The Electric New Paper :
Conflict between cat lovers and town councils
Try lifting HDB ban on cats
04 June 2009
BY QUERYING the role of town councils in animal welfare and demanding answers from them 'What do town councils know of animal welfare?' (The New Paper, 1 Jun), Lau Vun Ping seems to be barking up the wrong tree.
Whatever the merits of the letter writer's other arguments for cat care, please remember that town councils are primarily responsible and answerable to the residents in their respective areas.
If residents complain about cats and cat feeders, the town councils have to give priority to satisfying the demands of their clients and get rid of the source of the complaints.
As long as their actions pertaining to cats are within legal and official guidelines, the town councils are not required, except out of courtesy, to provide data to or enter into dialogue with outside parties such as animal welfare groups whose members are not resident in the areas under the town councils' purview.
To end the long-running conflict between cat feeders, HDB residents and town councils, those concerned about cat welfare should redouble their efforts to persuade the HDB to lift the ban against the keeping of cats in flats.
If they succeed in getting the HDB to do this, cat lovers will be legally able to keep their beloved pets within their own premises.
Hair shedding, urination and defecation, the problems that commonly give rise to persistent complaints, will then be restricted to areas for which cat lovers will have to be personally responsible.
Containing these problems within the homes of the cat lovers will do much to reduce friction with those not inclined towards familiarity with felines.
A relaxation of the HDB ban on keeping cats in public flats will certainly reduce the volume of complaints that town council staff will have to attend to.
FROM READER LEE CHIU SAN
Response to this letter by clicking here (subject: Conflict between cat lovers and town council)
