"a little tolerance and understanding from everyone goes a long way."

http://www.straitstimes.com/premium/forum-letters/story/collective-effort-needed-tackle-stray-cat-issue-20120820

Published on Aug 20, 2012

RECENTLY, there have been several letters on the feeding of stray cats ("For cat's sake, act against irresponsible feeding" by Mr Lee Chiu San, Aug 1; and "Irresponsible pet owners deserve equally stiff penalties" by Mr Yang Ying Qing, last Thursday, and "Cat feeders are the problem" by Ms Vivienne Yeo, Aug 4, both on Forum Online).
The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) takes a balanced approach in managing stray cats.
Public opinion on their management is divided. There are those who are bothered by the stray cat nuisance and irresponsible  feeding, and hence advocate a ban on feeding them and their removal from the streets. There are also others who advocate sterilisation and responsible management as humane ways to manage the stray cat population.
The AVA takes into consideration these diverse views and ensures that our control measures benefit society at large.
People should not feed strays irresponsibly. While the feeding of stray animals is well-intended, irresponsible feeding becomes an offence when it causes littering of the environment.
The public may contact the AVA on 1800-476-1600 to provide feedback on irresponsible stray animal feeding.
Animal lovers should also be mindful that feeding strays without getting them sterilised will cause them to proliferate and exacerbate the stray cat situation. The efforts of animal lovers who devote their time and resources to sterilising and caring for community cats can be supported as long as they do so responsibly.
We have observed that in areas where sterilised stray cats are part of the community, the stray cat population has decreased.
Thus, the AVA has been working with the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) to promote responsible pet ownership and explore feasible ways of managing the stray animal population.
For example, we are working with the CWS and their volunteers through our Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme. Under it, an agreed number of sterilised cats are returned to the neighbourhood, where they are responsibly managed by caregivers. The CWS also assists, where possible, in community mediation related to cat issues.
The stray cat issue is a complex problem with no quick fixes. Tackling it requires the collective efforts of animal welfare groups, caregivers and the community.
The AVA will continue its public education efforts to inculcate responsible pet ownership to improve animal welfare, as well as create a harmonious living environment for all. However, education is a long-term process, and a little tolerance and understanding from everyone goes a long way.
Dr Wong Hon Mun
Director, Agri Establishment Regulation
for Chief Executive Officer
Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority

This poor community cat was caught on a glue-board trap placed by a pest control company overnight at a HDB bin centre.

SPCA Singapore

4 hours ago

This poor community cat was caught on a glue-board trap placed by a pest control company overnight at a HDB bin centre. The cat in this photo was dying by the time it was brought to the SPCA. She was in deep distress and panting heavily. Our duty veterinarian made the decision to humanely euthanase the cat to prevent further suffering.

The board trap was about 4 feet by 5 feet in size and the amount of glue on the board was excessive. The cat never stood a chance.

SPCA has previously appealed to AVA to institute a ban of glue-board traps because of the suffering caused to animals that are trapped on them, not only rats, but other species. The case, which was reported to SPCA on Friday 17 February, only reinforces the extreme suffering that an animal goes through when glue-board traps are used. We have contacted the Town Council and the pest control company involved, to inform them that we will take this matter further We have also written to AVA to request that they ban the use of such traps

Please help us by writing to AVA at ava_cawc@ava.gov.sg to urge them to ban the use of such traps and to your town council to make sure they do not use such traps.

Why Cats, Dogs and the Environment Matter...

https://www.facebook.com/notes/tan-chuan-jin/why-cats-dogs-and-the-environment-matter/203483016361148

Why Cats, Dogs and the Environment Matter...

by Tan Chuan-Jin on Sunday, 05 June 2011 at 13:12

Some have asked me why are we taking this up when there are so many other things to sort out.

Its not about the animals. Nor is it just about the environment (which is something I am also looking at). It is about the society we want to build. Some of you have shared -

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." --Ghandi.

Does this mean we stop worrying about other issues? Addressing these doesn't mean the rest of the work isn't done. Far from it.

My colleagues and I are fully aware of the many needs we need to cater to and indeed, the many things to be addressed. We discuss this weekly at Cabinet and within our Ministries. Things that we are able to move quickly we do. In other areas, we need to spend more time because there are different ramifications. The issues are seldom purely black and white. I realise that the expectations are there but as I have said before, things take time and we want to do it right.

