Who let the cats out?

Abandonment of animals in housing estates is an ongoing issue, but the general public remain unaware of what to do about it.

At least six cats have been abandoned in Bukit Timah condominium Hume Park 2, but residents do not always welcome the felines with open arms.

The stray cats are mostly found in bad condition, a clear sign that they were abandoned, says Mrs Helen Seah. She feeds the cats in the condominium and has seen the plight they are in.

In 2013 she found a cat abandoned in an air conditioner condenser, and on another occasion a kitten was found vomiting blood and eventually died of poor health. She currently has three cats at home, all of which she picked up around the estate. One has AIDS and sometimes will scratch its wounds till it bleeds.

One of the stray cats named “Miao Miao” has caught the attention of several residents. According to Mrs Seah, she was abandoned in the basement carpark when a tenant moved out. Miao Miao now roams the gardens and is known to catch mice, which has helped earn her the approval of residents such as Mdm Carol Lee who believes Miao Miao is “doing a good job”. Residents at the second floor of block 19 have even opened up the space outside their doors for her to sleep, and a cardboard bed was set up in the stairwell for her.

However, not everyone is as supportive of the felines. According to a survey conducted amongst 22 residents from various blocks, 22.7 per cent of respondents disliked the cats and 31.8 per cent felt that they should be taken away by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) or the Cat Welfare Society (CWS). Mrs Seah also recalls that previous managements have warned her not to feed any of the cats and a few residents have told her to bring the cats home if she wants to continue feeding them.

It is only in the event of a complaint that the estate management will remove the cat. Mr Winston Tan, a member of the management council, cited the Building Management and Strata Act, saying that under this act, stray animals that are considered an annoyance to residents must be removed. Unsterilised cats have a tendency to make loud “mating calls” that can disturb residents.

“Adoption first, obviously,” he said. If no residents step forward to adopt the cat, the management will call their pest control company to clear the cat. In one case of a black kitten that was cleared by pest control, the company claims the kitten was adopted by one of their employees.

With regards to what should be done to prevent residents from abandoning their pets, raising awareness and education is a common sentiment among residents, the estate management, as well as animal welfare organisations. “Education is quite important,” said Mr Tan “If you want to keep animals, be a responsible owner. And if you don’t want it, try to find someone to adopt it.”

If the pet owners are unable to find a friend or family member who is willing to adopt their pet, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Education Officer Ms Ujwala Evani suggests using the organisation’s Rehoming Notice Board. After filling in a form, the animal that the pet owner is putting up for adoption will be posted on the Rehoming Notice Board for a maximum of one month. As she pointed out, animal shelters in Singapore have limited space and therefore do not take in animals unless they are in need of medical attention or special care. Stray cats that are reported are usually brought in for sterilisation and will be returned to their original environment afterwards.

Under clause 41C of the Animals and Birds Act, abandonment of animals is a crime in Singapore which bears the penalty of a fine, imprisonment, or both. But abandonment of animals, especially cats, remains an ongoing problem. In 2017, 1,138 cats were rescued by SPCA, which is more than double that of dogs.