TODAY
Do recognise our passion for stray cats
05:55 AM Jul 30, 2009
Letter from Dr Tan Chek Wee
HDB residents like myself, who team up with fellow residents over a common interest of improving the lives of stray cats, by applying "trap, neuter, release and manage", generally dislike being called "cat lovers" as the term conjures up a negative stereotypical portrayal.
We prefer terms like care-givers or care-takers. We do not want more cats but want to achieve less cats humanely instead of killing them as has been done here for more than 25 years.
But eventually we will have to "let go" of the cats under our care that go missing for reasons we will never find out. However, we will continue to care for strays because being neutered, they have a better quality of life as the instinct to fight and roam is reduced. Being less of a "nuisance", complaints about them to the Town Councils are also reduced. Most stray cats in Singapore, especially those in HDB estates, are victims of abandonment. They are therefore homeless cats.
In my estate, there is an elderly lady who has been allotted two plots of land by the Town Council to plant herbs. This is in recognition of her passion for herbs.
Will the Town Council similarly recognise the passion of some residents for stray cats and support them by offering reimbursement of sterilisation fees? The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has publicly indicated this financial support but for reasons unclear, no Town Council has yet to put this into practice.
