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.

Cats and dogs mentioned in National Day Rally Speech

http://catsandstuff.blogspot.com/2011/08/cats-and-dogs-mentioned-in-national-day.html

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Cats and dogs mentioned in National Day Rally Speech

Thanks to Imp for the heads up on the National Day Rally where cats and dogs are mentioned. The Prime Minister mentioned that as society matures, he hopes that more and more things will be taken over by Singaporeans and not left to the authorities.

That's precisely what community cat and dog caregivers have been trying to do for years. They help to sterilise, manage and mediate - and they get very little support for doing so. Instead, roadblocks have been thrown up in their path.

While I am heartened to see that the Prime Minister has helped out in a case where a dog was caught, I am a little worried that he agreed that Ministers have more important things to worry about then cats and dogs. While I can see that in the broader picture, the Ministers have many things to worry about, I hope that this doesn't give the signal that therefore cat and dog issues should be put on the back burner. After all, these are really people issues too - it is about our environment and how we live in it. I'll post a link to the English transcript when it's out. Here it is.

http://www.todayonline.com/Sin​gapore/EDC110815-0000180/Singa​poreans-can-play-larger,-more-​proactive-and-positive-role

While the Government will do its best to address and solve big and small problems, Mr Lee hopes Singaporeans can play a larger, more proactive and positive role, as "some problems may not be best tackled by the Government".

Residents have approached their MPs - including himself - to help with issues of pet ownership and strays, he noted. The Prime Minister said Singaporeans should take the initiative and come together to sort out issues "without needing Government to come into the loop".

Said Mr Lee: "The more proactive Singaporeans are, the better Singapore would be in responding to unexpected situations."

A battle for public opinion. Make this 4 months count.

A battle for public opinion. Make this 4 months count.

by Cat Welfare Society on Friday, 12 August 2011 at 23:49

Old habits die hard.

Even when there is a strong national direction by the Ministry of National Development towards a humane approach towards community cats, we see Member of Parliament and Town Councils continue to waver when faced with complaints.

We continue to be a complaint-driven culture because national directions filter slowly to the ground. Some of our constituency leaders continue to believe in a neutral position when it comes to handling complaints and reaching a position that will placate complainants, even when it goes against our conscience to be humane. Even in the face of an active citizenry who have shown good results by their own efforts in solving a national issue.

SARS have been quoted time and time again. One complainant goes so far as to say "Are we waiting for another SARS before we can eradicate all the strays?" He goes on to say how effective the Town Council was then and urge them to be just as effective again.

The actions of our authorities during the SARS period have left many lingering effects on our society

1) The perpetuation of unsubstantiated information about cats and diseases

2) Erosion of public trust by terminating a programme without warning

3) Entrenching values in our society that is counter to our humane conscience

4) The continual undermining of caregivers efforts to manage a national issue with their own time and resources, by removing time and time again sterilised cats without good reason.

In this 4-month review period when government agencies deliberate and decide the fate of our pet dogs, cats and community animals, your voice is a valuable one. What kind of Singapore do you want to live in? One that continues to overeact to complaints and negative information that impacts the lives of so many? Or one that shows grace and conviction to do what is humane?

This is not just about animals. It is also about the people who care for them and the ones who believe in a better Singapore.

Don't just give your suggestions and feedback to the Ministry of National Development http://app.mnd.gov.sg/PetOwnershipAndStrayManagementReview.aspx

Your Member of Parliament and your Town Council Chairman need to hear from you too.

http://app.sgdi.gov.sg/listing.asp?agency_subtype=dept&agency_id=0000004564

http://app.sgdi.gov.sg/listing_others.asp?t_category=TOWN_COUNCIL

For those of you that care about animal welfare, this is our clarion call. Make this 4 months count.

TOWARDS SECURING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER FOR OUR SHARED ENVIRONMENT

[ ] I am an active member of our cat caregiving community who sterilises community cats and manages them responsibly. Give examples where possible.

[ ] I support the work of my cat caregiving community who who sterilises community cats and manages them responsibly. Give examples where possible.

[ ] I care about animal welfare.

[Your suggestions on how to improve animal welfare in your community or in Singapore.]

This is what we humbly seek of our esteemed Member of Parliament:

· Leadership in tackling issues with constructive pre-emption instead of reaction, towards addressing the root cause – irresponsible pet ownership and abandonment – in our estates. We also seek to work with you to reinstate an effective stray cat sterilisation programme, previously in place but abandoned in 2004, .

