ST (4-11-09)

This still doesn't explain why, if shooting is used as a last resort, that there are regular shooting sessions.

ST (10-6-09)

Today's letter in the Straits Times brings up a good point - these dogs were microchipped but unlicensed. As imported dogs have to be microchipped, one wonders if someone at one point paid a great deal of money to buy these dogs, only to now abandon them. It also shows that you may have laws in place but without enforcement, it still isn't going to help curb abandonment.

Today (19-5-09)

A nice letter from Today Online which makes the same good point - why are traps loaned out for free? If AVA is a free 'pest' controller, then it really should control all 'pests' - including cockroaches, flies, ants, etc.

ST (10-4-09)

Thanks to Chinky for sending this in. This is actually the reason I am so reluctant to take my cats over to the US considering that I might be heading back to Singapore! Some of my cats are elderly and I really don't want to subject them to a long quarantine - plus of course they would be indoor only cats here.

ST (6-4-09)

Thanks to Chinky for sending this in. The writer complains about the parrots next door. I can sympathise with noise nuisance - but wonder, what constitutes 'noise' and how much should one have to put up with?

My family lives next to a construction site and the noise can and has gone on till 2am. Instead of 12 to 15 parrots, we have heard (and seen) piling go on in the middle of the night. I'm pretty sure the piling is louder :)

When my mother brought this up to the authorities (after having spoken first to the company building the place), we were told that there was nothing that could be done.

I'll be curious to see what the response is to the parrots.

Pet issues can't be legislated away

Very good letter in today about legislation and whether it has been effective in helping with animal welfare problems.

Today (3-2-09)

Thanks to Chinky for sending this letter in.

ST (23-1-09)

A letter from CWS on the East Coast cats as well - glad to see they wrote in. One of the caregivers said that the Big Splash has been pretty co-operative so far and that they are not inclined to see the cats being killed either. If anyone wants to email and ask Big Splash to please continue working on a TNRM programme, and to thank them for continuing to support a humane and effective cat management programme, here's the email address :-

enquiry@playground.com.sg

The manager is a Mr Justin Tan.

ST (22-1-09)

Nice response from the SPCA on the Big Splash cats.

ST (20-1-09)

Two letters in response to the letter about the cats at the Big Splash last week. One urges tolerance, while the other claims cats charged at him. I have yet to see cats 'charge' at anyone.

ST (16-1-09)

Thanks to Chinky who sent this in - unfortunately this is another case of a single complainant writing in and probably endangering all the cats there. I am also amazed how selective the writer is - she wants birds and butterflies, but not cats because cats apparently in her view, are not part of nature. One wonders what would happen if the birds did something unwelcome - for example, eat from the same upturned litter bin that the writer complained the cats did. Would they then also be complained about because they weren't acting 'naturally'?

This isn't a Disney movie with birds and butterflies flying around you. If you've ever gone hiking, or on a nature trek, you'll notice that nature is full of insects that can and do bite you like mosquitoes. In the US and in many other larger countries, you also need to be careful of deer ticks that carry lyme disease (a friend of mine caught lyme while camping), snakes, bears and other animals that might be far more 'scary' than a few cats. They'll all part of nature too. Nature isn't the sanitised version that the writer seems to want - if she does, it's better that she stay at home and watch it on television.

ST (2-1-09)

Nice to know we're just into the New Year and already we have a letter advocating the HDB rule be removed.

Forum (18-12-08)

Thanks to Chinky for sending this letter in.

ST (10-10-08)

Thanks to Chinky who sent this in. Unfortunately I've heard of a woman in the area and spoken to someone matching her description on the phone. The people I know who sterilise there also have problems with her. One of the people I know in the area who sterilises, complains a woman sprinkles food all over before she goes to trap and so she can't trap the cats for their appointment.

ST (29-9-08)

Thanks to Chinky and eslina for sending this letter about this man's experience with the SPCA. It seems to me that the SPCA in this case probably was going to release the cat to him. Interestingly, our old friend Tan Tuan Khoon somehow tried to make this an argument about cats though it was so disjointed, I couldn't quite follow the logic. He also claimed I said cats couldn't be toilet trained - when what I explained was that cats are naturally toilet trained, and aren't like dogs in that essence. I also have no idea what toilet training kits for cats in pet shops are.

There were a lot of nice articles about animals, including an ASD article in the press on Saturday - unfortunately they cannot be accessed unless you have a Straits Times account.

Today (22-9-08)

I'm glad to see an MP suggesting publicly that residents who have problems with each other talk it out rather than go to the authorities. Thanks to Chinky for sending this in.

Today (27-7-08)

Thanks to Chinky for sending in these two great letters from Today :- Relaxing pet ownership rules may be the answer and We donate to humans but not to animals.

ST (19-7-08)

Thanks to Eslina who sent this in. I missed it as I was really busy over the weekend - again, it's a case of the writer not being aware of what is really going on here. This is very likely someone's cat not a 'stray cat' or a community cat someone is feeding upstairs especially as the writer says she's lived there for years and the cat only recently started defecating in her pots -and the caregiver has said it's not one of hers. Stopping the caregiver from feeding will not help - it's important to find the person who is letting their cat roam. Also it's not about 'toilet training' - the problem is that if the cat is wandering down from a flat and has done it in that pot, it considers the pot it's 'toilet' so in fact, it IS toilet trained. To quote the writer none of the solutions she suggested go to the 'root cause'.

Today (9-7-08)

Nice letter in Today - thanks Chinky for sending it in.

ST (5-7-08)

Sounds like a neighbour dispute to me - I have to say that if someone does come and tell you that your cat is wandering, it is best to do something about it, whether it be to keep the cat in, or to work with your neighbour to ensure that the soiling doesn't happen again. I have to say though I'm not sure how the cat dirties cars (walks on the car with dirty little paws?). I also don't think the cat intends to hide in corners and 'startle people'.