Letter from the Cat Welfare Society, Straits Times Forum 1 May 08;
WE REFER to the letter by Mr Ricky Yeo, president of Action for Singapore Dogs, 'Stray dogs rarely attack, or even approach, humans' (April 23).
The Cat Welfare Society concurs with Mr Yeo that the culling of stray animals, be it dogs or cats, is but a short-term measure because the problem of proliferating homeless animals is not nipped in the bud.
Sterilisation programmes, such as Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage (TNRM), have proven effective in other parts of the world and ought to be systematically implemented with the coordinated efforts of animal welfare organisations, the community, town councils and the government. Without it, the recurring cycle of trapping and killing of animals, while a large number out there continue to proliferate, is but a waste of resources.
Regarding the feeding of community cats, we would like to highlight that feeding should be done as a means to an end - that of sterilising and managing the population - rather than an end in itself. Many people feed with kindness to animals as a motivation, but that kindness is misplaced if the feeding is done irresponsibly, leading to complaints and the eventual trapping and killing of the cats. Community cats are often blamed for problems that could have been averted if people were more cognisant of the potential consequences of irresponsible feeding.
We strongly urge feeders of both cats and dogs to do their part in helping the animals by feeding responsibly. That means never leaving food out for protracted periods, cleaning up after feeding, feeding in quiet areas away from where there is human traffic and away from where other animals may be cared for. This will help alleviate the problem of complaints concerning cleanliness and hygiene, and minimise the likelihood of attracting pests and of territorial conflicts between animals.
Michelle Lee (Ms)
President
Cat Welfare Society
