The Electric New Paper :
There are more humane ways in dealing with stray cats
I FIND a man’s claim that he is responsible for the killing of more than 300 cats (’I'm not the cat killer’, The New Paper, 13 Feb) abhorrent.
18 February 2009
His reasoning that the cats have a short lifespan is nothing short of cruelty. He needs counselling.
There are truly humane ways of keeping cats out of a garden by using cat repellents available for loan from the Cat Welfare Society.
Sterilising the cats in the estate is also an effective and humane way of reducing their numbers over time.
His method of removing the cats is anything but humane.
I live in a HDB flat and I am familiar with the problems of community cats.
In the last few years, some of us residents have trapped almost all the cats in the area for sterilisation.
We are ever watchful for new abandoned cats and will quickly trap them for sterilisation.
We also educate feeders to feed responsibly.
Cats in our neighbourhood look healthy and beautiful. They do not live pitiful lives.
They provide healthy amusement to many residents, especially the elderly. It is not uncommon to see an elderly man reading a newspaper on a public bench with a cat curled up asleep beside him.
Banning cat feeding will not stop the practice but may encourage ‘ghost’ feeding. When feeders are afraid of being caught, they will not stay long enough to clear the leftovers.
Cats cannot be compared to monkeys. Cats are urban creatures, mostly abandoned, and we must use a different approach.
FROM READER TAN CHEK WEE
