The Straits Times
STForum Online
July 20, 2009
Removing cats will only result in endless cycle of culling
MS LAU Vun Ping's letter, 'Free loan of pet traps does not solve the problem of strays' (July 8), raises an issue that the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) strongly opposes - the free loan of cat traps by the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to residents annoyed at the nuisance caused by strays.
Removing cats does not solve the problem as new cats will move in to fill the vacuum, resulting in an endless cycle of culling. Traps, in the hands of people who are unfamiliar with or do not love cats, can also lead to mistreatment or intentional ill treatment of these animals. This runs counter to AVA's mission to promote animal welfare.
Instead, CWS encourages people to trap, then neuter the cats before releasing them back to the estate where they are managed by caregivers. This trap-neuter-release-manage (TNRM) method will effectively, and humanely, solve the cat population issue in the long run.
CWS urges AVA to reconsider its practice of loaning out traps and offering euthanasia for free as a way to resolve cat nuisance issues of private home owners and inform people about sterilisation as an alternative. It is more effective and better use of taxpayers' money to sterilise than to cull.
Ang Li Tin (Ms)
President
Cat Welfare Society
