Love us, not hurt us!

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

A lovely feature written (and photographed) by a dear, dear friend ... I couldn't have done it better!





(Source: NTUC Media "Lifestyle" July issue)

Mission accomplished!

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Am still very excited about what we just did! We finally managed to catnap a newbie unsterilised female which is also injured and limping. She went missing on Tuesday when we arranged for Vincent to come down and trap her and another newbie male, all recently abandoned, we believe.

So when I saw her again today, I did not take any chance - I catnapped her home and called Vincent who kindly agreed to swing by my place to collect her after he is done with trapping in Woodlands.



This is the best picture of the Black Beauty my excited fingers could take :( She is kept in the toilet now, and although she did not make any noise, the resident kitties are spooked!



Kootoo the kay-poh-kia smells a rat!

The sun is out!

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



This tipped ear ginger was enjoying the warmth of the midday sun at the coffeeshop in Lorong 8 Toa Payoh opposite my workplace.

Help the East Coast Park cats

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



The kitties are warm and snug at home, and I couldn't stop thinking of the community cats who are now braving the rain, cold and even hunger.

I fed Milo's mummy at the multi-storey carpark after coming home from work. She was ravenous. But how many cats are as "lucky" as her to have someone feed her everyday?

I wonder how the cats at East Coast Park are coping in this heavy downpour.

DDXiong is raising funds to help manage the cat population at East Coast Park. She is appealing for contributions toward the cause, so if you could spare some cash, please render your support.

Of Colour and Breed

From the desk of Mama Piggy:

Self-proclaimed cat minion Calsifer, chieftain of the Tipped Ear Clan, has written a wonderful summary on cat breeds, patterns and colours.


Aren't we all the same, under all that coloured fuzz?

For those of us who can’t quite tell the difference between a Tortoiseshell and a Calico, please spend sometime reading it, there are pictures too.

So, coming straight to my point – are “breeds” important when it comes to owning/adopting a cat?

You bet, which is why some people prefer to buy pedigrees from pet shops. I guess a Norwegian Forest or two looks good in the house, and it sure feels great to have a Ragdoll that’s putty in your arms. If you have the resources and prefer “branded” cats to moggies, sure, by all means, go get your pedigrees.

Now, before you start dissing me for insinuating that those who buy pedigrees are pretentious snobs, let me tell you this - I used to go gaga over pedigrees too. In fact, my sister and I were so besotted with long-hair cats that we got a Chocolate-point Persian (think long-hair Siamese cat). We called him Cubie, and he was a really pretty cat with a mild temperament. Now a geriatric at 17 years old, Cubie is in relatively good health and is staying with my sister and her three other rescue cats.

When I decided to get a cat after I got my own place, it didn’t cross my mind to get another pedigree. Why buy one when you can adopt? There are countless community cats out there who need a home! Plus, our local “breeds” are equally beautiful and hardy!


The tigers have taken possession of the coffee-table.

So I got Kootoo from the SPCA, and some friends asked why I adopted such a “common” cat. Tsk tsk. Sure, Kootoo is a “common” striped-cat (or from what I have learnt, a Mackerel tabby). He is what most people would label a “longkang” cat (alley cat). But does that matter? I don’t care if he is a Domestic Short Hair, or simply a Tabby, or whatever. He may be “common” to most people, but he is special to me. I could have gotten the most gorgeous looking purebred but what’s the point if we don’t learn to accept each other for who we are, and learn to accommodate each other’s habits and whims?

Our three lovely cats have given us a lot of joy (we’ll talk about the mess they’ve created another time, eh? :D). Every time I look into their eyes, I know I have changed their lives, and that makes me happy.

5,012

That's the number of cats "humanely destroyed" by the SPCA Singapore in its last FY ending 30 June 06.

Its latest annual report came through the post today, and here are some grim statistics on cats:

No. brought in: 5,568
No. of adoptions: 358
No. claimed/rehomed/released: 138
No. in shelter: 60
No. humanely destroyed: 5,012

90% of the cats brought in to the SPCA are humanely destroyed (I love euphemisms!).

Why? Because SPCA does not have the space nor financial resources to keep all 5,568 of them in the shelter.

Why were these 5,568 cats brought to the SPCA then? Because some of us humans have deemed that cats cannot and should not co-exist with us in our clean, modern urban dwellings. Ergo, these cats are condemned and kaput!

Of course, some of the 5,012 cats HAVE to be put to sleep because they were victims of OUR abuse, and letting them go is the solution to their physical and emotional suffering.

But what about the rest?

Finishing them off with a lethal jab is, of course, the easiest way out to the "overcrowding" situation. But is it really humane? From whose perspective is it humane anyway? When did they become lesser beings?

Indeed, if you look at it from a certain perspective, dying seems to be far better off than living life as a community cat - running away from nasty children, watching out for cruel abusers, suffering from constant hunger and cold, and living in perpetual fear of pest controllers.

What bothers me is this: Why can't we accept these animals on their own terms? Why don't we learn to tolerate them? Afterall, we don't go around rounding up people whom we dislike and finish them off with a gun, do we? (Unless, of course, you are from the mafia.)

I know putting animals to sleep is a nasty job which the SPCA had to do. Because WE allow it to happen. And which is why I have decided NOT to donate to the SPCA. I know it also needs funds for public education and outreach activities and sterilisation of strays etc. SPCA has done a decent job in raising awareness of animal welfare and deserves a pat on the back. But I cannot sign on the dotted line, knowing that part of my donation would go towards the killing of 5,012 cats.

I think my money would be better used in sterilising the community cats in my neighbourhood and allowing them the chance to live out its life as a fellow being.


Kootoo - one of the lucky few put up for adoption at the SPCA in May 2005.

My heart skips a beat ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



... whenever I see Tortie Mummy aka Milo's Mummy at the multi-storey carpark in my estate. And then I give thanks for the fact that she is still well and alive.

I worry for her, because she is such a friendly and approachable community cat -- an easy target for potential abusers and "the authorities".

Also, some feeders in my estate have been leaving food in disposable containers for the cats, and it's a messy sight. I haven't been able to catch them in the act and advise them to clean up.

While I am glad that there are kind souls who care for Tortie Mummy and a couple of other community cats here, I hope they realise that their very action could get the cats into trouble, if they don't clear up the mess.

Already, the Malay uncle who also feeds Tortie Mummy (with dry food) told me the other day that someone from the town council told him to stop feeding the cats. I gave the uncle my mobile number and told him to contact me if the town council guy harangues him again. It also came to my knowledge that earlier on, "the authorities" had sent cat traps to our estate. Surely we can work out a more humane solution instead of a quick-fix that necessitates the loss of innocent feline lives?

As for "the authorities", is it too much of me to ask that you DO NOT round up cats with tipped ears?!? Cats like Tortie Mummy have already been "fixed", now go "fix" something else, like the broken solar-powered lamps at Potong Pasir!

Cat quote of the day:
Cats do not declare their love much; they enact it, by their myriad invocations of our pleasure.
- Vicki Hearne

We pray ...

... for the little kitten who lost its life under such terrible circumstances.

We pray for the perpetrator to be brought to justice soon.

We pray that our fellow brothers and sisters out there are safe from harm.

And we pray for love for all creatures big and small -- for without love, life is nothing.

Cat quote of the day:
Of all animals, he alone attains to the Contemplative Life.
- Andrew Lang

And Milo makes three ...

From the desk of Mama Piggy:



Yup, Milo is the new name for the sweet Ginger Boy (PS. I am not responsible for the name. Milo indeed. What's next? Teh-si kosong?!? (To our foreign furriends, that's tea with evaporated milk without sugar.)

And we are adopting Milo instead of giving him to my sister.

Why? Cos' Papa Porky took a liking to Milo ever since he first saw him, and has been haranguing me to take him in.

I was somewhat reluctant because:
(1) Muffin and Kootoo are still in the settling down stage,
(2) I think two cats are just nice, and
(3) I am concerned about how Kootoo would react to yet another newcomer within such a short span of time and whether Muffin would bully sweet little Milo.

But I must say Milo really won my heart with his cute looks and gentle personality, so I finally relented :)


When we visited the cats at the vet's today, Tortie Mummy was rather subdued. She doesn't look too happy either. I hope she makes a quick recovery and resumes her old friendly self.

Cat quote of the day:
If a cat did not put a firm paw down now and then, how could his human remain possessed.
- Winifred Carriere

Intruder Alert!!!

From the desk of Mama Piggy:


We "trapped" this friendly Tortie Mummy and her sweet Ginger Boy from the multi-storey carpark at our place and brought them home on Thursday evening. According to a Malay uncle who feeds the cats, the Ginger Boy is the sole survivor from a litter of five, the rest of his siblings died after falling into the drain or were ran over by vehicles at the carpark.

Upon hearing this, we decided that the carpark is no safe place for the little sweetie, and that we should sterilise the affectionate Tortie Mummy to save her from the heartache of giving birth to kittens only to lose them one by one. So we bundled them home surreptitiously in order not to agitate Kootoo and Muffin.

Kootoo and Muffin snooped outside the kitchen toilet (where the cats put up for the night) suspiciously, they somehow figured out that there are "intruders" inside. Kootoo even kept a vigil outside the toilet, and refused to engage in any form of play!

Tortie Mummy and Ginger Boy were sent to the vet on Friday morning, and will be boarded there for about a week.

I managed to persuade my sister to take in Ginger Boy. Tortie Mummy will be released back here when she has recuperated from her operation.

Cat quote of the day:
You can't own a cat. The best you can do is be partners.
- Sir Harry Swanson