Monday, January 31, 2011
Teaching the wrong lessons in rabbit care
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Jan 31, 2011
Teaching the wrong lessons in rabbit care
MY FAMILY has been taking in abandoned rabbits for the past 10 years, so I was troubled by the Rabbits In The City event organised by Pets Village at Suntec City Mall from Jan 20 to Jan 30.
First, rabbits are very timid and fragile animals, and subjecting them to such stress at a crowded public event is cruel as it can result in them falling ill and even dying.
Worse still, at the event, some rabbits were kept in tiny cages not even fit to house a hamster. The larger rabbits barely had enough space to turn around. Furthermore, the cages had wire floors, which could result in the animals developing sore hocks.
The Pets Village staff standing at the table with the rabbits in cages also did not stop people from poking their fingers at the rabbits.
Moreover, people were allowed to pat the rabbits which would definitely have caused them severe stress. Some of my more timid rabbits at home won't even let me pat them, but will run away if I try. However, the rabbits at the Suntec event were put on a table surrounded by people, with nowhere to run.
A staff member there claimed the event was to educate the public. However, with all the things they were doing wrong, how could they be educating the public? Although they said they were not selling rabbits at the event, Pets Village does sell rabbits, and its staff were giving out the company business cards.
I was really shocked to learn that the event was approved by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), and hope that AVA will never again allow such events to take place, and will put more effort into educating the public about rabbits.
Joel Chia
HDB rules on keeping cats responsibly needed
A friend who volunteers to assist her town council in resolving complaints about cats was recently asked to "remove" a cat that defecated outside a flat. Otherwise the cat would be rounded up by the town council's pest controller to be surrendered to the Agrifood and Veterinary Authority (AVA) where it would be killed.
My friend spoke to the cat's owner but he stubbornly refused to keep the cat indoors, citing the lack of HDB rules binding him to do so.
Most owners are responsible but rules are needed to control the few black sheep. I plead with HDB to listen to feedback from residents, the Cat Welfare Society and the SPCA - to successfully reduce the complaints that arise from irresponsible cat ownership, regulations that include compulsory sterilisation, keeping cats indoor and micro-chipping are needed.
Even the AVA, after all, has information on how to keep cats responsibly in flats.
Letter from Tan Chek Wee
Write to TODAY
http://www.catwelfare.org/downloads
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
An ex-community tabby cat
Later, a caregiver took her home from the neighbourhood and gave her a safe home, 4 years ago.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Urgent Appeal: Does Hope deserve all these???
Urgent Appeal: Does Hope deserve all these???
On 20th Jan, a badly injured cat was found in Geylang Lor 7. No one could bear to take a second look at this scrawny petite female cat because it was a very unpleasant sight. No one can imagine what had actually happened to this cat, now named Hope.
Hope, was sighted by Mr Lim at Geylang Lor 7, with a dislocated lower jaw. She cannot close her mouth. Her badly inflamed tongue was hanging out, possibly for days. Her right eye was infected and she could not open her eye. She was filthy and stinking from pus and dried blood. Mr Lim then seeked help from Mike and Aiwei, who rushed Hope to Jireh Veterinary Clinic Pte Ltd.
According to the vet, chances are that Hope was abused. Her jaw was dislocated and fractured, and her right eyeball was ruptured. There was a huge bruise on her head. She must have been kicked in her face several times with great impact.
21 Jan
The good people at Jireh Veterinary Clinic delivered some happy news. Hope had attempted to eat despite not being able to chew her food. She tried to lap up her food and even shown loads of affections.
Dr Tham said that she needs to be fitter in order for them to perform a surgery to fix her jaw, which involves inserting a metal piece to secure her broken jaw. The surgery and hospitalisation is estimated to be over $2000. Meanwhile, Hope stays in Jireh Veterinary Clinic to receive medical attention until she is fit enough for the surgery.
Please click to see video: of Hope: Good appetite
Please help Mr Lim with the medical fees. A little goes a long way for these poor furry homeless animals on the streets.
If you are keen to contribute, you can
1) Cross your cheque to Jireh Veterinary Clinic Pte Ltd and mail it to Mike/Aiwei for recording purpose. (pls email us at pawpledge@gmail.com so that we can email you the mailing address)
2) Make a transfer to POSB Savings 093-61193-4
Please drop us an email so that we can check and record.
Thank you in advance.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Where can we go?
HDB says No
We stay on the streets
Town Council says No
The feeders mess up public areas
We move to the carparks
Car owners say No
The scratches must be that "stupid cat sleeping on the roof"
We move to the hawker centres
NEA says No
Or else no 'Singapore OK' label
We hang around the walkway
The young lady says we scare her mother
We move near the childcare
The parents complaint to the Town Council's officer
"Get rid of the cat or we beat your brain out!"
We poo on the grass
The Town Council's Senior Property Manager screams
"Cats cannot poo! Not even on the grass!"
Where can we go?
Can we ask to be unborn?
We are labelled pest and nuisance
Without justification
Look who is destroying the earth?
At an unprecedented pace
Come on
We only want to live
Just like you do
What right have you got to push us off the brink?
by koon-king
(May 17, '06)
(feel free to share for the benefits of the community cats)