FTs and FWs is one such topic. In fact, as I read your various posts and listen to my residents, I see a few key themes:

- Living space: too many too quickly, over-representation in particular areas

- Fairness and opportunity for our own Singaporeans at the workplace (including discrimination against our own), housing, schools

- Are we bringing in the right types of FTs and FWs

- Better information to be made available

- Local and small SMEs are finding it difficult as we have tightened up foreign supply

etc

Housing:

- Prices, availability of both normal flats and rentals

- Eligibility...young couples, singles, divorcees, low income groups, elderly

- Design considerations

etc

'Singaporeans First' is another key theme that surfaces.

As I have explained. We are looking at these issues. There are also many many ongoing matters that continue to be done because we need to keep our country going. They may not be on the radar screen but doesn't mean they are not important. Many many things work here. Not always perfectly but it helps provide us a good and stable environment for us and our families. We cannot slacken in these areas.

Which brings me to our cats, dogs and environment.

When we begin to care for different aspects in society, we will begin to grow as a people. What distinguishes us as humans is our capacity to love, care and respect. Which is why such avenues, be it with animals, our environment, and indeed with fellow humans...caring for the less privileged in society, respecting elders and being there for them in their twilight years...the spirit of volunteerism and to be involved... are critical in the building of our nation, and the forging of our heart and soul.

Not everything is an economic digit. Some of the most important things in life cannot be quantified.

At the end of it all, it is about us and the society we want to build for our children.

HDB to look into the possibility of allowing cats in flats

HDB to look into the possibility of allowing cats in flats

04:47 AM Jun 04, 2011

by Amanda Feng

SINGAPORE - The Government will look into the possibility of allowing cats in HDB flats, Minister of State (National Development and Manpower) Tan Chuan-Jin told MediaCorp yesterday.

Brigadier-General (NS) Tan was responding to MediaCorp's queries following National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan's blog post yesterday on encouraging cats to be sterilised instead of being culled.

Adding that BG (NS) Tan will help him tackle the issue - given the former's interest in this area - Mr Khaw said he would like the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) to "seriously consider reviewing its culling programme for cats".

Mr Khaw noted that killing the cats was not the best solution. The right thing to do is for cat lovers to own the problem and to eliminate problems caused by irresponsible behaviour, he added.

When contacted last night, BG (NS) Tan said that allowing cats to be kept in HDB flats was one of the issues they were looking into.

According to the HDB's website, flat owners "are not allowed to keep cats in HDB flats, as it is generally difficult to confine cats within the flat premises". It added: "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."

Cat Welfare Society vice-president Veron Lau welcomed BG (NS) Tan's comment but she said the society would like to work with HDB and AVA to educate people to be responsible cat owners.

Last year, the AVA put down 5,100 stray cats.

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) executive director Deirdre Moss said it was "already very happy" that Mr Khaw brought up sterilisation as an option instead of culling.

Said Ms Moss: "In addition to this good news, we are overjoyed that (BG Tan) has agreed to look into allowing cats to be kept as pets in HDB flats. It's very encouraging that the minister is promoting kindness to animals." AMANDA FENG

MND: Saving Cats

Saving Cats

I love animals and have pets at home (and to walk the talk, I am a vegetarian).

Last week, one elderly resident came to my MPS crying out for her pet cat which she said AVA had caught and might kill it! I told her AVA came under my Ministry and I would intervene.

The next day, AVA checked and said that her cat was not with AVA. They would look out for it and would return it to her, should it be sent to AVA subsequently.

I weigh in on AVA to seriously consider reviewing its culling programme for cats. Stray cats are a source of complaints in HDB estates but killing them is not the best way to go. The right thing is for cat lovers to own the problem, eliminate the nuisance created by irresponsible behaviour, and sterilise the cats to control their population. Where there are enough cat-lovers out there willing to own this problem, we can avoid culling in those estates.

As MOS Tan Chuan-Jin has an interest in this area, I have asked him to help me lead on this subject, working with AVA, the relevant NGOs and interested residents to forge a compassionate and mature approach to this problem.

Please visit the MND Facebook to leave a comment.

