Singapore --- Celebrity Karen Mok, an avid cat lover and renowned animal welfare ambassador and BG(NS) Tan Chuan-Jin, Minister of State Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Manpower have both taken up the invitation from Cat Welfare Society (CWS) to endorse its annual Spay Day on October 28, 2011. CWS has been holding the annual Spay Day since 2006 when for one day a year, CWS provides free sterilisation for community cats to encourage more people who care to do their part for their communities.
Karen sends a message of appeal to Singaporeans for their support in helping to save animal lives by spaying their pet or neighbourhood cats, and to control the stray population in a humane way.
She said: “Since I was very young, my family has always tended to rescue abandoned cats on the streets. We have adopted more than 15 cats over the years and they have always been a treasured part of our family. When we make a decision to make a cat our pet, we have to remember that we become our cat’s whole life. As a pet owner, we have some critical responsibilities --- to keep our cats indoors, sterilise them, give them a secure living environment, spend time with them and never abandon your pet cat.
“Around the world, pet abandonment and the resulting breeding is the biggest contributor to the stray cat population. Cat owners who do not sterilize their pets and let them roam also add to the problem. Culling does not address the source of the issue – only education on responsible pet ownership and sterilisation can effectively and sustainably control the community cat population in the long run and maintain community harmony.
“Spay Day is an established and well accepted movement in many communities around the world, from the developed societies in North America and Europe to the developing world in Asia and Africa. It is heartening to see this movement increasingly garner support in the Singapore community.”
BG(NS) Tan also expresses his support for CWS Spay Day: “I commend the Cat Welfare Society for the annual Spay Day initiative. Animal lovers and caregivers should work with CWS to sterilise stray cats and manage them responsibly for the sake of community harmony and animal welfare. Cat owners should also be responsible by getting their pet cats sterilised and keeping them confined within their premises.”
Fareena Omar, President of the Cat Welfare Society says: “We thank Karen and BG(NS) Tan for their support and encouragement in our movement to promote a humane, responsible and informed society in Singapore. A single pair of breeding cats and their offspring can produce 325 cats in two years. For as little as SGD 70, a pair of male and female cats can be sterilized. Spay Day can go a long way in preventing the unnecessary births and deaths of tens and thousands of cats. Last year, 286 community cats were sterilised on Spay Day 2010 -- that is 286 lives improved and thousands of unwanted animals prevented. This year CWS has set the goal of sterilising 300 community cats. We need our community’s support to help us achieve this goal.
“In total, last year around 3,200 cats were sterilised through CWS Spay Day and our ongoing sterilisation reimbursement scheme – a 53% increase from 2009. According to official statistics, the number of cats culled last year fell to an all-time low of 5,100. The figure is a stark comparison to the average of 10,000 cats culled per year prior to 2004 -- that is one cat killed every hour. This is strong testament to the fact that the community cat sterilisation program is the most effective and humane way of controlling stray cat population. Sterilization remains the main focus of CWS’ mission – last year, 77% of our funds raised last year were spent on the community cat sterilization program.”
How to support Spay Day 2011
CWS fully funds the sterilisations on Spay Day through the public donations it receives, and is supported by 28 participating veterinary clinics that provide CWS stray (discounted) surgery rates. Members of the community can support CWS Spay Day by donating through CWS website or via AXS machines. Community cat caregivers can also apply for a maximum of three sterilisation slots for their neighbourhood cats (maximum one female cat) on a first come first serve basis.
Among her many philanthropic engagements, Karen has been a champion of international animal welfare protection for many years. She has been the Ambassador for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Hong Kong) since 2002 as well as the Ambassador for Animals Asia Fund “China Bear Rescue” since 2003. For more info,http://karenmok.com/karenmok/Charity-Engagements-profile-338530.html.
For further information:
Cat Welfare Society: Edna Lam, edna@catwelfare.org
About Cat Welfare Society
Cat Welfare Society is a volunteer-run registered charity in Singapore since 2004. It aims to promote a humane, responsible and informed society in Singapore where cats are cared for responsibly as pets and treated with kindness as community cats. The Society also actively promotes sterilisation as a vital personal responsibility of a cat owner and an effective means to control our community cat population, instead of destruction.
Cat Welfare Society helps people who care and want to sterilise community cats to halt the cycle of breeding and destruction. Through a panel of veterinarian clinics in Singapore that support stray welfare, it is able to offer affordable rates to encourage more people to do their part.
These caring individuals further enjoy a rebate through the Society’s reimbursement scheme. Through the reimbursement scheme, around 300 cats are sterilised every month. That is 300 lives improved and thousands of unwanted animals prevented. Communities live harmoniously with community cats through mediation, education and problem solving.
Our main programmes include:
Annual Spay Day
One day a year, the Society provides free sterilisation for community cats. In 2010, a record of 286 were sterilised during Spay Day. We plan to sterilise 300 cats on Spay Day 2011 on 28 October.
Sterilisation Reimbursement Scheme
The Society work with vet clinics around Singapore to provide stray sterilisation rates at lower rates to encourage more people to help community cats. CWS members also enjoy a reimbursement of $20 for every cat that they sterilised in one month and $30 for every 5th cat onwards. Through this scheme, more than 3,000 cats were sterilised last year. That is thousands of unwanted litter prevented, contributing to the lowest culling rate achieved in 2010.
Public Education
The Society also creates opportunities to reach out to Singaporeans on pertinent issues like responsible pet ownership, animal abuse and humane treatment of community cats through public events and campaigns.
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How to register your cats for Spay Day 2011
Step 1:
Download the Spay Day consent form here. English Version | Chinese Version (right click and save)
To access the file, you will need a PDF reader, which can be downloaded for free at Adobe's website.
Step 2:
Print out the form.
Step 3:
Fill out the details on the form.
Step 4:
Mail it back to us at:
Cat Welfare Society (Spay Day)
Orchard Road P.O. Box 65, Singapore 912303
Registration closed. For extensions, please email spayday@catwelfare.org.
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Donate to Spay Day 2011 to help us reach our target of 300 cats this year!
