Cats in a Crystal Ball

Embroidered Cat (double-sided)

Life Lessons From the Family Dog

Life Lessons From the Family Dog

New York Times editor Dana Jennings writes every Tuesday about coping with an advanced form of prostate cancer.

Bijou, the family dog of Times editor Dana Jennings.

In today's Straits Times (Home Section Page C1)

Jin-Jin is a handsome ginger cat, like the one in the advertisement, and he is patiently awaiting a good home.

A few months back, cats at Laguna Park were in danger of being culled....here is the truth!

From

www.hardwarezone.com.sg > Lifestyle > Pets Inner Circle

A few months back, cats at Laguna Park were in danger of being culled....here is the truth!

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Quote: Ex—chairman of Laguna Park charged with vandalism Channel NewsAsia - Wednesday, January 7 SINGAPORE : When the possibility of a collective sale for Laguna Park was announced in December 2007, some residents held back, hoping it would drive up the estate’s value. But matters turned ugly later at the East Coast condominium, which was hit by a spate of vandalism after several residents opposed the sale. Cars belonging to residents against the sale were splashed with paint or scratched, while mailboxes were found with glue in their keyholes. Still, many residents of the 667,000 square foot estate were shocked to learn that their estate management committee chairman, Mr Lee Kok Leong, had been arrested last August on suspicion of perpetrating these acts. During a brief appearance in court on Tuesday, the 62—year—old businessman — who was dressed in a white long—sleeve shirt and black jeans — stood emotionless as he was charged with two counts of mischief. According to court documents, Mr Lee is accused of inserting glue into the padlock, rear gate keyholes and main wooden door of a flat at Block 5000E of Laguna Park at 12.44am on August 25 last year. He also allegedly vandalised the front and rear wooden door keyholes of another flat on the same floor. The damages amounted to S$590. The case was adjourned after defence lawyer Ramesh Tiwary said he needed time to make representations. Mr Lee will reappear in court again on February 3. If convicted, he can be jailed for up to one year or fined, or sentenced to both on each charge. He made a quick exit after the hearing, avoiding residents who had turned up to witness the proceedings. The businessman also declined attempts to be interviewed, getting into a waiting car to avoid photographers. A spokesperson for the management committee told TODAY that new chairman Reggie Chew took over last October following Mr Lee’s resignation in August. While they declined to comment on the matter as the trial is still ongoing, the spokesperson said they have increased patrol around the estate and are looking into installing close—circuit television cameras (CCTV). Despite the gloomy economic outlook, the 528—unit condominium crossed the 80 per cent threshold last month, enabling the en bloc sales process to proceed to the marketing stage. Residents of the 30—year—old estate can expect to pocket between S$1.8 million to S$2.3 million for their units, down from the over S$3 million some were hoping for last year. Most of the units are between 1,500 and 1,700 square feet. — TODAY/ms I remembered some time back I received an email with a scanned photocopied notice containing the picture of a cat being pasted all over a condominium estate stating that the cats there were in danger of being culled because they were accused of scratching cars. I was just emailed the above report by a friend of mine today - the scratches were confirmed to be the work of vandalism by a disgruntled management committee member of the condominium because the whole place was undergoing an en-bloc proposal process which means that a property developer had proposed a lucrative developing deal to the management of the condomium to buy over the place. That area is in one of the most expensive housing districts in Singapore at Marine Parade area and has a beautiful sea view. The current condo management committee back then needed 80% of the residents to vote in order to go ahead with it. The returns were good - I got a cousin who received SGD $2.16 million from the enbloc sale. His father (my uncle) bought the unit there about 20 yrs back at only SGD $300k. As such when there were cases of residents who refused to sign the agreement to go ahead with the enbloc, the management committee became very angry and went on vandalising cars etc in which the blame was then pinned on the stray cats lurking in that area. So now we know the truth. End of the day, cats are always the first victims when it comes to pin pointing fingers to car scratches. This is examplary case is solid proof to even prove that such a claim is a myth and that the cat's claws is not strong enough to scratch through car paint. Anybody received the email before? (i already deleted mine ) The email of the scanned photocopied notice pasted all around Laguna Park alerting residents that cats were responsible for scratches found on cars there. We can use this as comparison with this report from CNA to prove our case for useful future reference when such similar cases occur again anywhere in Singapore - thats cats DO NOT scratch cars and ARE NOT capable of it. Appreciate if anybody can come up with any records of the issue back then? (especially of the scanned photocopied notice pasted all over Laguna Park back then addressing this issue). This is just for constructive comparison with this criminal case and for future usage of education if cats in other areas are blamed for car scratches again. __________________ Mr Tan Tuan Khoon, proud killer of more than 300 cats lives at 47 Jalan Redop, Singapore 808593

good news on the rehomed, the sterilised and the released

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

good news on the rehomed, the sterilised and the released

the rehomed
ah ma's conjunctivitis kitties grow from this,



to this.


afiq (in the background) has a squinty eye while putri has a cloudy eye. still, they are in the care of a loving extended family so it's as good as it gets. their siblings are faring just as well, one as a royal family pet and one with a mummy inspired to greater cat welfare volunteerism.

the sterilised
just out of surgery but look at him go. popped out of his picnic basket for a merry-go-round in mario's moving taxi.


wonder what the people in the car behind make of this.


safely back in a more secured cage but still acting up, shredding the newspapers and lying on his back in defiance.


the woman had a bit of luck catching this one. he walked right up looking for food. but now, we are so waiting to let this constant whiner back out where you belong.

the released
auntie's released cats are doing fine. they get plenty of food and cat auntie company (definitely more than one, including the woman).


although one ginger with a knotted tail seems to be losing out in the pack. she bolts when she sees the woman and doesn't get to the food fast enough when it is left out. hope she gets her groove soon.