Saved from the AVA "Gallows" by a diligent town council's property officer and testimonies from senior citizens

An irate father called the town council to complain that a cat attacked his child. He was able to identify the cat as this one.
The town council's property officer in charge of this precinct, went to the block to investigate. He spoke to the senior citizens at the senior citizen corner in the void deck where this cat is frequently seen. The seniors testified that this was a very good tempered cat that was not known or seen to be aggressive.
The property officer then spoke to the father, who was, fortunately reasonable and decided not to insist that this cat be "removed" (to be killed at the AVA).

It is not difficult to imagine how a child would tell his or her parents of scratch marks.

Cats, by nature, do not react aggressively unless they have been provoked or they are overcome by protective maternal instincts if there are newborn babies nearby, or if they have been overly stimulated by stroking. Leave the cats alone and they will leave you alone.

Strays' welfare matters

TODAY
Strays' welfare matters
05:55 AM Oct 02, 2010
Letter from Veron Lau Vice-President Cat Welfare Society

I REFER to the report "AVA denies allegations that stray animals suffered in pound" (Sept 30).

It often makes people responsible feel better that the animal be put down by humane euthanasia.

However, humane euthanasia only refers to the way that the animal is put down, by injection, but glosses over an entire sequence of events leading up to this procedure - the trapping and handling of the animals by often untrained personnel from the pest control companies or home owners and the physical and mental deterioration of the animals before the termination of their life.

We have not known of any pest control contractors having the practice of transferring animals to a proper animal carrier after trapping, which is a common practice for animal welfare groups and volunteers trapping for sterilisation.

This is often the cause of injuries sustained when the animal thrashes around in fear inside the metal trap. The trapped cats may urinate or defecate from the stress. Their waste matter also stays on and corrodes the metal cages. The affliction of the animals in such circumstances is akin to trauma.

There have also been reports of animals kept for too long without food or water or without shelter before being sent to the AVA. This violates guidelines governing the use of animal traps.

If the AVA's stance remains to advocate humane euthanasia as one of the means of animal control, the term should not start and end at how the animals are put down.

The condition of the animals brought into the centre should be examined and patterns of negligence or mistreatment investigated while animals are duly treated and cleaned.

Pest control contractors, as well as pet shop operators and breeders, should go through proper training provided by the AVA. While pest control licences are under the jurisdiction of the NEA, if these contractors are to be engaged to trap animals, they should be held to animal welfare standards.

To response to this article, write to voices@mediacorp.com.sg
with name, address and contact number.

STRAY CAT ISSUE: Why no takers for sterilisation scheme?

The Electric New Paper :


STRAY CAT ISSUE
Why no takers for sterilisation scheme?
I REFER to the letter from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) 'Scheme in place but no takers' (The New Paper, July 5).
16 July 2010


AVA should find out why there are no takers for the scheme.

During the period of the Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme, there was no lack of participation by caregivers as the cats were sent directly to the AVA for sterilisation.

I cannot understand how AVA can conclude that the programme failed, when a paper called Stray Cat Sterilisation Project in Bukit Merah View by Dr Lou Ek Hee, AVA's assistant director of animal welfare, is available online.

It has this conclusion: 'Sterilisation and responsible management has the support of up to 96 per cent of the public.

'The majority of people want cats controlled but do not want them culled. They are happy to know that AVA's present approach to the stray cat situation emphasises humane management and is targeted towards achieving long-term results.

'Sterilisation and responsible management is humane and helps to promote a kinder and more caring and gracious society.

'It promotes volunteerism and encourages both animal lovers and the people bothered by cats to be active in a constructive and self-help manner to work with the authorities to deal with the stray cat situation.'

What AVA can do is to cut the red tape and let caregivers bring cats directly to its veterinary facilities for sterilisation.

This will surely be met with an overwhelming response as there already is high demand for SPCA sterilisation vouchers and requests for slots for sterilisation in some vet clinics through the Cat Welfare Society's sterilisation scheme.

FROM READER TAN CHEK WEE

Scheme in place but no takers

WE REFER to the letter 'Ugly fights over helpless strays' from reader Tan Chek Wee (The New Paper, June 23).

