CAT DISPUTES IN HDB FLATS
Ban against cats should be lifted
I REFER to the report 'Residents get catty over mess' (The New Paper, 2 Mar).
07 March 2010
I REFER to the report 'Residents get catty over mess' (The New Paper, 2 Mar).
I totally understand the concerns of the residents who may be unhappy with stray cats wandering into their houses.
I wonder if we should seriously consider and address the root cause of this problem - namely, HDB's ban on cats in its flats.
Should this ruling be reconsidered, it would mean that the onus will be on cat owners to ensure that their pets are kept indoors and maintained well.
HDB's ban has resulted in some residents keeping cats but leaving them to wander outside their homes for fear of HDB or the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority officials taking them to task for rearing these cats.
If the ban is lifted, then rules pertaining to responsible cat ownership can be implemented.
Irresponsible owners - such as the person living on the sixth storey of the said block of flats - can be appropriately dealt with by the law.
There are laws pertaining to keeping dogs in HDB flats. (HDB does not allow flat-dwellers to keep dogs weighing more than 10kg and over 40cm in height.)
The HDB should reconsider this ban, given that it is outmoded and impractical and, worst of all, creates discord among neighbours.
FROM READER MELISSA LIM
