| Appeal to HDB to review prohibition of feline companions |
Subject: RE:TODAY VOICES CONTRIBUTION - Appeal to HDB to review prohibition of feline companions
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 2006 15:51:06 +0800
Dear Sir,
Thank you for your contribution to our VOICES section, but I'm afraid we aren't able to use your letter.
Please however continue to send your views to TODAY. We try to use as many letters as possible, space permitting.
Once again, thank you for your interest in TODAY.
Best Regards,
Shanthi R.
From: C S
Sent: 24 February 2006 10:44
To: NEWS
Subject: Appeal to HDB to review prohibition of feline companions
I am writing this letter because I still cherish the hope that there are people in the HDB who subscribe to PM Lee's promise of a more consultative governance of the people.I am referring to a relatively trivial matter but nonetheless it matters to some people like myself. I believe that every citizen has the right to be heard and the right to intelligent and sensible answers.
Time and again, when HDB was asked to review its 20 years' ban on allowing cats into HDB flats, the "copy and paste" type of reply is invariably like this
"We wish to explain that cats are not allowed to be kept in HDB flats as they are nomadic in nature and it is difficult to confine them to flats.. Cats can shed fur, dirty public places, make noise and cause disturbance. Despite the prohibition on cats, HDB has been receiving from residents numerous complaints relating to cats. As our priority is to promote a pleasant living environment and good relationships for all residents in our housing estates, HDB will maintain its existing policy on not allowing cats to be kept in the flats."
I live in a HDB flat and sometimes I have had to put up with uncontrolled barking of HDB-approved dogs, dog's urination in public places (especially around pillars) and sometimes dog poo in void deck (both of which have been mistakenly attributed to cats by people who have no knowledge of feline behaviour) and yet I accept these "irritations" so as to maintain good relationships with my fellow residents.
I am aware that there are dog owners who are responsible enough to bring along plastic bags to pick up the poo and also send their dogs for obedience classes. So I feel that it will be unfair to call for a ban on dogs just because of a few bad hats. Because dogs are approved, HDB can exert better control by mandating licencing, and soon, microchipping so that the incidence of abandonment can be reduced.
This propensity to live with animals such as dogs and cats (that have been domesticated and de-nomadized for almost as long as the written history of mankind) is universal. Banning cats from HDB has not stopped people from living with them and I believe the ban has compounded the problem of irresponsible pet ownership that AVA is striving very hard to inculcate into our society. The criminal act of abandonment of cats cannot be proven without the licencing and microchipping as in the case of dogs. Just as there are irresponsible dog owners, there will be irresponsible cat owners. Just as majority of dog owners as responsible, I believe majority of cat owners are responsible. Why penalized residents who understand that responsibiliy means sterilizing their cats and keeping them indoor?
It is precisely for the reason of "promoting a pleasant living environment and good relationships for all residents" that HDB has to review the 20 year-old ban that has not been effective in reducing complaints about cats. This is a time of policy-making based on evidence-based information and in consultation with residents who live in the heartlands. Is it fair to favour residents who wish to live with dogs over residents who wish to live with cats? The cause of the complaints related to dogs and cats is not due to the animal themselves but the lack of pet responsibility amongst some residents. Banning cats and then blaming cats, resulting in culling them is a waste of public fund and put a dent in our progress towards an inclusive society that is also based on compassion.
HDB should review its ban in consultation with specialists in the field of feline behaviour such as the cat welfare society(
www.catwelfare.org) and the SPCA (www.spca.org.sg).C S