06 July 2010

We understand the concern of cat lovers such as Dr Tan on the issue of stray cat management. Nonetheless, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) has to balance the interest of cat lovers and those who are bothered by cats. We encourage sterilisation as a way to control the population of stray cats. However, we cannot rely solely on sterilisation to keep the stray population in check. Stray cats can create nuisance and hygiene problems regardless of whether they are sterilised or not. It is inevitable that sterilisation and culling have to be carried out in tandem to alleviate these problems and prevent the proliferation of strays. AVA had previously worked with animal welfare groups and town councils on a Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme to control the stray cat population through sterilisation and responsible management of the sterilised stray cats by volunteer caregivers. The scheme was terminated in 2003 as there was no reduction in the number of strays or stray cat complaints. In 2007, AVA and town councils agreed on a Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme. AVA would subsidise the cost of the sterilisation of stray cats if the caregivers of stray cats, town councils and the community in the respective precincts agreed to participate in the programme. To date, we have not been approached by any town councils or caregivers. Those who are interested in participating in this programme can contact AVA by calling 6471-9996 or e-mailing ava_cawc@ava.gov.sg We thank Dr Tan for his feedback and would like to urge cat lovers and those who may not like cats to exercise tolerance and compromise on the stray cat management issue. GOH SHIH YONG DEPUTY DIRECTOR, MEDIA DIVISION FOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AGRI-FOOD & VETERINARY AUTHORITY

AVA replies: "Scheme in place but no takers"

Caregivers:
As the letter says, you can email or call - the email address is ava_cawc@ava.gov.sg as given in the letter. You may also want to copy the CEO, Ms Tan, at tan_poh_hong@ava.gov.sg and the Chairperson at sookeong.koh@ecosave.sg.

You may also contact
call GOH SHIH YONG, PPA(G), PB, PBS
Job Title : DEPUTY DIRECTOR
DID : 63257645
Email: GOH_SHIH_YONG@AVA.GOV.SG


























The Electric New Paper :


STRAY ANIMALS & ABANDONED PETS
Scheme in place but no takers
WE REFER to the letter 'Ugly fights over helpless strays' from reader Tan Chek Wee (The New Paper, June 23).
06 July 2010

We understand the concern of cat lovers such as Dr Tan on the issue of stray cat management. Nonetheless, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) has to balance the interest of cat lovers and those who are bothered by cats.

We encourage sterilisation as a way to control the population of stray cats. However, we cannot rely solely on sterilisation to keep the stray population in check.

Stray cats can create nuisance and hygiene problems regardless of whether they are sterilised or not. It is inevitable that sterilisation and culling have to be carried out in tandem to alleviate these problems and prevent the proliferation of strays.

AVA had previously worked with animal welfare groups and town councils on a Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme to control the stray cat population through sterilisation and responsible management of the sterilised stray cats by volunteer caregivers.

The scheme was terminated in 2003 as there was no reduction in the number of strays or stray cat complaints.

In 2007, AVA and town councils agreed on a Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme. AVA would subsidise the cost of the sterilisation of stray cats if the caregivers of stray cats, town councils and the community in the respective precincts agreed to participate in the programme.

To date, we have not been approached by any town councils or caregivers.

Those who are interested in participating in this programme can contact AVA by calling 6471-9996 or e-mailing ava_cawc@ava.gov.sg

We thank Dr Tan for his feedback and would like to urge cat lovers and those who may not like cats to exercise tolerance and compromise on the stray cat management issue.


GOH SHIH YONG

DEPUTY DIRECTOR, MEDIA DIVISION

FOR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

AGRI-FOOD & VETERINARY AUTHORITY

http://tippedearclan.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/today-20051104-animal-welfare-groups-sg/

TODAY 20051104: Why animal welfare groups in Singapore can’t reach out to the authorities

Posted on October 3, 2009 by calsifer

Rate This

Hot News // Friday, November 4, 2005

The art of getting heard

Why animal welfare groups in Singapore can’t reach out to the authorities

Goh Boon Choo

IN Singapore, animal cruelty reports precipitate letters in the media calling for harsher punishment, tougher laws and stringent enforcement.

The authorities then issue sympathetic responses, explaining their stand and that they “will not hesitate to take strong action” against perpetrators — but stop short of committing to firmer penalties.

In a reply published in Today in June, the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said: “While we may not be able to adopt all the suggestions by the (letter) writers, we will definitely take these suggestions into consideration when we review our rules.”

So it was too, when news of Max, the Alaskan Malamute, broke in August.

For fatally neglecting him, Max’s owner, Lim Bee Leong, was fined $3,000. Singaporeans wrote letters and signed an online petition for stiffer punishment.

