ANIMAL LOVERS BITE BACK
The Straits Times, 14 Jul 2002

BUNNY MUM: Freelance designer Constance Ho, 26, with her pet rabbit Bunny, a stray that was discovered in a friend's garden. She has been a foster parent with the House Rabbit Society of Singapore for two months. -- WONG MAYE-E

ANIMAL abuse and abandonment may be on the rise, but so are the armies of volunteers who want to help these animals. In the past few years, five groups have sprung up to help abused and abandoned cats, dogs and rabbits.

First came the Metta Cattery and the Cat Welfare Society in 1999, followed by Action for Singapore Dogs in December 2000, the Animal Lovers League in March this year and the House Rabbit Society of Singapore in April.

The groups supplement the work which the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has been carrying out for well over a century.

Many of the volunteers act as 'foster parents' for the animals until homes can be found. Details of the animals are often given on the Internet and prospective new owners can visit their would-be pet at its foster parent's home.

The Cat Welfare Society (http://www.catwelfare.org/) was established in the wake of media reports about kittens being burnt alive and cats being thrown from high-rise buildings.

It started with a core committee of 10 cat lovers and now has more than 500 members and over 60 volunteers.

FELINE FRIEND: Temasek Polytechnic lecturer Tay Sia Ping, 34, has been a foster parent with the Cat Welfare Society for the last two years. During this time, she has cared for more than 50 cats, some for a few days while others for a number of months. -- WONG MAYE-E

The Metta Cattery (http://www.mettacats.org/), a halfway house for cats waiting to be adopted, has about 70 cats needing homes currently, but willing owners are few and far between.

The Animal Lovers League, which can be contacted on 6755-1424, was only established in March, but 200 people have already signed up as members and volunteer stray feeders. It is raising funds so it can sterilise strays free of charge and subsidise the cost of sterilising pets.

Action for Singapore Dogs (http://www.asdsingapore.com/) was started by computer programmer Ricky Yeo and three friends, to rescue stray dogs and find loving homes for them.

The House Rabbit Society of Singapore (http:www.hrss.net) was formed by rabbit owners who wanted to address the growing problem of rabbit abandonment and public ignorance about rabbit care.

Recovering from a bad scalding, this cat was found in Kampong Glam. -- SPCA

FUSSY OWNERS

'People want kittens, not adult cats. They also want pure breeds, rather than crossbreeds.'
- Metta Cattery volunteer Saliehana Mohamed Salleh, on finding homes for abandoned cats

SCIENTIFIC SOLUTION

'Microchipping is ultimately the best way of making owners respect their pets.'
- Animal Lovers League president Cathy Strong

DOG-DUMPING TOO EASY

'People can simply claim that they took their dog for a walk and it didn't come back.'
- Action for Singapore Dogs' Ricky Yeo, on why it will be hard to enforce anti-dumping law.