to bring the message of sterilisation to owners of cats.

These methods can include posters, offer of subsidised sterilisation to poor families, and organisation of ‘cat parties’ to inform and educate cat owners.

Dr Tan Chek Wee

Free the stray cats

This has been circulating for a while, but I'd forgotten to post it here.

Petition to stop AVA from loaning out free cat traps for the purpose of killing the cats


Imagine, a completely free service from a government agency, right here in Singapore! Where to find???

From what I understand, at the complainant's request, AVA will drop the cat trap off at the complainant's home (usually landed property) for free, loan the cat trap for free, and after the poor cat is trapped, will pick up the trapped animal for free, and provide killing service (to kill the cat, not the complainant) for free!

Where does the money to support these free services come from? Is there no better way to spend this money, or no other solution to solve the stray cat issue?

So if you haven't sign the petition, please do support it. :)

Sterilise me but don't kill me please!

(Photo borrowed from http://catwomanflix.blogspot.com/, with permission)

SPCA advertisment

I saw this SPCA advertisment in a magazine while at the clinic one day.

















It starts off with a person by the name of "Kay Xiao" telling the SPCA:
"I'd like to make an appointment to sterilise my puppy, please."

Click the picture for a bigger view to read the text. You may be bemused. :)

Homeless cats of Beijing

These poor, displaced cats are so lovely : http://www.beijingcat.org/

Pidan
Tofu (right)

Mr Bob

The Story of Beijing Cat

Formerly known as “Cat Friends,” Beijing Cat was founded by Scarlett Zhang, and since 2001 has re-homed over 100 cats in happy adoptive families.

Through our small network of volunteers, we work together to rescue and rehome stray cats in Beijing.

All of our cats seeking adoption are healthy, dewormed, neutered and vaccinated. They are also friendly, with sweet personalities, and suitable for adoption.

If you are kind and responsible, have a stable income and can make a long-term commitment to bringing a new member into your family forever (including bringing him or her back to your home country if/when you leave China), then there are many wonderful cats here waiting for your love!

Times Online
February 25, 2008

Cats are out as Beijing starts to preen itself
by Jane Macartney in Beijing

No one knows exactly how many homeless cats roam the city’s streets and alleys but the Capital Animal Welfare Assocation says 160,000 to 200,000 animals at the very minimum are at risk from the new campaign.

Strays are already being caught and transported to a holding pen in the suburban county of Changping. Animal welfare activists described seeing the cats crowded together in cages the size of a microwave oven. They estimated almost 90 per cent of the animals were clearly diseased and many had been neutered with rudimentary surgery that had led to infections. The order states that strays still unclaimed after 14 days will be “dealt with”.

Qin Xiaona, head of the animal welfare association, told The Times: “This is nothing less than torture. And the situation is much worse than this for dogs.”

The drive was announced by the city’s agricultural bureau director at a recent meeting of the municipal parliament. He ordered that all stray cats must be caught and taken off the streets before the end of June to ensure the city looks its best for the two-week-long Olympic games starting on August 8.

Mrs Qin said: “The officials said they did not want the Olympic athletes to see a single stray animal. This is partly because the Chinese care so much about face.”

Orders have already been sent out to the neighbourhood committees that are responsible for maintaining order and implementing government directives throughout the 18 districts of Beijing. Mrs Qin described seeing committee officials holding meetings in the Eastern District in the city centre and calling on residents to round up stray cats.

She said: “Cats are beneficial to the community in a city like Beijing because they catch rats. If people catch all the stray cats then can you imagine how terrible the problem of rats could become?” This newest campaign to empty the city streets of roaming animals does not include stray dogs since these have been banned in Beijing for many years and are regularly cleared out by the police.

The animal welfare activists said it would be extremely difficult to rid Beijing of the cats that live wild in the many nooks and crannies of the ancient alleys that criss-cross the old centre of the capital. But this is not the first time that the capital has declared war on an animal.

In the 1950s, Mao Zedong launched the “Four Pests” campaign when citizens were ordered to kill flies, mosquitoes, rats and sparrows. The mass slaughter of sparrows had unintended consequences, resulting in an explosion of the locust population.

Mrs Qin said her group had offered to work with the government in case of any campaign to ensure the city’s cats were handled in a humane manner, but their proposals had been ignored.

“I have a question for the International Olympic Committee and the athletes: Do they feel that they can take part comfortably in the Olympics if the price of the games is the lives of so many animals?”