The persistent calls for tougher enforcement are a symptom of the gap between public disapproval of animal cruelty and official policies.

People understand that animal cruelty concerns society at large. Nine in 10 respondents believe “we have a moral duty to minimise suffering”, according to the results of an Asian survey commissioned by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, presented in March.

In July last year, a local newspaper reported that culling costs for 2003 rose 20 per cent. That year, AVA cancelled its five-year-old Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme (SCRS), following the Sars scare.

Eighty per cent of readers surveyed objected to AVA’s annual $600,000 culling bill, and more than half felt funds should go to animal welfare groups to re-home or sterilise strays.

Animal welfare groups play an important role in raising awareness and rallying like-minded citizens. But they seem unable to engage the authorities to the extent their counterparts elsewhere do.

The Humane Society of the United States collaborated with a senator to successfully lobby for an end to horse-slaughter for food exports. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, it secured senators’ sponsorship of its proposal to change evacuation policies to include refugees’ pets.

The disparity may be due to cultural mindset and maturity of the political system — but in comparison, Singapore’s welfare groups are often left reacting to policy changes. For instance, the Cat Welfare Society championed in vain for the continuation, then reinstatement, of the SCRS.

In fact, AVA’s own case study of the SCRS in Bukit Merah View (since been removed from the AVA website) proved the scheme’s effectiveness over culling.

Tellingly, part of that study’s conclusion was that “sterilisation and responsible management has the support of up to 96 per cent of the public. The majority want cats controlled but do not want them culled”.

Another example is the Action for Singapore Dogs’ (ASD) proposal to the HDB. It suggested easing HDB’s rule on dog breeds, to widen the adoption pool for larger dogs, as temperament rather than size determines a breed’s suitability for flat-living. Despite volunteering to monitor trial adoptions, ASD’s proposal fell through.

Since collaboration is not welcomed, groups have to try to involve themselves indirectly. For example, a US group, pet-abuse.com, produced a training film on investigating animal cruelty and successful deterrent sentencing. Targeted at police and prosecutors, the film’s distribution has widened beyond America.

Welfare groups also need to be politically savvy: Identify and initiate contact with foresighted officials, as it seems change is possible only from within officialdom.

In recent months, readers have written in urging for a rethink on current laws, legislative support for pet ownership (for example compulsory microchipping) and cooperation between AVA and welfare groups to design humane and effective solutions to issues conventional policies cannot address, such as stray culling and unregulated pet breeding. So far, the authorities have issued the standard responses.

The equation between public opinion and official stance is a skewed one. Still, if only extreme cruelty cases compel Singapore to react, it would reflect poorly on our collective compassion.

There will always be another Max, but instead of decrying lax enforcement or incongruent penalties after the fact, Singapore should minimise the number of Maxes by deterring the potential Lim Bee Leongs.

This necessitates paradigm shifts, but to effectively address prevalent problems, the authorities must include Singaporeans and the welfare groups more thoroughly in its policy formulation process.

The writer is an analyst concerned with animal and environmental issues.

Facebook Group: Stop Culling and Revive Stray Cats Rehabilitation Scheme in Singapore

Cat Welfare Society This is the trap loaned from AVA that has just been set to trap cats in a condo estate

Cat Welfare Society This is the trap loaned from AVA that has just been set to trap cats in a condo estate

Send your protest to:

MS TAN POH HONG, PPA(P), PBM, PBS
Job Title : CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, AGRI-FOOD & VETERINARY AUTHORITY
DID : 63257530... See more
Email: TAN_POH_HONG@AVA.GOV.SG
Unit: DIRECTORATE (DIR)
Parent: AGRI-FOOD & VETERINARY AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE (AVA)
Organisation: AGRI-FOOD & VETERINARY AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE (AVA)

cc to
MS GRACE FU
Job Title : SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE - SMS
DID : 31067207
Email: GRACE_FU@MND.GOV.SG
Unit: MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (MND)

Organisation: MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (MND)

Ms Deirdre Moss of the SPCA
eo@spca.org.sg

AVA keeps "parroting" that SCRS "did not resolve the problems..." : THIS IS NOT TRUE!

Read this: Stray Cat Sterilisation Project at Bukit Merah View.

