STOP EXTERMINATE ALL CATS IN SINGAPORE

(There is a response from the Town Council only after we had sent out a few emails, requesting for the reply and appropriate course of action. Do you see any logic to their reply?)

Dear all animal lovers,

We are the residents staying in Jurong West St 81, SINGAPORE. Recently the town council (in charge of maintenance of property) at our area is exterminating all cats. Their aim is to achieve ZERO CATS in the estate as as proof that they are effective team.

We tried to negotiate but our voices and appeals were not heard. We tried to locate our cats but they asked us to forget about it and this event was over. The Town Council did not send the captured cats to relevant authorities which are Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore and SPCA, but some unknown areas which they refuse to reveal.

We suspect they might had been killed by the Pest Control Team. Thus, We will be meeting the Member of Parliament. The location is Jurong West St 91, Blk 953 #01-603, meeting time: 7.30pm 14/7/09

We are appealing for the cat lovers all over Singapore and the World to lend us your support by attending the meeting and to get more signatures or click. We need more people or signatures or click to demonstrate that this is a serious matter.

Course of action we are looking at:
1) Stop unnecessary culling of cats.
2) The location of the captured cats being disposed to.
3) The Authority recognises the right of the animals
4) Supports the program of Sterilisation

Please attend the meeting if you can and to those overseas animal lovers, please support this program

Thank you for your consideration.

======================================================

This is an email sent out from another animal lover who is quite well informed on this case on DATE: 16/7/09, Time: 10.25pm

Hi,

I am Michelle Siau,the mediator for Cat welfare Society,and the volunteer whom Hongkah town council officer Mike called to inform of the various complaints at Jurong west St 81. I appreciate the contacting of me by Mr Mike as i have a chance to try solve problems for the Town council. After Mr Mike told me that there were faeces and pee at a floor of a block, i instantly told the feeder about it and she went to check out,but she found nothing. Then,Mr Mike told me about a complainant who kept pestering him about wanting to remove the cats because there are too many cats around that particular block. From what i know, there is always a win-win situation to both humans and animals.However, in this instance, the cats are the sufferers. These tame sterilised stray cats were abandoned by their previous owners,hence becoming strays not out of their own will. Being in a dire strait already, yet they have to face the unreasonable complaints by residents. These cats have been living there for more than 6 years and just because of a new resident who does not like cats, then it has to disappear.Is this logical?

I do agree that town council should try to satisfy residents' request,but shouldn't it be that problems be resolved the right way and fair way? If another resident complained about another unit's resident, does it mean that that person can be removed too just because another person does not like the sight of him? All lives should be treated fairly and be respected. Even animals' lives should be respected, because simply said, the world is not just for humans to dwell in. India's Mahatma Ghandhi had said, "The moral standard of a nation's people is reflected by the way the people treat animals!"

Unreasonable complaints should not be tolerated.Instead, such complainants should be refered to me or other volunteers who would b very eager to explain to them and let them understand more about cats and hence, solve the supposed problem. I had explained to an Indian complainant before and eventually, she had understood more about cats and did not pursue matters or complain anymore. We had a win-win situation. In fact, all we need is a chance to talk to these people who usually had a wrong perception on community cats(stray cats). The old folks and kids who have been close with these cats have been very upset with the lost of these cats.

In fact, sterilised cats do not make mate-calling noise, can't reproduce,so, controlling the cat population, do not spray urine to mark territory and do not overturn bins because responsible feeders are feeding them regularly. The existing cats should not be removed because if so, there will be a 'vacuum effect' in which new unsterilised cats will move in to replace the removed cats' place and call,reproduce etc,making it a vicious cycle. Thus, the only most effective way to contain the community(stray )cat population is through sterilisation and letting the existing cats stay where they are ,as they chase away new cats which try to intrude.Eventually, the population stays or reduces because some old cats will pass away naturally. Responsible feeders are actually doing a big favor to all residents because they prevent the cats from overturning bins for food. The irresponsible feeders should be educated and punished instead of the cats. All feeders are supposed to clear all rubbish or leftovers after feeding cats, and keep the environment clean.If you come across such irresponsible feeders, we would appreciate if you could let us know where they are and we would educate them.

When cats are relocated, sometimes, they could not survive because they were chased away or being treated aggresively by the existing cats at the new place. Some timid ones dared not eat anything  in a totally new environment and might die as a result. If the cats are sent to AVA directly,at least feeders could call up and claim them and allow them another chance to live again.