· Action based on good information by referring to local and overseas studies, best practices and consulting with subject experts.

· Willingness in engaging active members of the community who are committed to responsibly assisting their Town Councils and communities in tackling issues.

· Recognising and encouraging social responsibility in our estates and communities.

· Fairness in dealing with complaints.

· Commitment to cut administrative red tape to enable effective and humane solutions to issues.

We are confident that you are keen to engage the community positively. We appreciate your well-regarded attention and look forward to meeting you and hearing your views on the above.

Another ridiculous sign from the town council!

Seen in a HDB car park

Tampines: RC's raucous karaoke sessions

Support Tampines Cat Caregivers


Straits Times Forum
Online Story
Oct 14, 2010
RC's raucous karaoke sessions

EVERY other month, Tampines Palmsville Residents' Committee at Block 903 will have their karaoke sessions in the void deck or foyer, ostensibly to prepare for the block party the following day.

They will blast the music and sing, disrupting the peace residents need.

I have found that closing the windows and increasing the volume of my television set do not help.

On the day of the event, the noisy preparations for the karaoke sessions begin as early as 10.30am, well before the start of the event at 7pm.

Last Saturday, I called Tampines North Community Club to voice my concern, especially since my daughter is revising for her examinations.

The karaoke session stopped but only for a couple of hours.

Why can't such sessions be held in the air-conditioned karaoke rooms of the RC, so that residents can enjoy their weekends?

Gwendolen Lim (Ms)

Town Councils' lack of efficiency in dealing with chronic human nuisance

However when it comes to complaints about cats, some town councils' officers are "super efficient" in picking up the phone to activate the pest controllers to round up the cats for killing at the AVA.
Town councils do not see the need to include "cat management" as part of the training of their property officers as for "donkey years" their default "solution" is to have the cats rounded up by the pest controllers who are often also their contracted cleaning company, hence no additonal cost incurred. However there is no independent audit to include in their KPI the inefficiency of culling/killing.

In some estates, residents who have an interest in cats (known as caregivers), volunteer to assist the town councils to resolve feedback about cats. Yet often such volunteerism is not appreciated and viewed as "nuisance" even. Hence the audacity of some propery managers and officers giving caregivers ultimatum such as one week to resolve the issue or "we will remove the cats!"

Can the town council "cull" the species responsible for this "human nuisance"

Instead of trying to "catch" cat-feeders who not clear away left-over cat food, or who scatter kibbles on walkways at their convenience (such as "I am in a hurry to catch the bus"), instead of "luring" the cats to an isolated area to feed the cats, wait for them to finish, and remove any leftover, some town council officers (called property officers) will activate the pest controllers to "remove" the cats (= being killed at the AVA).

What about the leftover of these human-fed food? Will the property officers cull the humans who ate the food but their feeders (likely themselves as well) were not responsible enough to discard them into a bin just a metre away!!??

'Nature Corner' not bird-friendly

Straits Times Forum
Jul 13, 2010
'Nature Corner' not bird-friendly

AT THE front of the left side of Ghim Moh Road leading into Ghim Moh estate is a huge, meshed cage occupying much of what could otherwise be a pleasant garden patch. It is ironically named "Nature Corner".

Some birds can be seen in the cage. The saddest sight is that of a peacock confined in this restrictive cage.

It was clearly a waste of resources building this facility. More resources are continually being used to maintain this "attraction", which does little apart from causing distress to the birds inside.

It would be good to have the town council reassess the viability and benefits, if any, of continuing with the upkeep of this project, and perhaps consider dismantling it so that it will become a truly open nature patch for all to enjoy.

Anne Shum (Ms)

Such poster is a reflection of the town council's poor management skill and should drag down its KPI!

Tampines Town Council (one of the most anti-cat town councils!)

Why "culling of pigeons" is ineffective!

























Appropriate posters

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Join Facebook Group




Today Online 18 Nov 05
No strays = social responsibility
Letter from Geraldine Soh Geok Lian

During a visit to the Social Responsibility Carnival organised by the Tampines Town Council on Nov 12, I was taken a back by two posters.

