Register to be part of SCSP!

Four SCSP Pilot Zones

The Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme is currently piloted in 4 specific zones:

Chong Pang Division Blks 101 - 161, 165 - 167, 170 - 175, 300 - 318, 350 - 355, 701 - 716 (134 blocks) under Sembawang-Nee Soon Town Council
Funding for sterilisation - Free - 50% funded by AVA & 50% funded by Sembawang-Nee Soon Town Council
Participating clinics - AMK Vet Surgery & Mount Pleasant (Springside)

Yio Chu Kang Division Blks 119 – 128 (10 blocks) under Ang Mo Kio Town Council
Funding for sterilisation - 50% funded by AVA. CWS will reimburse $10 per cat when a sterilisation claim is submitted.
Participating clinics - Acacia Veterinary Clinic & Mount Pleasant (Serangoon North)

Tampines North Division Blks 461 – 471, 485A - 490B (26 blocks) under Tampines Town Council
Funding for sterilisation - 50% funded by AVA. CWS will reimburse $10 per cat when a sterilisation claim is submitted.
Participating clinics - Light of Life Veterinary Clinic

Macpherson Division Blk 1 - 18 Joo Seng Road, Blk 19 - 36 Balam Road (37 blocks) under Marine Parade Town Council
Funding for sterilisation - Free - 50% funded by AVA & 50% funded by SPCA
Participating clinics - Light of Life Veterinary Clinic

Caregivers in these areas are required to register with the Cat Welfare Society to be able to sterilise their community cats under the programme. To register, please email phyllis@catwelfare.org with
Name:
IC:
Blocks covered:
Email:
Phone:

Training on Responsible Cat Management

We held our first training on responsible cat management in the Chong Pang Community Centre on 9 July. The presentations are shared here for those who could not attend.

Responsible Cat Management - Cat Welfare Society
	Caregivers who are doing a service for their community by sterilising and caring for the cats in a responsible manner will now become recognised volunteers. This will help them in their role in assisting the Town Council and authorities in resolving cat-related complaints. To register, please email phyllis@catwelfare.org with Name: IC: Blocks covered: Email: Phone:
	In Chong Pang in particular, a door-to-door survey will be conducted to find out about the attitudes of the residents towards community cats as well as educate residents about responsible pet ownership and community cat management. To register, please email phyllis@catwelfare.org with Name: Available dates between 18 July to 21 August:
	To keep our community cats safe, it is good practice to document them with photos, descriptions and locations.
	In many areas, the number of cats found at a block is often no more than 3. Areas with more cats are often areas where chronic cat abandonment happens. Households that keep cats without sterilising them will need to be identified and counselled to curb this issue. If they remain recalcitrant, their cases should be escalated to AVA for action.
	Designated feeding stations that are marked by Town Council posters will be implemented in the SCSP zones. There will be clear guidelines about how to use these feeding stations.
Mediation & Engagement - Cat Welfare Society
	Previously, mediators and caregivers may have felt that they were struggling to be heard when faced with cat-related complaints. Community cat management in Singapore has progressed to the point where it is supported by statistics, science, media and government agencies.
	As ambassadors for our cats, we should reflect this confidence in our engagements with members of the public. It is our role as caregivers to lead by example and educate others in a professional manner.
	There will be clearly defined roles and responsibilities for caregivers/volunteers, Town Councils and other government agencies.
	The Cat Welfare Society will be working with the authorities on an education and enforcement programme on responsible pet ownership and community cat management. This will include providing educational materials to residents through the Town Councils and working with authorities on serving advisories and notices to recalcitrant residents.
	As ambassadors confident in the knowledge that community cat management through sterilisation is an effective means to control the population, we should never resort to strident face-to-face or email arguments, even when we feel the other party is being unreasonable. When we engage members of the public, respond to the facts and not the emotions. Find out what are the actual issues the person is facing that leads to their negative reaction to cats. Always be solution-oriented.
	Hwa Chong students assisting the Cat Welfare Society in implementing designated feeding stations as part of their project.
Assisting in Animal Cruelty Investigations - SPCA
	The police are authorised to act in cases of animal cruelty. However, there must be reasonable cause before the police or authorised AVA officers will act in arresting a person, entering and searching a premise and/or seizing an animal.
	This law has its origins from the British Road Traffic Act 1930, therefore the inclusion of ass, mule, sheep etc. Cats are not included in the law. There are currently efforts in Britain to amend the Bill to include popular pets.
	The standard that must be met by the prosecution's evidence in a criminal prosecution: that no other logical explanation can be derived from the facts except that the defendant committed the crime, thereby overcoming the presumption that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
	SPCA contact details • web: www.spca.org.sg • tel: 6287 5355 • add: 31, Mount Vernon Road S.368054 • facebook: www.facebook.com/spcasingapore
Cat Trapping by Mutts & Mittens Foundation
	Tools of the trade - Industrial gloves
	Tools of the trade - Covered shoes
	Tools of the trade - Marker & Masking Tape. It is crucial to mark the trap or carrier with the location (block and street) where the cat was trapped to ensure that the correct cat is returned to the correct location.
	Tools of the trade - Humane Cat Trap. The trap is sprung when a cat steps on the pedal. To trap a cat, set the lever door mechanism, line the bottom of the trap with newspaper and put a 10th of a teaspoon of food in a trail from the door of the trap to the pedal. Put a tablespoon of food at the end of the trap so the cat will be lured all the way in.
	For the comfort of the cat, it is always prefered that the cat is transfered to a carrier after trapping. However, this needs to be done very carefully to prevent the cat from escaping during the transfer. If the cat is to be transported in the trap, cover it with an opaque cloth to calm the cat.
	For hard to trap cats, a net can be used. However, it will require training and practice to be accurate and not hurt the cats in the process. To purchase the net and/or trap, please contact Mutts & Mittens. Mutts & Mittens contact details • web: www.muttsnmittens.com • tel: 6583 7371 / 6583 7372 • add: 11, Pasir Ris Farmway 2 • facebook: www.facebook.com/Mutts&Mittens

Photography by Colleen Goh of www.dedamselfly.com