She also had fighting words for the organisers. “We Beijing residents are ready to go without electricity, without water, without cars if the Games can be a success. But we are opposed to an Olympics that will cost the lives of animals. We feel this is tragic.”

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article3427996.ece

Feeding community cats...

...or rather, TRnM is officially legit and endorsed by NTU!

When will the gabramen people and TCs finally see the light?



The Sunday Times, Lifestyle
March 30, 2008

Students answer cat call

Paws for thought: NTU students who feed stray cats on campus can get ECA points
By Samantha Eng

YOU can now get extra-curricular activity points for feeding stray cats - if you are a student at Nanyang Technological University.

Just last month, the NTU Cats Management Network, which takes charge of feeding the 50 stray cats on campus, was officially recognised as a student club by the university.

This means that students now receive ECA points for their participation in the club. The points can be used to apply for rooms in the university's halls of residence and will also be reflected on the student's ECA certificate.

The Cats Management Network was started in 2004 by Mrs Judith Lindley, a National Institute of Education lecturer, and Mrs Marcella Do, wife of NTU engineering lecturer Do Manh Anh.

The idea came about when the two women realised that the stray cat population there was increasing. At the time, there were about 130 of them.

Mrs Do, 58, says: 'Each time you remove some cats from campus, new ones will come along.

'We decided it would be a better idea if we sterilised the cats, fed them and kept them healthy, so that they do not bother the students.'

When the students saw the staff feeding the cats at the feeding stations or Cat Cafes, many were interested and asked if they could join the club.

It started with five members, three Cat Cafes and 130 cats. Four years on, there are 211 members, seven Cat Cafes and about 50 cats.

Typically, a member of the club will have to commit an hour each week and report for duty at one of the Cat Cafes.

The NTU office, which oversees facilities planning and management, subsidises half the cost of the cat food and the other half comes from the club's fund-raising efforts and donations from other staff and students.

One member of the group, Liu Xiao, 21, a final-year engineering student who is an American Chinese, says: 'With the heavy workload, it feels really good to take some time off to spend with the cats.'

The group's president, Lang Shuang, 22, says the concept is working very well. The second-year engineering student says: 'With our Cat Cafes put in place, the cats do not hang around food places, pester students or dig into garbage bins anymore. The number of cats has also fallen because of the sterilisation.'

The group decided to apply to become an official student club so that it could get more support from the university and have the autonomy to organise more events. An additional benefit is that students will receive ECA points for their participation.

The club is still in talks with the Students Affairs Office to decide how many ECA points to award members.

Currently, the club is trying to recruit more members. And since students can get ECA points, Liu thinks more will want to join.

Ironically, he doesn't get to enjoy the points as he is graduating this year. But he doesn't mind one bit.

He says: 'In the end, it all boils down to doing something I really like. Being in the centre of the cats and having them all surround me is a wonderful experience.'

sameng@sph.com.sg

"With the heavy workload, it feels really good to take some time off to spend with the cats"
- NTU student Liu Xiao with Goh Pei Shan and the group's president Lang Shuang

Pet Peeves - ST Forum 7 March 2008

Two letters published today in the Straits Times Forum page:

NO SEX, PLEASE, THEY'RE CATS

They refuse to accept the fact that cats, unlike human beings, neither enjoy sexual intercourse nor care about creating a family tree.

MISS REBECCA HO SHULING, who agrees with a Forum reader that errant owners are responsible for the cat problem in Housing Board estates. She thinks such owners are either stubborn or ignorant; they refuse to sterilise their cats as they want to give them a 'normal' life and produce offspring to continue the family line



Free-market principle hurts some pedigree dogs

I REFER to the article, '1,521 pedigree dogs dumped' (Feb 28). I was at the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) two weeks ago and was shocked at the number of huskies there.

Why is it inappropriate to impose a restriction on the breed and number of dogs coming in to Singapore? Huskies are cold-climate dogs and Singapore has a tropical climate. How many owners of huskies actually live in landed properties with lots of space for the dogs to run around?
Some points to note:

Young huskies make good pets if given plenty of space to run and play. But their high demand for exercise and activity makes them a poor choice for urban residents;

In more humid regions, huskies are prone to develop ear and related infections;

If several huskies are kept in the same lot, they tend to be vocal, howling and barking at each other and any other dogs in the vicinity unless they are trained to be quiet. In crowded neighbourhoods, this can be a nuisance to neighbours;

Huskies make relatively poor household dogs; and

They may be considered hyperactive by sedate humans, running in circles inside a house when bored or cramped. If left alone in a dwelling for long, they may engage in destructive behaviour out of boredom, mischief or malice.

