(There is a response from the Town Council only after we had sent out a few emails, requesting for the reply and appropriate course of action. Do you see any logic to their reply?)
Dear all animal lovers,
We are the residents staying in Jurong West St 81, SINGAPORE. Recently the town council (in charge of maintenance of property) at our area is exterminating all cats. Their aim is to achieve ZERO CATS in the estate as as proof that they are effective team.
We tried to negotiate but our voices and appeals were not heard. We tried to locate our cats but they asked us to forget about it and this event was over. The Town Council did not send the captured cats to relevant authorities which are Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore and SPCA, but some unknown areas which they refuse to reveal.
We suspect they might had been killed by the Pest Control Team. Thus, We will be meeting the Member of Parliament. The location is Jurong West St 91, Blk 953 #01-603, meeting time: 7.30pm 14/7/09
We are appealing for the cat lovers all over Singapore and the World to lend us your support by attending the meeting and to get more signatures or click. We need more people or signatures or click to demonstrate that this is a serious matter.
Course of action we are looking at:
1) Stop unnecessary culling of cats.
2) The location of the captured cats being disposed to.
3) The Authority recognises the right of the animals
4) Supports the program of Sterilisation
Please attend the meeting if you can and to those overseas animal lovers, please support this program
Thank you for your consideration.
======================================================
This is an email sent out from another animal lover who is quite well informed on this case on DATE: 16/7/09, Time: 10.25pm=====================================================
Date : 16/7/09, Time: 4.06pm. We sent out another email to Town Council. Please see below:
Dear Ms Christina Goh,
I called you a few times today, apparantly you are very busy as your staff always say you are in meeting.
I do not wish to disturb you, but required a response from you with regards to the cat issue, and my concern is the safety of the cats.
Appreciate a reply from you.
Thank you
Lim Zhen Ru
=======================================================
We received the reply from the Town Council on this following Date: 16/07/09 : 4.26pm
===================================================
Dear Josephine ( AKA Lim Zhen Ru)
Please refer to your email of 14 July 09.
The Town Council regularly receives feedback from residents about cat nuisance. In fact, just this month (July) alone so far, we have received more than 10 cases. The common complaints received by residents are on cats urinating and defeacating at the common areas and even outside the corridor especially near flower pots. Some of these %u201Cstray%u201D cats even enter their units and scare the children. Others were upset that leftover food fed to the stray cats were not cleaned up by the feeders, thereby leaving an unsightly mess that attracted rodents and pests. Thus, many residents appealed to the Town Council to take decisive action to remove the cats.
In response to the numerous feedback on Town Council staff and workers removed 2 stray cats in Jurong West St 81 on 9 July 09, we would like to clarify that prior to doing so, our staff had contacted a cat lover twice in June. On 24 June 09 we informed her of the complaints received and also informed her of the Town Council's planned action at the beginning of July. We called the cat lover again on 26 Jun 09 and informed her specifically the location where the complaints on cats nuisance were received and sought her help. However, the situation did not improve.
With regard to the stray cats removed on 9 July 09, we have checked with our contractor and they admitted that they deposited the 2 cats at Kranji Loop near the eating outlet on the same day and not at the nature reserve. We would like to stress that this is not our Town Council's SOP. Our contractor is aware of the fact that they are to send any strays captured to the AVA or SPCA. We learned that the contractor had moved the cats to another location as some of the workers are also cat lovers and they were fearful that the strays would be put down if they remained unclaimed at the agencies. While their action is misguided and not sanctioned by the Town Council, the contractor's action was done out of compassion for the animals. On 14 July itself, we have given strict instruction to the contractor that any stray cat caught has to be sent to AVA or SPCA.
In managing a public housing estate, the Town Council needs to balance and cater to different groups of residents with different needs and viewpoints. We hope you understand that just there are animal lovers who are fond of the stray cats, there are also residents who are afraid of and/or do not like cats due to the nuisance caused. Thus, the Town Council would like to seek your understanding that at times, our actions may not be very welcome but we have to take into consideration the sentiments of majority of the residents.
We would like to thank you for allowing the opportunity to clarify our stance in this case.
Hong Kah Town Council
=====================================================
Date: 20/7/09, Time: 10.49 am, We Sent out another email to question the following doubts that we have and till now we received no response from Hong Kah Town Council:
(There is a response from the Town Council only after we had sent out a few emails, requesting for the reply and appropriate course of action. Do you see any logic to their reply?)
