Some things are near impossible

on a single or even a cluster of welfare societies level. A nation-wide issue requires a nation-wide resolution. At one fell swop, a big task can be accomplished. If we want to. Tasks that have been tackled in the same way for the past 20 years can be put to an end. If we want to. If we accord it enough attention and priority.

Will we still be talking about the very same plight in year 2027? I certainly hope not.

It will be very enlightening to compile the life stories of our band of stray feeders and volunteers on the road - find out the number of hours they spend every week, the expenses they incur from their own pockets, the episodes they encounter, the number of lives they have saved or seen die - the relatively small group of fellow citizens out there who are steadfast in their BELIEF - that where a life can be saved, it should be saved. Who have already seen, way back, that culling does not resolve the issue of our stray population.

We have been culling animals for the past 20 years.

But we alone are not able to contain a problem that is churning more speedily than we can pursue, litters being birthed every other month somewhere on the island. In the next few days, another litter of pups will have to be brought to the SPCA - hopefully some will be rehomed, but in actuality, most will be put to sleep.

It is a dreaded task. But someone has got to do it.

I guess it all boils down to priority.

Strays pepper our streets, farms, construction sites. Are they so different from our home pets? Or is the value of life measured by geography?


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March 15, 2007
Give cat-rehabilitation scheme a chance

I REFER to the letter, 'Active citizenry? Bring back cat-rehab scheme' (ST, March 9), by Dr Tan Chek Wee.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) agrees wholeheartedly with Dr Tan that the Government should reconsider this approach.

In fact, the SPCA had written repeatedly to the Ministry of National Development to ask that this worthwhile scheme be reinstated.

Sterilisation gets to the root cause of the overpopulation problem by eliminating breeding while allowing the cats to live out their lives.

For many years now, the SPCA has promoted sterilisation as an effective method of reducing the stray-cat population. Since 1991, our voucher programme for stray-cat sterilisation has translated into thousands of cases of surgery on stray cats being sponsored by the SPCA.
Over the years, our monthly budget has more than doubled. With the special rates granted to our organisation by participating veterinary clinics (whose kind assistance we are very grateful for), we are able to sponsor the cost of approximately 140 operations every month. We thank our donors whose funding has made this possible.

The contribution by cat caregivers in looking after the cats and arranging transportation to and from the clinics is to be applauded.

We are encouraged to read in Dr Tan's letter that the number of tipped-ear community cats appears to be increasing. But with 13,000 cats destroyed in Singapore annually (pause and think: on average, as you are reading this: 35 cats are being killed today, and then everyday for the year) , what is yet to be achieved is considerable. And it is only with the Government's help that we can solve the problem satisfactorily.

We encourage citizens to write to the Ministry of National Development in support of sterilisation, the more humane way to reduce our stray population.

For more information on the SPCA's voucher programme for strays, visit http://www.spca.org.sg/help_us/strays.asp
Deirdre Moss (Ms)
Executive Officer
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

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March 9, 2007
Active citizenry? Bring back cat-rehab scheme

MY WORK as a doctor in a home-care medical team takes me to many parts of the island.
In every estate, I chance up community cats with part of the left ear cut off surgically. This is called a tipped ear and symbolises not only that the cats have been sterilised but, more significantly, also that it is a result of the active citizenry the Government has been trying very hard to inculcate.

It is my impression that the number of tipped-ear community cats is increasing. This is a sign that there are those among us who, instead of complaining, believe so strongly in a cause that they are willing to spend time and their own money trapping community cats to take to the vets for sterilisation.

They strongly believe that killing 13,000 cats every year for more than 20 years - with no decrease in the cat population - is not in keeping with a society that strives also to be spiritually rich in compassion.

I hope the Government will keep this spirit of active citizenry going by reinstating the Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme that was terminated abruptly in 2003.

Dr Lou Ek Hee, head of the Animal Welfare Section at the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), wrote in his article, 'Stray cat sterilisation project at Bukit Merah View' (published on the Singapore Veterinary Association website at http://www.sva.org.sg/papers_full.asp?paperID=9):

'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, working with the authorities to deal with the stray-cat situation.'

Instead of ceaselessly killing cats at the AVA, why not sterilise them? It will be more cost-effective in the long run.

Dr Tan Chek Wee