Posted by animalfamily at 11:18 AM

Saturday September 27, 2008

Animal crusaders

Two women MPs in the Netherlands are giving animals a voice in Parliament.

On Nov 22, 2006, the world was stunned when Party for the Animals won two seats in the Netherlands’ House of Representatives. The event made history as it was the first time animals had representation in Parliament.

Their two MPs - Marianne Thieme, 36, and Esther Ouwehand, 32, are a breath of fresh air, and no longer ridiculed for wanting to create a more humane world.

The ladies literally stand out in Parliament, not only for their noble cause but for what they wear. In contrast to other MPs who are dressed in suits, the women wear jeans and trendy jackets over short tops, accessorised by simple chains.

Thieme attributes their slim figures and stunning good looks to their vegetarian diet. But don’t be fooled, the ladies are no pushovers when it comes to parliamentary debates.

MPs Marianne Thieme, 36 (right) and Esther Ouwehand, 32.

“I took it as a compliment when the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality who is responsible for the animals, nature and environment portfolio, had to take on two extra civil servants just so she can answer all our questions in Parliament,’’ says Thieme in an e-mail interview.

“In the past, no one paid any serious attention, even to the existing laws that protect animals. Today, we take to task any governmental body that doesn’t protect animals, and take legal action if necessary,” says Thieme, a lawyer by qualification, who lives with her seven-year-old daughter and two cats she adopted from a shelter.

Her autobiography, The Century Of The Animal, is as much about animal welfare as it is about her, she says. Few consumers realise they are supporting animal cruelty when they make certain purchases.”

Released in 2004 in the Dutch language, the book creates awareness about her party. Its English version is scheduled for release in the Netherlands next February.

Today, the party’s influence is growing at a tremendous pace. It won an additional nine seats in eight provinces in the Netherlands in 2007, and one of the 75 seats in the Dutch Senate.

Thieme adds that as part of her party’s campaign, it wants consumers to learn how to shop intelligently, and choose brands that are animal and environment friendly.

“The public hardly suspects that their purchase of cosmetics, pet food, toothpaste, eggs and other common items have, in all likelihood, caused some form of animal suffering. Is this morally justified when alternatives are easily available?

“A lot of animal experiments consider only commercial interests. We want to ban all animal experiments as soon as possible and we are seeking funding to find more alternatives for consumers.”

Thieme adds most people are not aware that almost all eggs come from battery hens, if there is no label to state they are from “free range” hens. These are hens confined in cages so small they can hardly move. The stress causes them to mutilate other hens. To prevent that, farmers cut off their beaks without anaesthetics (debeak). Billions of male hatchlings that are of no use to hen factories are thrown alive into a grinder.

“Politicians and corporations have always placed economic interests above moral interests. This is now hurting the entire planet,” Thieme recently told the International Press Association members in a speech at The Hague.

Meat for Truth, a documentary produced by Party for the Animals, shows us the livestock farming industry is affecting global warming as it accounts for some 18% of greenhouse gas emissions. That is more than the emissions contributed by all the cars, lorries, trains, boats and planes on earth, which amounts to only 13%.

“The documentary also shows that plant-based food is not only a healthy substitute for meat, but a means to end deforestation and world famine, because much of the grains produced in the world is going towards feeding livestock bred for slaughter,” says Thieme.

Small farmers who practise humane farming are being eradicated by huge conglomerates that treat animals like products and not creatures with feelings.

In her speech, Thieme criticised Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth for ignoring the greenhouse effect of livestock farming and the plight of animals which is intricately linked to man’s own well-being.

“I didn’t know why Gore didn’t address it. Perhaps it was too inconvenient,” she remarked to laughter from the international media.

Even the Netherlands’ Queen was not spared. Thieme wrote a letter to the Prime Minister objecting to the Queen serving foie gras to guests at a State dinner for international dignitaries.

Foie gras is derived from ducks that are force-fed until their livers, abdomens and oesophagus are damaged. Her complaint resulted in the Queen having the item removed from the palace menu.

The Party for the Animals is the only political party that has working groups set up at various locations throughout the Netherlands. They deal with animal welfare issues at a municipal or regional level, and work to influence animal welfare policy.

“In the long term, these working groups may develop into party branches, which may participate in municipal elections. In this way, it is possible that we will eventually also be represented at a municipal level,” says Thieme, who gave up eating meat at 23.

In her book, she says when she realised how animals were tortured by her wrong choices as a consumer, she immediately vowed, “No more in my name!” and took the first step by turning vegetarian.

According to Thieme, her party has today forced other political parties in the Netherlands to adopt a position on animal issues. Since no one wants to appear cruel, politicians are suddenly falling all over each other to say how humane they are.

Party for the Animals also recently launched WorldLog, which is a blog-cum-diary that Thieme updates each week, to inform the international public of their work. It is now available in nine languages at the party’s website http://www.partyfortheanimals.nl/

Inspired by the success of Party for the Animals, political parties representing animals have now been created in Austria, Germany, Brazil, and Spain. Thieme will celebrate World Animal Day in Hollywood where Meat For Truth is being screened on Oct 5.