Hereby, i sincerely hope that HongKah Town Council will work very closely with the Cat Welfare Society volunteers in future and allow us to help you resolve complaint cases more effectively, humanely and justly. Thank you for your kind help in the past and we are looking forward to having a great,effective liason with you in the future.

Michelle Siau

Another email from Michelle Siau, on DATE : 17/7/09, Time: 7.10pm

Hi Ms Christina,

Just to add on that in fact My friend had called up Mr Mike to inform him that she had checked the spots of complaint and found nothing.The next day, the pest controllers were engaged to remove the 2 cats.Mr Mike said that it was because there were still many cats. However, there are not many cats there. The cats usually come out to feed only,after that they would be hiding elsewhere to sleep. Cats sleep many hours a day,leaving it only a few hours to be walking around. Just like humans, they need fresh air and enjoy the breeze too.Hence,it is normal to see them lying on the ground for a while.

Mr Mike also said he would round up all 4-legged there,which is a very serious matter. If he meant what he said,he is committing 'homicide'. Residents in that area would not want to see all the friendly stray cats being rounded up .We can do a survey on that and pass the petition to you as an evidence.

The Cat Welfare Society(CWS) sincerely needs your kind help to ensure the area a better place to live in without removing any cats. Here are some of our requests:

1) Hold a formal meeting with the Hong Kah Town Council and the MP very soon, and sign an agreement over the rules and regulations of the process if a sterilised or unsterilised cat is caught. Sterilised cats should be sent to AVA ,while unsterilised ones should be allowed a chance to live by letting us bringing them to sterilise, henceforth,bringing peace to all residents and the town council.  CWS would definitely help the town council in all ways, provided the complaints are valid and reasonable.CWS volunteers should be informed of all complaints before pest control is called. We hope that a meeting with you could be held so that all doubts would be cleared once and for all and there would be no misunderstanding between any party,as there is a long-term 'partnership' between the Town Council and the CWS.

2) Before the pest control is engaged,a final warning should be sent to the volunteers beforehand so that they could do something more to prevent the unnecessary removal of cats which will cause much more problems later.

3) Let us talk and explain matters to the complainants so that they understand more about cats and stop pestering Town Council officers. Pass such difficult jobs to us instead. CWS would be very keen to take over them.

Ms Christina,CWS really hopes to have a win-win situation with you and the Town Council.Our common stand is to have a workable solution to all problems and having a desirable place for all living things to live in. Once again, i would like to thank you for your kind attention and sincerely hope to hear from you that you agree to our requests mentioned above. We hope to achieve a win-win situation with you. Thank you.

Michelle Siau

=====================================================

Date : 16/7/09, Time: 4.06pm.  We sent out another email to Town Council. Please see below:

 Dear Ms Christina Goh,

I called you a few times today, apparantly you are very busy as your staff always say you are in meeting.

I do not wish to disturb you, but required a response from you with regards to the cat issue, and my concern is the safety of the cats.

Appreciate a reply from you.

Thank you

Lim Zhen Ru

=======================================================

 

We received the reply from the Town Council on this following Date: 16/07/09 : 4.26pm

===================================================

Dear Josephine ( AKA Lim Zhen Ru)

Please refer to your email of 14 July 09.

The Town Council regularly receives feedback from residents about cat nuisance. In fact, just this month (July) alone so far, we have received more than 10 cases. The common complaints received by residents are on cats urinating and defeacating at the common areas and even outside the corridor especially near flower pots. Some of these %u201Cstray%u201D cats even enter their units and scare the children. Others were upset that leftover food fed to the stray cats were not cleaned up by the feeders, thereby leaving an unsightly mess that attracted rodents and pests. Thus, many residents appealed to the Town Council to take decisive action to remove the cats.

In response to the numerous feedback on Town Council staff and workers removed 2 stray cats in Jurong West St 81 on 9 July 09, we would like to clarify that prior to doing so, our staff had contacted  a cat lover twice in June. On 24 June 09 we informed her of the complaints received and also informed her of the Town Council's planned action at the beginning of July. We called the cat lover again on 26 Jun 09 and informed her specifically the location where the complaints on cats nuisance were received and sought her help. However, the situation did not improve.