Dear all animal lovers,
We are the residents staying in Jurong West St 81, SINGAPORE. Recently the town council (in charge of maintenance of property) at our area is exterminating all cats. Their aim is to achieve ZERO CATS in the estate as as proof that they are effective team.
We tried to negotiate but our voices and appeals were not heard. We tried to locate our cats but they asked us to forget about it and this event was over. The Town Council did not send the captured cats to relevant authorities which are Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore and SPCA, but some unknown areas which they refuse to reveal.
We suspect they might had been killed by the Pest Control Team. Thus, We will be meeting the Member of Parliament. The location is Jurong West St 91, Blk 953 #01-603, meeting time: 7.30pm 14/7/09
We are appealing for the cat lovers all over Singapore and the World to lend us your support by attending the meeting and to get more signatures or click. We need more people or signatures or click to demonstrate that this is a serious matter.
Course of action we are looking at:
1) Stop unnecessary culling of cats.
2) The location of the captured cats being disposed to.
3) The Authority recognises the right of the animals
4) Supports the program of Sterilisation
Please attend the meeting if you can and to those overseas animal lovers, please support this program
Thank you for your consideration.
======================================================
This is an email sent out from another animal lover who is quite well informed on this case on DATE: 16/7/09, Time: 10.25pm=====================================================
Date : 16/7/09, Time: 4.06pm. We sent out another email to Town Council. Please see below:
Dear Ms Christina Goh,
I called you a few times today, apparantly you are very busy as your staff always say you are in meeting.
I do not wish to disturb you, but required a response from you with regards to the cat issue, and my concern is the safety of the cats.
Appreciate a reply from you.
Thank you
Lim Zhen Ru
=======================================================
We received the reply from the Town Council on this following Date: 16/07/09 : 4.26pm
===================================================
Dear Josephine ( AKA Lim Zhen Ru)
Please refer to your email of 14 July 09.
The Town Council regularly receives feedback from residents about cat nuisance. In fact, just this month (July) alone so far, we have received more than 10 cases. The common complaints received by residents are on cats urinating and defeacating at the common areas and even outside the corridor especially near flower pots. Some of these %u201Cstray%u201D cats even enter their units and scare the children. Others were upset that leftover food fed to the stray cats were not cleaned up by the feeders, thereby leaving an unsightly mess that attracted rodents and pests. Thus, many residents appealed to the Town Council to take decisive action to remove the cats.
In response to the numerous feedback on Town Council staff and workers removed 2 stray cats in Jurong West St 81 on 9 July 09, we would like to clarify that prior to doing so, our staff had contacted a cat lover twice in June. On 24 June 09 we informed her of the complaints received and also informed her of the Town Council's planned action at the beginning of July. We called the cat lover again on 26 Jun 09 and informed her specifically the location where the complaints on cats nuisance were received and sought her help. However, the situation did not improve.
With regard to the stray cats removed on 9 July 09, we have checked with our contractor and they admitted that they deposited the 2 cats at Kranji Loop near the eating outlet on the same day and not at the nature reserve. We would like to stress that this is not our Town Council's SOP. Our contractor is aware of the fact that they are to send any strays captured to the AVA or SPCA. We learned that the contractor had moved the cats to another location as some of the workers are also cat lovers and they were fearful that the strays would be put down if they remained unclaimed at the agencies. While their action is misguided and not sanctioned by the Town Council, the contractor's action was done out of compassion for the animals. On 14 July itself, we have given strict instruction to the contractor that any stray cat caught has to be sent to AVA or SPCA.
In managing a public housing estate, the Town Council needs to balance and cater to different groups of residents with different needs and viewpoints. We hope you understand that just there are animal lovers who are fond of the stray cats, there are also residents who are afraid of and/or do not like cats due to the nuisance caused. Thus, the Town Council would like to seek your understanding that at times, our actions may not be very welcome but we have to take into consideration the sentiments of majority of the residents.
We would like to thank you for allowing the opportunity to clarify our stance in this case.
Hong Kah Town Council
=====================================================
Date: 20/7/09, Time: 10.49 am, We Sent out another email to question the following doubts that we have and till now we received no response from Hong Kah Town Council: