Monday • July 28, 2003

An alternative to culling stray cats

"OPEN hearts, open minds" — that was what the Cat Welfare Society was hoping to encourage with its adoption drive held at the National Youth Park over the weekend.

Hot on the heels of the culling of stray cats in Singapore, the non-profit organisation hopes to raise awareness about the plight of felines.

Cat Welfare Society members said they battle ignorance and prejudice regarding cats constantly. "A lot of people see them as vermin or as pests to be abused. There is a need to improve the image of cats to improve the public's understanding of their nature and how we should relate to them," said society vice-president Wee Liang Tong.

The society said culling is not an effective way of controlling stray cats. It has submitted a proposal to the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority to encourage adoption by HDB owners, who are banned from keeping cats in flats. It believes this may get almost 80,000 strays off the streets. — Channel NewsAsia