The Straits Times, ST Forum,March 19, 2007
Extract of letter:-
Thanks to the help of the Cat Welfare Society and two retired teachers, I was able to start a sterilisation programme in my estate in the east at the age of 14.
With no support or encouragement from my relatives or friends, I followed my burning desire to spread the message of sterilisation. I approached all the cat feeders I met on the street and built up my network.
In 2000, I started out with 28 blocks, zero sterilised cats and a neighbourhood flooded with cats. It started out tough, with weekly trapping of two to three cats. Slowly and steadily, we covered the initial area and expanded to other parts of the neighbourhood.
This year, in 52 blocks (about two-thirds of the neighbourhood), the cat population is decreasing. The expanded network of responsible cat caregivers is required to sterilise newcomers only once every one to two months.
The mortality rate for well-cared community cats is rather high. Those blocks with a high density of cats in the past are left with one or two survivors. Some blocks have even achieved cat-free status.
If I had chosen to be a idol-chasing teenager seven years ago, the residents here would still be putting up with scrawny sickly ‘pests’. However, today, many are living with beautiful, healthy ‘pets’ which are part of the community.
Rebecca Ho Shu Ling (Miss)
