Islandwide plan to sterilise stray cats

National programme returns after more than a decade and is lauded

By David Ee, The Straits Times, 7 Jul 2014

A NATIONAL effort to reduce the number of stray cats by sterilising them humanely is now in place again islandwide after more than a decade.

The stray cat sterilisation programme was quietly extended across Singapore in May.

Under it, volunteers who take strays from HDB estates to selected veterinary clinics will not have to pay a cent to get them sterilised and micro-chipped. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) funds half of the costs, while the Cat Welfare Society funds the rest. It typically costs between $30 and $60 to neuter a cat and another $20 to microchip it.

A similar programme ran from 1998 to 2003 before it was deemed ineffective and scrapped by the AVA, in favour of removing the then 80,000-strong stray cat population from the streets altogether for public hygiene reasons.

Strays were instead culled, pet owners educated not to abandon cats, and groups encouraged to house them at their own cost.

The AVA's decision back then was criticised by animal welfare groups, which subsequently funded sterilisations on their own. They said sterilisation would have reduced the stray population effectively if the measure had been given more time to take effect.

In 2007, the AVA proposed a new sterilisation programme, but it had no takers as town councils did not want to clean up after the cats. In 2011, it was partially re-launched as a trial in four areas.

It was extended islandwide in May this year after the trials showed sterilisation managed to cut the stray population, the AVA said. "For sterilisation to be more effective... there has to be greater coverage," said a spokesman, adding that the programme supports sterilisation as "a humane way" of controlling numbers.

The move has drawn praise from animal welfare groups, which say culling is inhumane and ineffective. They said the drop in stray cat numbers from 80,000 to about 50,000 now, together with the fall in culling figures, is evidence that sterilisation works.

"If euthanisation numbers have decreased, it surely means that sterilisation is working, as fewer cats need to be culled," said executive director of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Corinne Fong.

The AVA euthanised about 1,000 strays last year, down from 3,300 in 2008 and 13,000 in 2001.

"Mindsets do change over time," said Ms Fong. "I'm happy that the AVA saw it fit to re-introduce this initiative. It would have been good if it had sustained (the previous programme) - imagine what the stray cat population would be now."

Cat Welfare Society vice-president Veron Lau estimated the society and its volunteers sterilised "tens of thousands" of strays over the past decade. Last year alone, it sterilised 4,479 cats, she said.

"With this additional funding, it means that we can do more."

Groups hope stray cat numbers will fall to a more manageable 20,000 within five to 10 years. To do this, said Ms Lau, policies other than sterilisation have to succeed such as preventing cat abandonment. She also noted that sterilisation has not yet dented the numbers in industrial estates.

Dog welfare groups have also urged the Government to adopt a national sterilisation scheme, rather than culling, to reduce stray dog numbers. The AVA has regularly emphasised that its priority in the case of dogs is public health and safety, as stray dogs may attack people or carry rabies.

Humane sterilisation of strays is best approach

THE Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) affirms the national effort to reduce the number of stray cats by sterilising/neutering them humanely ("Islandwide plan to sterilise stray cats"; yesterday). This is certainly justified and timely, considering the still sizeable number of stray (or more aptly termed as "community") cats on the streets.

Ultimately, it is sterilisation that offers the most effective and humane means of keeping the community animal population in check.

On this note, we assure readers and donors that our existing voucher programme will go on, as it has for the last 23 years. Since 1991, we have distributed more than 30,000 free sterilisation vouchers to the public, making it possible for community animals to be sterilised at participating veterinary clinics islandwide. The cost is borne by the SPCA. Currently, a monthly budget exceeding $5,500 is set aside specifically for this.

This scheme is expressly for the sterilisation of community animals. We are unable to provide treatment/surgery for companion, or pet, animals with this focus in mind, and encourage pet owners to take their pets to private clinics for the necessary sterilisation. More information on this scheme can be found at www.spca.org.sg/services_sterilisation.asp

In keeping with the principles of responsible pet ownership, we strongly urge all pet owners, too, to help curtail the growth of Singapore's unwanted animal population. They can also take heart in their sterilised pets being typically healthier and less prone to illnesses.

The humane sterilisation of our community animals would certainly go a long way towards creating a more harmonious living environment for all of us, and SPCA Singapore welcomes the return of this much-needed programme on a national scale. We also applaud the programme implementation by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority and the Cat Welfare Society, and would be happy to render any other form of support in any way we can.

Corinne Fong (Ms)
Executive Director
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Singapore
ST Forum, 8 Jul 2014