Animal Welfare 2.0

Animal Welfare 2 0

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Last Thursday, I was invited to talk about using social media for advocacy at "I am Cat. Hear me Roar.", a advocacy and mediation workshop by the Cat Welfare Society as part of their Tiger Show @ Post Museum on 25 Feb 2010. In case you missed the talk, here are the slides that I presented.



The panel that followed the presentations included ex-NMP Mr Siew Kum Hong and this monkey was celebrity-stricken. Well that happens when it's somebody I admire. Unfortunately I didnt get a chance to chat with him afterwards. I was also most pleasantly surprised when I had a few folks come up to chat with me after a presentation. That's very heartening. Thanks folks! That's the best encouragement a speaker can get - interest in the topic!


I look like I'm being inundated by questions! But I swear that's just a camera trick (grin) All photos by Marcus Ng

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Animal Birth Control ABC

Just a day after I wrote about the sterilization of my void deck felines, I saw these series of PETA advertisements on ecorazzi.


Image taken from ecorazzi and PETA

Indeed, it is as easy as ABC.

The poster writes:

"Nearly four million dogs and cats are put to death in the U.S. every year because there are not enough good homes. You can help prevent this - always spay or neuter your animals, and if you’re considering adding a dog or cat to your family, please adopt from your local animal shelter."

Read more about PETA's ABC Campaign. One must really applaud PETA's sensational media campaigns. It's everything that we have always talked about when thinking of how to reach the wider audience. Alright, but we're just not quite there yet with splashing paint on fur coats. Or even dressing up as a bear to greet the Queen of England when she visited Singapore.

On the home front, Cat Welfare Society works hard at the TNRM program - that stands for Trap-Neuter-Release-Manage system for "stray" cats. However, does that mean that if you keep cats at home or even a pedigree cat, that means you are excused from neutering your pets?

Recently a friend of mine bought a puppy - a labrador. The cutest girl that I've ever seen. But then when asked if he thought of neutering her, he came up with a blank. Considering that he's a dog trainer / handler with the army, I thought perhaps that he might wish to breed the pedigree but then he said that there are no such plans. That's when I asked him what if there are accidental pregnancies? She is a girl and dogs don't practice contraceptive! I guess I was on the same wavelength as PETA at that moment. Animals need help to practice birth control. Unless you intend to care for your pet and be responsible for its every birth then perhaps this is when you should start thinking about your ABCs.

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Growing up

Cats grow up really fast and in the blink of an eye, a big pawed kitten has turned into a elegant feline within the short span of a year.



Pictured here is the free-roaming void deck feline who belongs to or possibly fed by the Malay family on the ground floor. I'm happy to see that from the signs of her tipped ear, she is now neutered! Her baby photos above were taken around May 6, 2006 and the below photo of her was taken around 1 week ago on 14 September 2007.



I sincerely believe that they are the same cat. The patches of black on the top of her head looks like a perfect match. I wonder if the family has voluntarily brought her to the vet for sterilization or it was done by feeders or volunteers around the area.

There used to be a lot of issues with this cat and her siblings randomly peeing, pooping and dirtying the void deck area, causing a lot of discomfort. I actually blogged about it a year ago! Regardless, there are no longer such problems in my void deck and this could most possibly be thanks to sterilization. The kitties no longer feel the need to mark their territories nor liable to accidental pregnancy resulting in more kittens in the area.

Looking at the kitty and these photos, it almost feels as if I am a proud parent looking at her baby all grown up. I was actually rather worried a while back because I haven't seen her for a long time but I chanced upon her a few days ago. What a relief!

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Conversation with a cat caregiver

Last Saturday, I went on a trip with NUSSU SAVE to an "animal resort" at Seletar. Although that in itself is an blogworthy experience, I would rather put aside my rants in favour for my raves.



I have always been a cat person. Of course all animals are welcomed in the monkey's tiny bosom but then cats always have a special place in my heart. Knowing that, you can just imagine my excitement when I saw a cat shelter just beside the animal resort.



Understandably conditions are not fantastic and the fact is that I have never personally visited any other cat shelters prior. Thus I am unable to make an accurate comparison or assessment of conditions. But overall, I did not find the conditions of the cats too negative. They all looked healthy and well fed. All of them are neutered and look content. Each are confined to a room of their own with baskets, shelves and fence to climb around. Some even have fans to ventilate their rooms. The only thing that might strike a person is perhaps the overwhelming concentration of feline urine ordour. But I suppose that cannot be avoided.



I started chatting up one of the girls who work at this shelter. I think one of my first question to her was if she is a volunteer. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by her answer that she is actually paid, as are the other staff at the cat shelter. I guess I am so used to people being volunteers at cat shelters but perhaps somebody can correct me if I am wrong.



