The Straits Times
STForum Online
July 8, 2009
Free loan of pet traps does not solve problem of strays
THANK YOU, Mr Ernest Chua ('Pet point: Exasperated resident says', July 2) for your suggestion that cats be sterilised and fed responsibly, which are the two pillars for effective stray management.
Your case fully highlights that the free loaning of traps by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to residents to resolve cat and other animal problems does not work. Removing the cats does not resolve the problem at the root, which is breeding, and more cats will eventually come back to the area. Amateur cat trapping also puts both humans and animals at risk of getting hurt if not done properly.
A final point I would like to make is that placing a trap in the hands of people who do not have a love for cats may result in inhumane treatment of trapped animals.
As the AVA only collects trapped animals during working hours, how are they ensuring that the animals are properly treated until collection, especially over weekends? There is also nothing preventing trappers from disposing animals on their own accord in other estates or even in more unimaginable means.
I would like to appeal to the AVA to work with caregivers to manage and sterilise stray cats in private estates. The AVA can also think about implementing the stray cat sterilisation programme in non-HDB estates to expedite the control of the stray cat population in these estates.
Lau Vun Ping
