Culling stray cats not the way: Khaw

More humane approach possible if responsible owners spay their cats, he says
Kimberly Spykerman Straits Times 4 Jun 11;

NATIONAL Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday weighed in on the long-standing war between people bothered by stray cats and those who love them and seek to protect them.

His stand: Culling of cats in HDB estates is not the way to go.

He wrote on his blog, Housing Matters, that he has asked the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) to review its practice of culling stray cats.

He has also roped in his Minister of State Tan Chuan-Jin to work with the AVA, animal welfare groups and residents to 'forge a compassionate and mature approach to this problem'.

Last year, about 5,100 stray cats were put down. The year before, the figure was 5,400 and in 2008, it was 6,800.

The minister wrote the post following a Meet-the-People session, during which a resident cried to him about her pet cat, which she said had been picked up by the AVA and could be culled.

The AVA said it does not have her cat, but if someone turns it in, it will return the animal to her.

Acknowledging that stray cats are a source of complaints in HDB estates, Mr Khaw said culling can be avoided if enough cat lovers are willing to 'own the problem' by being responsible pet owners and sterilising their cats.

Sterilised cats are known to be more docile, besides being unable to reproduce and add to the stray population.

An animal lover, Mr Khaw said in his post that he has pets and - 'to walk the talk' - is a vegetarian to boot.

His online comments cheered animal activists, who have long lobbied for a more humane approach to containing the population of stray cats here.

Volunteers from the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) round up strays for spaying, while the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) gives out vouchers for free spaying to members of the public and animal welfare groups.

CWS vice-president Veron Lau said the society had appealed to the AVA and to MPs to manage stray cats more humanely, so 'Mr Khaw putting a stamp on it assures us that this is going to happen'.

Culling is merely a quick-fix which does not get to the root of the problem - irresponsible pet owners, she said. 'If you don't deal with the human issues through proper education and penalties, the chances of cats creating a nuisance are very great. Even if you get rid of those cats, people will do the same to a new generation of cats,' she added.

SPCA executive officer Deirdre Moss, describing Mr Khaw's endorsement of sterilisation as 'very progressive', said: 'It's a positive step forward for animal welfare, and we're encouraged by his thoughts and compassionate approach.'

The AVA, responding to Straits Times queries, said it would review its approach to the management of stray cats in consultation with animal welfare groups.

It emphasised that it does not actively catch strays. Rather, town councils, responding to complaints, call in pest management firms, which follow AVA guidelines on the handling of these strays. The AVA also loans cat traps to the public.

Tampines GRC MP Masagos Zulkifli confirmed that although the town council works with the CWS on the issue, it 'has no choice' but to call pest control if CWS cannot send someone over and the town council has to answer to a resident who is upset, for example, because his new car is scratched. He said: 'If Mr Khaw has a better solution, we would welcome it and definitely give it a try.'

Brigadier-General (NS) Tan said he will work with the animal welfare groups to see how the strays can be managed, and how policies can be tweaked to meet the needs of the different groups.

'Of course, strays do cause issues like soiling of the estate, and there are health and hygiene issues. The concerns of residents are valid, but how do we reconcile looking after their welfare while going about this in a more humane way?'

The animals could be re-homed instead of culled, he suggested, adding that these strays could 'become pets and a source of joy'.

He would know. His wife kept two or three stray cats, though they have since died; he still has two pet terrapins.

Asked why the Government is tackling this issue now, he said it was time to relook the issue through fresh lenses.

A related issue is that current HDB regulations actually forbid cats to be kept in flats because they are difficult to confine. They also shed fur, soil public areas and caterwaul during the mating season.

The CWS has been pushing for the keeping of cats in HDB flats to be made legal, as long as they are sterilised.

HDB to look into the possibility of allowing cats in flats
Amanda Feng Today Online 4 Jun 11;

SINGAPORE - The Government will look into the possibility of allowing cats in HDB flats, Minister of State (National Development and Manpower) Tan Chuan-Jin told MediaCorp yesterday.

Brigadier-General (NS) Tan was responding to MediaCorp's queries following National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan's blog post yesterday on encouraging cats to be sterilised instead of being culled.

Adding that BG (NS) Tan will help him tackle the issue - given the former's interest in this area - Mr Khaw said he would like the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) to "seriously consider reviewing its culling programme for cats".

Mr Khaw noted that killing the cats was not the best solution. The right thing to do is for cat lovers to own the problem and to eliminate problems caused by irresponsible behaviour, he added.

When contacted last night, BG (NS) Tan said that allowing cats to be kept in HDB flats was one of the issues they were looking into.

According to the HDB's website, flat owners "are not allowed to keep cats in HDB flats, as it is generally difficult to confine cats within the flat premises". It added: "Nuisance caused by cats such as shedding of their fur, defecating/urinating in public areas or even the caterwauling sounds that they make can cause a lot of disturbance, which affects the environment and disrupts neighbourliness in our housing estates."

Cat Welfare Society vice-president Veron Lau welcomed BG (NS) Tan's comment but she said the society would like to work with HDB and AVA to educate people to be responsible cat owners.

Last year, the AVA put down 5,100 stray cats.

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) executive director Deirdre Moss said it was "already very happy" that Mr Khaw brought up sterilisation as an option instead of culling.

Said Ms Moss: "In addition to this good news, we are overjoyed that (BG Tan) has agreed to look into allowing cats to be kept as pets in HDB flats. It's very encouraging that the minister is promoting kindness to animals." AMANDA FENG

Cat adoption one way to curb stray issues
Lynda Hong Channel NewsAsia 5 Jun 11;

SINGAPORE: Sterilisation is just one of the many ways to curb the stray cat problem in HDB estates, said Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin.

Brigadier-General (BG) Tan, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GRC), said this on the sidelines of a community event held on Sunday in his constituency.

BG Tan cited his town council's partnership with the Cat Welfare Society, as a way that other town councils and the rest of Singapore could adopt to solve the cat problem.

He said Marine Parade Town Council has been working with Cat Welfare society on sterilising and relocating strays to home owners keen on keeping cats as pets.

He also noted many emails on the issue would be considered when formulating policies on solving the stray cat problem.

-CNA/wk

'Sterilisation of cats is just part of many issues'
Lynda Hong Ee Lyn Today Online 6 Jun 11;

SINGAPORE - Sterilisation is just one of the many ways to curb the stray cat problem in HDB estates, Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin said yesterday.

Speaking on the sidelines of a community event, the MP for Marine Parade cited his town council's partnership with the Cat Welfare Society, as a way that other town councils and the rest of Singapore could adopt to solve the cat problem.

Brigadier-General Tan said Marine Parade Town Council has been working with the society on sterilising and relocating strays to home owners keen on cats as pets.

He also noted that many emails on the issue will be considered when formulating policies on solving the stray cat problem. He said: "I think sterilisation of cats is just one part, there are many, many different issues. So that's something I look forward to work with the stakeholders and see where we can go from here."

On Friday, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan had raised in his blog the issue of the usual practice of culling cats to control the stray cat population.

He roped in Brig Gen Tan to work with the AVA, animal welfare groups and residents to "forge a compassionate and mature approach to this problem".

The number of stray cats put down dipped to the lowest in three years to 5,100 last year. LYNDA HONG