Other than taking in strays, the cat shelter also serves as a boarding home for owners who can no longer keep the cats at their house. I suppose they pay regular maintenance fees which allow the owner of the shelter to afford employing full time caregivers to these pretty felines.



I was also informed that many of these kitties are actually abuse cases where some are one leg short or blinded or burnt. I suppose this is where the money from the other cats will cover the true rescue cases. If I am not wrong, it was divulged that the owner of this cat shelter used to be with the cat welfare society.



Upon further conversation, I found out that the caregiver I was talking to is actually a diploma holder who some how got the opportunity to work at this cat shelter. The pay seems decent, commanding more than a thousand dollars a month but is often met with disapproval from friends and family who question why she is engaged in such manual labour even though she has a diploma! Personally I told her that I think she has a fantastic job and I absolutely wouldn't mind having a job like that. She was surprised and said I'm the first person who ever told her that she has a good job. I think that made her day.



I think people who are engaged in occupations or vocations that goes beyond the ordinary 9-5 office jobs deserve our praise. Especially people who care for animals, places or even things that the common urbanites would hardly begin to fathom engaging in. To be able to break through social censure and commit to such a job with salary below her peer's deserve our encouragement and admiration. This includes people who work for NGOs, animal welfare groups and other jobs that people in meritocratic singapore would normally scoff at! For that alone, I have much admiration and praise for these dedicated beings. An example that comes promptly to mind would be Louis Ng, the executive director of ACRES who actually took a salary of $500 a month in the beginning, just as any other staff in ACRES, even though he has a Masters degree in Primate Conservation! Kudos!



I didn't get much chance to continue the conversation at that point as more people approached the shelter. What really tickled my curiousity is how she got the job in the first place? She mentioned that she never really liked cats before as she was scratched on the face when she was young. But today, she is a full time care giver at a cat shelter! I think the transition from fear and dislike to full time commitment is rather amazing. I would hardly think money or societal support were any part of the equation so I guess I can only conclude that the feline persuasion worked its charm again.

Meow!

Related Reads:
Working with the Cat Welfare Society [link]
Cat Welfare Society [link]
ACRES [link]
Metta Cattery [link]

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My kitty problem continues

Last night when I came home from a meeting, I encountered the source of the smell in the void deck. It was positioned strategically right outside the lift too. If anybody who was not careful step out of the lift, they'd definitely end up in the kitty trap.

Today I spot only 2 kittens with the mother who look almost just as big as the kitten herself. It was such a sad thought that the mother is so scrawny and probably very young too. The rest of the kittens and adult cats cannot be found anywhere in the vicinity. I hope the cat population has somehow decreased.

Thank you all for the advise on seeking help with cat welfare society. I would most probably take up the advice once I come back from Thailand.

I will be away for 6 weeks and during this time I will probably be blogging from the land of smiles.

Happy Vesak Weekend!

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My feline problem

This sweet pie is not so sweet when the stench of pee and poo accumulates in my previously clean void deck. Sorry if this sound elitist but the area usually smells clean and fresh. This is due to the design of my flat, the void deck, being not void but like a condominium that has units on the ground floor, and thus individual home owners keep the area very nice and clean. But because of the 8 cats running around outside this one flat on the ground floor, the place is exceedingly smelly.

Let me explain.



There used to be 3 grown cats and they were adorable. Then they had a litter of kitten with 4-5 new kitties. These babies are cute but the increased in population has led to the floor being dirty, stained and reeks of an overwhelming stench of amonia. What is worse is recently I heard the calls of a kittie in heat and I can almost expect another litter to appear around my flat. I do not understand why the kitties do not poop in the grass right in front of their unit but they don't. The increase in population has overtaken the environment's natural ability to neutralize the wastes. The family also does nothing to create toilet facilities for the felines. There are no litter boxes. Food is served on plates but at the same place where the cats pee and poop. I know they try to clean up at night as I see them mopping the floor outside their homes sometimes but I still smell the stench increasing everyday. Technically that area is public corridor and it's right beside our letter box.



I really love these kitties but the neighborliness-irresponsibility is overwhelming. Unfortunately due to certain religious or ethnic sensitivity, I am afriad to approach the family and suggest neutering the cats. I thought of writing a note and slipping it into their letter box but that would be quite irresponsible. I honestly have never spoken to this family and it kind of intimidates me. How do I make sure they know I really do love cats and have all our interests at heart? How do I get the guts to do something about this? Or maybe there is nothing I can do because it's none of my business? Should I respect their choices? It is worth respecting? Do I have a right to do say something? What happens when there are MORE cats?! These cats are not feral but they get to run about the neighborhood and do not ever enter the house it seems. I cannot suggest adopting them and I do not want to disrespect the owners by sneaking them off to neuter, god forbids! Besides what if the owners do not want to give them up and enjoy the multitudes of cats?

What should I do?

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