TODAY
Voices
Online Only - Playing with community cats helps relieve tensions
09:30 PM Feb 18, 2010
Letter from Lawrence Lee
I refer to "Bonding over a 'community cat'" (Feb 17) by Dr Tan Chek Wee.
I am a resident of Pasir Ris and the community cats there have added colour and joy to to my life and that of many others. For various reasons, many residents are not able to keep pets of their own. The community cats provide an avenue for me to ease the tensions of the day by stroking and massaging them. In the process, I get to know other residents who are happy to play with the cats. They come from my block and the neighbouring blocks, and I would not have met them if not for the cats. They provide a platform for us to connect with residents of different races, including foreign nationals. The cats are properly cared for by responsible cat carers. In the interest of community bonding and fostering harmony, it would be helpful for the town councils to be mindful of the positive contributions made by the community cats and not overreact to complaint from non-animal lovers who may even exaggerate the nature of complaints in order to get the cats out of the community.