There was a gigantic blue check mark on a poster bearing the words "An Estate Where There Is No Strays" (picture), while a "Feeding Stray Cat" poster, which featured a sterilised stray cat eating neatly off a newspaper, was marked with a huge red cross.

Maintaining an estate devoid of cats does not equate with social responsibility. Neither is feeding strays socially irresponsible.

As a country with first-world infrastructure, the Town Council's aim of a stray-less Tampines shows Singapore's backward mentality. The anti-cat stance harks back to medieval Europe's prosecution of cats, which were branded as heretical due to their role in "pagan" worship.

In the same period that the church sponsored the Grand Inquisition, cats were tortured. Europe's cat population shrank to less than 10 per cent of its former numbers.

Ironically, the Black Death brought a brief respite to such persecution in the 14th century. Cats rapidly multiplied and attacked the plentiful food supply: the plague-carrying rats. There is evidence that the plague (that claimed two-thirds of Europe's population) ended partly due to the rise in the number of cats.

Similarly, after the Agri-Veterinary Authority cancelled the Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme in 2003 and culled more cats, a rat extermination drive was launched later that year. More taxpayers' money was spent as a result.

Studies have shown the benefits of interaction with animals and how children exposed to pets develop tolerance, compassion and social responsibility. Unfortunately, the carnival instilled negative values in our children: the intolerance of other living beings in our community and the acceptability of a sterile humans-only Singapore.

Lest we forget, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong stated during his walkabout in Kim Keat that it is not illegal to feed stray cats, but it must be done responsibly.

Unless Singaporeans are proud of being a sterile nation, attitudes such as those held by the Tampines Town Council must change.

Tampines Block 702, Street 71

Town council to remove trees

TODAY
Town council to remove trees
But some Marsiling Rise residents say the garden is source of community pride
by Esther Ng
05:55 AM
Dec 02, 2009

SINGAPORE - For 10 years, the trees - an assortment of mango, jackfruit, drumstick, soursop and neem - have been carefully tended by a group of residents from Blocks 116 and 117 at Marsiling Rise.

Now, the trees look likely to be cut down, giving rise to the question of whether town councils should follow the letter of the law in disallowing the planting of trees and plants in common areas - or if they can show some discretion when residents take ownership of their surroundings.

Sembawang Town Council is planning to remove the "unauthorised planting" in the turf area between two residential blocks.

Dismayed about the decision conveyed in a notice last month, 31 residents sent the town council a petition on Nov 5.

"Political leaders have exhorted us to develop a sense of pride in our community, and we have taken this to heart and have spent money tending to our garden," wrote retired doctor Praema Raghavan, who has spotted Golden Orioles, Munias, Koels, Bulbuls among the trees.

But the plea failed to persuade the town council.

On Monday, the group spotted contractors surveying the area, two weeks after the last correspondence from the town council explaining why it could not accede to their request.

In an email to Dr Praema, senior property manager Terence Chan said: "While it has been our town council's policy to allow planting by residents, the plants should be kept in pots neatly arranged in front of their flat units.

"For residents who wish to carry out in-ground planting, we have also worked with the Residents' Committee to provide a community garden at Blk 116 for such activity.

"We believe this is a more balanced approach in catering to the hobby and community bonding of residents as well as maintaining the aesthetics of the estate."

According to Dr Praema, the plot of land where the trees are located had been saved once before.

This time, though, Member of Parliament Hawazi Daipi said he learnt of the situation only when contacted by MediaCorp.

Efforts by housing board residents to take ownership of their community have been in the news recently, for example, when the HDB set up a new community relations department.

And at a ministerial walkabout in October, Minister Lim Hwee Hua praised a petition by another group of residents, who were trying to convince the National Parks Board to allow them access to tend their herb garden at Bishan Park while the latter was undergoing upgrading.

"This is a very good reflection of a sense of ownership," Mrs Lim had said.

Dr Praema is still hoping that Marsiling Rise residents' efforts will similarly not go to waste.

"The garden has educational value. Kindergarten teachers bring their kids here for excursions," she told MediaCorp.

Waste of space on a notice block in a block of HDB flats in Eunos Crescent

Why don't the town council replace this redundant poster with a more relevant one such as "Responsible Feeding"?

Our Apathy is allowing the Town Council and NEA to "kill us softly and slowly".

Tampines Town Council

Is it every resident's right to ask
1)Is it necessary to carry out such frequent fogging
2)Where is the hard evidence that the chemicals are totally harmless?
3) What is the long term plan to reduce the need for thermal fogging, if there is any at all?