In drawing up rules, we should consider the welfare of dogs and their suitability in our tropical climate. How many more dogs will be dumped or put to sleep just because their owners suddenly had no time for them or found them too troublesome to care for?

Grace Peh (Mrs)


This is one of my pet peeves as well:

TV licence fee

Why collect this 'tax' when there is enough revenue from TV advertisements to cover costs?

MS YEOH SWEE IMM, who says that the TV licence fee is another form of 'tax'' which should go the way of the recently abolished estate duty. Abolishing the fee will give many Singaporeans, especially poorer ones, access to the educational content television offers

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/ST+Forum/ST+Forum.html

Wishlist for Cats of East Coast Park

If you would like to help these community cats whose outdoor home will be torn down soon, please visit http://kucingcoast.blogspot.com to leave a message.



Dear everyone,

Hello! Hope this email finds you well. Thank you all for your kind support for the cats in the park.

Some updates on the status of our sterilisation project in the park. The majority of cats in the boat storage areas have been sterilised (a total of 190 cats sterilised thus far in the park). Unfortunately they will be losing their homes come June 2008 when the boat storage areas will be torn down. We have been monitoring, and will continue to monitor the situation on the ground, together with our feeders, to make sure that the cats are safe and fine during the transition period.

Meanwhile, one way forward is to ensure that the cats are well-fed away from food areas to minimise complaints and ensure that the population is kept stable through continued aggresive sterilisation. At the same time, we are target to sterilise cats at the Marine Cove and Lifeguard areas where there are still quite a number of unsterilised cats. We will be supplementing the cat food supply of feeders in the park by providing them with cat food so that the cats are well-fed.

As such, for the purposes of sterilisation and feeding, we have come up with a wishlist for the cats, with sterilisation targets to be reached by end of this month, and food supplies needed for the cats the month of March:-

1) 20 sterilisation slots ($25 for a male, $40 for a female) + boarding ($15 per cat) - $1100 (assuming female cats)
2) 4 rounds of trapping ($70 per session) - $280
3) 3 bags of 6.8kg cat biscuits ($25 per bag) - $75
4) 40 cans of wet canned food ($1 per can) - $40

Kindly let me have the heads-up if you would like to sponsor any one of the above items, either in whole, or in part, and I will inform you about details of the sponsorship. We will also provide you with an update by mid-April on how your sponsorship has gone towards helping the cats. Pls also feel free to let me know if you have any queries.

Hope that everyone would chip in to support our furry friends in East Coast Park. Thanks!

Best regards,
Nona Neo
--
Cats of East Coast Park
http://kucingcoast.blogspot.com

Letters to the Press (English version)

A catty problem
Cats vs cars: who’s the real ‘victim’?

Letter from Tan Chek Wee

TODAY Thursday • February 14, 2008

My car is parked in a Housing and Development Board (HDB) car park. I accept the unavoidable “damages” from intentional or unintentional vandalism such as being hit by the doors of adjacent cars or the occasional bird droppings.

Most of us are unaware of the disclaimer clause on the back of a car park disc (the old paper version, not the current electronic one) attributing such damage to “acts of nature”.

Community cats, too, are part of “nature” but why are they “victims” of Town Council officers, who will have the cats removed to be killed when they receive complaints from car owners who see cats on the roofs or bonnets of their cars?

One of my friends who lives in Tampines teams up with several resident volunteers in the neighbourhood “cat management” group which helps sterilise community cats and assist the Town Council to resolve feedback about cats.

Recently, they were told by their Town Council officer to remove a sterilised cat that has been living in a car park for a long time because a resident complained of the cat sitting on his car bonnet.

The resident refused to speak with the volunteers who wanted to present him with a car cover.
The paint on a car — if it is in a decent condition — is extremely hardy as it has been baked in high heat to withstand daily wear and tear.

Cats’ claws are as hard as our fingernails. Unless you can scratch the paint off with your fingernail, it is impossible for a cat to scratch the paint off the surface of a car.

Furthermore, cats retract their claws when walking on smooth surfaces, hence there will not be any scratches on the car when the cat walks on it. The only way that a cat can scratch the car is when it tries to get traction on the surface, by — dare I say — running for its life.

This action of the Town Council officer only encourages ungracious living by pandering to unreasonable complaints.

It is also a waste of public funds as removal of sterilised cats will create a vacuum for other cats to move in.

The action of the officer is also unfair to the volunteers, who are also residents of the estate but who put in effort, time and their own money to manage a community problem.