http://www.moggies.co.uk/articles/aug2010/purrfect.html
http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/homestyle/cat-in-a-flat-its-a-purrrfect-idea-20100817-1289c.html
Cat In A Flat? It's A Purr-fect Idea
By: Miles Godfrey - Sydney Morning Heald, Australia
If you've ever wanted to keep a cat in a flat, but thought the unit a whisker too small, think again.
A new study says keeping pets in city apartments is a purrrfect idea. It also advises how to get your paws on a building which is pet friendly.
And in a move which will set posh pooch's tails wagging and get yuppie moggies purring with delight, developers of upmarket new buildings are said to be increasingly willing to accommodate animals.
One in four Australian households are now based in apartment blocks, says the Petcare Information and Advisory Service (PIAS), which is attempting to bust the myth that pets can't live in small units.
"There is absolutely a perception out there that cats and dogs can't live in units because they are too small... but it's really not true," says PIAS spokeswoman Susie Willis.
"Traditionally, people think you need a quarter-acre backyard for a dog to run about in, but most are just as happy in an apartment as long as you take the right steps."
And developers and real estate agents that were traditionally "anti-pet" are now changing their ways, Ms Willis added.
"We know city dwellers want to keep pets and some developers are now cottoning on to that fact," she said.
"They've realised there is money to be made from allowing pets."
She said Sydney's upmarket Jacksons Landing development and parts of Melbourne's Docklands residential development, among others, are now pet-friendly.
PIAS's research is based on a 2008 study involving 800 respondents and has been turned into a new guide, called Pets In The City.
It aims to advise people which pets are most suitable for apartments, such as those which shed less hair.
And it offers advice on how to find pet friendly buildings, negotiate with anti-pet real estate agents other potential obstacles to pet ownership.
It has won the backing of Sydney mayor Clover Moore.
"In a society in which people often live on their own, pets give pleasure, they teach responsibility, they provide security, and they love and are loved in return," Ms Moore said in a statement.
For more information visit: petsinthecity.net.au.
HDB bans cats for these silly reasons:
http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10326p.nsf/w/PetTypesOfPetsAllowed?OpenDocument
"Flat owners are not allowed to keep cats in HDB flats, as it is generally difficult to confine cats within the flat premises. Nuisance caused by cats such as shedding of their fur, defecating/urinating in public areas or even the caterwauling sounds that they make can cause a lot of disturbance, which affects the environment and disrupts neighbourliness in our housing estates. "
There are MANY HDB residents who live with cats and they treasure their feline companions enough to keep them safe indoors by cat-proofing their apartments and to neuter them. Yet they have to live in fear of nasty neighbours who may report them to the HDB for "illegal activity" or if they are "sway" (Hokkien for "bad luck") enough for HBD officers to walk by their apartments and notice the cats inside. Read this "Small, furry, outlawed: Singapore torn over cat rights"
Speak out for your rights as "owners" of HBD flats and also as "good citizens" by responding to the Government's repeated calls to be involved in the management of YOUR estates, by forwarding this article to
MAH BOW TAN
Job Title : MINISTER - MINISTER
DID : 31067111
Email: MAH_BOW_TAN@MND.GOV.SG
Unit: MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (MND)
and cc
LEE HSIEN LOONG
Job Title : PRIME MINISTER
DID : 62358577
Email: LEE_HSIEN_LOONG@PMO.GOV.SG
Unit: PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (PMO)
cc to
The Cat Welfare Society
email: info@catwelfare.org
The SPCA
email: eo@spca.org.sg (Executive Officer)
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