"Chemicals used are safe and approved by the MOH and the NEA"

Notification of Thermal Fogging.

"Please do not be alarmed if you see smoke emitted. The chemicals used are safe and approved by the Ministry of Health and the National Environment Agency. They are harmless to human beings."

Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council

When it comes to "human nuisance", town council posters avoid "health concern scare tactics" but when posters involve cats and pigeons......

Worst Town Council Poster

This is pretty bad...

But this is much worse !!!

Do Not Feed the Stray Cats

Do you know that...

1. Cats carry diseases which can

cause birth defects?

2. Cat faeces contain eggs of para-

sites which are harmful for

us?

3. Cat bites and scratches

cause us to fall ill?

4. Cats can spread

pneumonia, meningitis

and inflammation of the

bladder, through the

bacteria in its mouth?

Why risk it? Your life and

the lives of your family

members are much more

valuable...

I went to meet a new cat-sitting client who happens to stay at Ivy's area. When I mentioned that there is a caregiver in her area she told me about these posters at the Town Council notice board of her block.

I went straight to the TC office... calling Ivy and Penny on the way. TC seem to be agreeable to remove the posters... blaming it on a new staff. Ivy also brought along the Responsible Feeding Poster which she designed.

News from the past: "Cat lovers up in arms" (in Tampines)

Only when residents cooperate to keep their part of the bargain can we maintain cleanliness in housing estates

The Town Council
STForum
Aug 24, 2009

Town council report card fine but residents must do their part

I REFER to last Saturday's report, 'Town council report card every six months'.

I applaud the Ministry of National Development for introducing measures to improve the efficiency of the town councils.

While cleanliness, maintenance of facilities and financial management are part of the town council's work, I feel that residents of housing estates should shoulder their responsibilities equally, especially in two areas - cleanliness and correct use of facilities.

How can town councils keep estates clean if residents do not pick up after themselves?

When you visit some HDB flats, you find residents cluttering the corridors with unwanted items or discarding them in other common areas.

The Housing Board should introduce stricter rules on what can be left at lift landings and in common areas.

Only when residents cooperate to keep their part of the bargain can we maintain cleanliness in housing estates.

Yap Seng Bee

Will this result in obsessive culling of cats and birds?

The Straits Times
Aug 22, 2009
TC report every 6 months
All 16 councils will be gauged in not more than five key areas
By Kor Kian Beng

TOWN councils are set to come under the spotlight every six months from next year, when a report card is put out on how well they are running their HDB housing estates. The likely frequency was disclosed by Senior Minister of State (National Development) Grace Fu on Friday.

She also said that the 16 town councils (TCs) are likely to be assessed in five areas, which will be kept simple and easy to measure.

She was speaking to reporters after holding a discussion with a panel of experts on what should be on the list of criteria, grouped under three categories: cleanliness, maintenance of facilities and financial management.

Her ministry, which oversees public housing, is planning to introduce a Town Council Management Report (TCMR) regularly, to provide a framework for TCs and residents to discuss how they can improve their estates further, if necessary.

Explaining the form of the report, Ms Fu said HDB officials will go round the estate and give the TC grades under each criterion.

The TCs will not be ranked but will be banded, which could be in the form of A, B or C. But no decision on the banding has been made yet.

Ms Fu gave some possible measures. For cleanliness, it could be the number of litter spotted; for maintenance, it could be the number of defects or lift breakdowns; for financial management, it could be how the TCs manage the arrears of residents in service and conservancy charges.

She also said she wants the report to foster closer communication between the town councils and residents so that they can work together to improve the estates.

Mr Zainudin Nordin, chairman of the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council, said the half-yearly assessment might take some getting used to at the start but it is still a reasonable timeframe.

'We're required to do a good job anyway. We just have to maintain it and be ready all the time,' he said.

Read the full story in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times

Please email to kianbeng@sph.com.sg to express concerns that some town councils more often than not adopt quick fixes rather than proper evaluation of the situations at hand and engagement with all stakeholders/parties. It could be due to their wrong understanding that community animals are unhygienic/unhealthy or could be that irresponsible feeders are making them feel more urgent to act.

