The Electric New Paper :
RESPONSIBLE FEEDING
Blame humans, not animals
READER Lin Xiumei wrote in her letter 'Stray cats made life miserable' (The New Paper, June 21) about the kinds of trouble that stray cats can cause.
01 July 2010
But the trouble mentioned does not stem from the cats as much as it does from the behaviour of the neighbour in feeding the cats in the corridor, luring the cats up to her flat.
The Cat Welfare Society also does not condone such a practice. There are good feeding practices and there are bad ones.
Issues that arise between neighbours are often a result of inconsiderate behaviour. Reader Joe Lim, in his letter on June 15, highlighted some of these.
There are also other types of anti-social behaviour and these sometimes involve animals, evident in the complaints about people letting their pets roam unattended, not picking up their dog's poo and littering when they are presumably doing the animals a favour by feeding them. As such, this is less an animal issue than a human one.
But in many such cases, it is the animals that are villainised and they suffer the consequences of being culled.
In the meantime, irresponsible behaviour go unaddressed and persist to bring new headaches to neighbours and put other animals in danger.
There is a growing concern among people in Singapore for the welfare and humane treatment of pets and community animals and this is indicative of a progressive society such as ours.
There is far more awareness from cat owners now about keeping their pet cats strictly indoors and from caregivers who look after community cats with good feeding habits and sterilising them to control the population.
Their actions need to be contrasted with those who disregard their neighbours' concerns.
Education and enforcement are key.
Education on responsible feeding is underway in many estates through notices and the work of Town Council officers and volunteers to take appropriate action against irresponsible feeders.
VERON LAU
VICE-PRESIDENT
CAT WELFARE SOCIETY