With regard to the stray cats removed on 9 July 09, we have checked with our contractor and they admitted that they deposited the 2 cats at Kranji Loop near the eating outlet on the same day and not at the nature reserve. We would like to stress that this is not our Town Council's SOP. Our contractor is aware of the fact that they are to send any strays captured to the AVA or SPCA. We learned that the contractor had moved the cats to another location as some of the workers are also cat lovers and they were fearful that the strays would be put down if they remained unclaimed at the agencies. While their action is misguided and not sanctioned by the Town Council, the contractor's action was done out of compassion for the animals. On 14 July itself, we have given strict instruction to the contractor that any stray cat caught has to be sent to AVA or SPCA.

In managing a public housing estate, the Town Council needs to balance and cater to different groups of residents with different needs and viewpoints. We hope you understand that just there are animal lovers who are fond of the stray cats, there are also residents who are afraid of and/or do not like cats due to the nuisance caused. Thus, the Town Council would like to seek your understanding that at times, our actions may not be very welcome but we have to take into consideration the sentiments of majority of the residents.

We would like to thank you for allowing the opportunity to clarify our stance in this case.

Hong Kah Town Council

=====================================================

 Date: 20/7/09, Time: 10.49 am, We Sent out another email to question the following doubts that we have and till now we received no response from Hong Kah Town Council:

Hi Christina Goh,

I am sorry for being uncontactable for past few days as I was admitted to hospital for surgery.

I left a message around 8.05am and 10.12am, 20/7/09 with your assistant.

A few points that have been bothering me:

a) "The common complaints received by residents are on cats urinating and defecating at the common areas and even outside the corridor especially near flower pots."

Question: How do you know the urinating and defecating are done by cats? Any videos or proofs? How do you know that it is not done by the rats?

I stay in landed estate and have been doing my own property maintenance. I do notice the rats defaecate anywhere on the floor.

b) "Thus, many residents appealed to the Town Council to take decisive action to remove the cats."

Question is : How many residents are needed to warrant this action and any statistical tabulated to determine such complaints?


c) "We called the cat lover again on 26 Jun 09 and informed her specifically the location where the complaints on cats nuisance were received and sought her help. However, the situation did not improve."

Question: What is your definition of "improve"?

d)  In response to the numerous feedback on Town Council staff and workers removed 2 stray cats in Jurong West St 81 on 9 July 09, we would like to clarify that prior to doing so, our staff had contacted  a cat lover twice in June. On 24 June 09 we informed her of the complaints received and also informed her of the Town Council's planned action at the beginning of July. We called the cat lover again on 26 Jun 09 and informed her specifically the location where the complaints on cats nuisance were received and sought her help.

Question: According to our knowledge, we did response straight to Mike, your representative of Town Council. Didn't Mike feedback to you?

e) In managing a public housing estate, the Town Council needs to balance and cater to different groups of residents with different needs and viewpoints. We hope you understand that just there are animal lovers who are fond of the stray cats, there are also residents who are afraid of and/or do not like cats due to the nuisance caused. Thus, the Town Council would like to seek your understanding that at times, our actions may not be very welcome but we have to take into consideration the sentiments of majority of the residents.

Question is : Cats belong to the environment and most of the cats are in the estate for around 6 years or more. Town Council needs to balance and cater to different groups of residents and viewpoints. Does this means that Town Council would resort to killing in order to satisfy all needs?

f) "Mr Mike also said he would round up all 4-legged there," quoted from Ms Siau Li Chao

Question: Mr Mike works for Town Council and thus he represents Town Council's image to the public because he works closely with the people of public. In this case, is Mike abusing his authority then?

We thank you for your kind attention for the above questions. Please do not hesitate to contact me.


Best regards


Zhenru.

To all animal lovers

As till now, there isn't any meeting arranged with the MP, Christina Goh, Mr Lai and Mike, together with animal lovers. I sincerely think that Christina Goh happens to be busy. I do not think She is avoiding this meeting as she seems to be very responsible. Mr Lai and Mike may not be feedback appropriately to her on this case.

But still, in the event there is no meeting arranged. We will consult our lawyer on this case.

To Michelle, in the event the town council did not take any action, write to the media or email and call straight to the Members of Parliment bypassing the town council.

Action by myself (Zhenru), will document this whole event and the action of the town council on the petition website and post it to Youtube.
==========================================================

Thank you for reading and would post in more details as it goes. May we represent the voices of the cats in peace and harmony.