Reply from Marine Parade Town Council: Culling avoided unless cats are a nuisance

MY PAPER THURSDAY AUGUST 20, 2009
MY SAY

WE REFER to the letter, “Why cull stray cats that have been sterilised?” (my paper, Aug 14), by Miss Cheng Siew Luang.

Our town council adopts a pragmatic multi-pronged approach to the problem of strays in our estate.

A balanced approach is needed to take into account the good intentions of cat lovers as well as the genuine concerns of people who find stray cats a nuisance.

As a town council, we have a responsibility towards our residents to ensure that the environment is kept clean.

Some of the problems which residents encounter with regard to stray cats include food left behind by feeders.

This leads to pest problems and cat defecation in common areas, which dirty the environment.

We have also received complaints from residents who have a phobia of cats.

Sterilisation is a way to prevent the proliferation of strays.

The culling of sterilised strays would be avoided unless the cats create a nuisance or are found around eating places.

Public education remains an important part of our strategy for controlling the number of strays within the community.

We would like to apologise to Miss Cheng for not responding to her promptly. We have since contacted her to explain the situation and to work out an amicable arrangement.


Ms Png Chiew Hoon
General Manager
Marine Parade Town Council


Write to My Paper. Please include your full name, address and
a telephone contact number. E-mail your opinions to myp@sph.com.sg
We reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and length.


Marine Parade Town Council's Website

To speak to Ms Png Chiew Hoon

Call
Blk 50 Marine Terrace #01-265
Singapore 440050
Tel: 6241 6044
Toll free line: 1800-241 6487
Fax: 6444 0919

or

http://www.mptc.org.sg/4b_Feedback.htm
or email to
internet@mptc.org.sg

WORK WITH CAT CAREGIVERS

MY PAPER MONDAY AUGUST 17, 2009
MY SAY

WORK WITH CAT CAREGIVERS

I REFER to the letter,“Why cull stray cats that have been sterilised?” (my paper, Aug 14), by Miss Cheng Siew Luang.

Miss Cheng is one of many people who care for community cats.

They put in time, money and effort to sterilise and take care of stray cats.

This is an emerging trend,and the authorities should work with the growing number of responsible caregivers islandwide.

Killing strays is not only inhumane, but has also proven to be an ineffective way of controlling the cat population elsewhere.

Ms Shirley Liaw

Marine Parade Town Council's Website

To speak to
Senior Property Officer MUHD ISMAIL (muhdismail@mptc.org.sg) or Ms Jenny Wong (jennywongss@mptc.org.sg)

Call
Blk 50 Marine Terrace #01-265
Singapore 440050
Tel: 6241 6044
Toll free line: 1800-241 6487
Fax: 6444 0919


http://www.mptc.org.sg/4b_Feedback.htm
or email to
internet@mptc.org.sg

Why cull stray cats that have been sterilised?

MY PAPER
FRIDAY AUGUST 14, 2009

RECENTLY, one of the sterilised stray cats which I have been feeding at Marine Crescent disappeared.

I was worried about its fate, so I called the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore.

It confirmed that the cat had been brought in by a pest-control company contracted by the Marine Parade Town Council (MPTC) and that the animal had been euthanised.

When I called the MPTC officer in charge of our estate, Mr Mohammad Ismail, he sidestepped my questions and hung up on the pretext that he would check with the pest-control company.

I expected him to return my call but he didn’t. I called the MPTC several more times over the next two days and left messages for him, but to no avail.

I also tried a few times to speak to Ms Jenny Wong, the MPTC’s senior property manager but, again, I received no reply.

I am deeply disappointed over the handling of this issue.

Further discussion could have thrown up viable alternatives to the culling of stray cats that have already been neutered.

Recent reports have praised the efforts of Housing Board residents who pooled resources to sterilise and care for stray cats in their neighbourhoods. They serve as examples of a gracious society, but the MPTC’s actions stand in stark contrast to this emerging trend.

Miss Cheng Siew Luang


Marine Parade Town Council's Website

To speak to
Senior Property Officer MUHD ISMAIL (muhdismail@mptc.org.sg) or Ms Jenny Wong (jennywongss@mptc.org.sg)

Call
Blk 50 Marine Terrace #01-265
Singapore 440050
Tel: 6241 6044
Toll free line: 1800-241 6487
Fax: 6444 0919


http://www.mptc.org.sg/4b_Feedback.htm
or email to
internet@mptc.org.sg