Conclusion

Sterilisation and responsible management has the support of up to 96% of the public. The majority of people want cats controlled but do not want them culled. They are happy to know that AVA's present approach to the stray cat situation emphasises humane management and is targeted towards achieving long-term results. Sterilisation and responsible management is humane and helps to promote a kinder and more caring and gracious society. It promotes volunteerism and encourages both animal lovers and the people bothered by cats to be active in a constructive and self-help manner to work with the authorities to deal with the stray cat situation.

Read Singapore ends TNR program amid SARS panic

Read CWS's Annual Report

MESSAGE FROM THE COMMITTEE
2003 was a hard year for cats in Singapore. Due to the termination of the Stray
Cat Rehabilitation Scheme (SCRS, which had been commended both locally and
overseas), many cats were caught and killed. Killing is not the solution. Already,
cat populations in a number of areas have become de-stabilised and have
increased because the sterilised cats that have been removed are no longer
there to defend the territory from newcomers.
The reasoning and principle behind the SCRS were sound, but to be successful it
needed more time, resources and commitment from the authorities and Town
councils who had agreed to implement the Scheme. Unfortunately these were
lacking, and sadly the Scheme was terminated without consultation with the
various animal welfare groups.
We also felt that abandonment of pets should have been taken more seriously by
the authorities because abandoned cats were increasingly contributing to the
rising numbers of street cats.
On the subject of shelters, because of the problem of irresponsible ownership
and abandonment, we feel that the establishment of cat shelters is not a
workable nor practical solution in the long term. This is why the CWS did not take
part in AVA’s call for a bid for land to set up shelters. As the population of cats
continues to increase (especially with the cessation of the Sterilisation Scheme),
there will always be a greater demand for spaces than we can cater to. Shelters
drain resources and finances – the money and volunteers could be used more
efficiently in a well-managed sterilisation programme. This would ultimately be
more effective, humane and cheaper than culling or sheltering. Nevertheless, we
recognise and appreciate the efforts put in by other animal welfare groups to run
such shelters.
The current situation has made the need to address the ruling against the
keeping of cats in Housing Development Board (HDB) flats all the more urgent
and necessary. We feel strongly against this ruling, which we believe is based on
flawed reasoning and fear of change. We will continue to try to have this ruling
amended so that more homes will be available for our street cats. With our
proposed conditions of sterilisation and microchipping, owners of pet cats will be
easily traced and made responsible for their cats, and this would be a deterrent
against abandonment.



From: Hon Mun WONG

Dear ****

I would like to take this opportunity to share with you on how AVA goes about managing the stray animal population in Singapore.

Stray animal population control is a very complex issue which involves many factors and players. As there is no quick solution, AVA adopts a multi-pronged approach in the management of strays.

AVA encourages sterilisation as one of the ways to help prevent the proliferation of strays. However, sterilisation alone is not a sufficient measure to control the stray population. Culling also has to be carried out although it is an unfortunate and thankless activity which we would rather not perform. It is an undeniable fact that stray animals create numerous problems ranging from public nuisance to hygiene concerns and even physical threat to the public. Whilst we encourage the adoption of strays to reduce their population in the environment, it is not possible to find suitable homes for all of them. It is thus inevitable that some of them have to be put down humanely.

AVA had, in 1998, worked with animal welfare groups and Town Councils to establish the Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme (SCRS) under which AVA provided free sterilization. This was started as a voluntary scheme which depended on local community support and tolerance towards stray cats. In 2003, the Scheme was discontinued as it did not resolve the problems caused by stray cats such as cat faeces dirtying the environment and pest problems due to food remnants left by feeders. It was also observed that there was no reduction in the number of complaints received on stray cats.


In 2007, AVA in consultation with the Cat Welfare Society agreed on a stray cat sterilisation programme. In any precinct, volunteers wanting to start a sterilisation programme for stray cats would need the concurrence of the Town Council and the community in the respective precincts. The cost of the sterilisation would be subsidised by AVA. To date, AVA has not been approached by any Town Councils or caregivers interested in the programme.

AVA believes that public education is imperative in raising the standards of responsible pet ownership and reducing the problem of strays. To this end, AVA has been actively promoting animal welfare and responsible pet ownership. While we do not expect instant results, we are confident that with perseverance, there will be an improvement to the stray animal problem in the long term.


Best regards

Dr Wong Hon Mun | Deputy Director | Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority
Tel +65 63257837 | Fax +65 62206068 | Website www.ava.gov.sg