MAY 31, 2003
Our Columnist
Cull of the wild

It's no fun being a stray cat in Singapore. Even though evidence linking Sars to cats is still inconclusive, human beings are reacting like, well, animals

By Ong Soh Chin

IN ANCIENT Egypt, the killing of a cat - even if it was accidental - was punishable by death.

The ancient Egyptians, who were the first to domesticate cats, regarded felines as sacred. They even worshipped a Cat Goddess called Bast.

Fast forward some 4,000 years to modern-day Singapore and it's obvious that grand old pyramid schemes won't cut it here.

In the last week, there has been a controversy over the culling of stray cats by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA), particularly those that hang around hawker centres and markets.

The AVA says it is stepping up the culling - from 35 cats a day two Fridays ago to 45 now - for public health reasons, as sterilisation has not been effective.

It says it is not doing this because of the fear that severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) may be passed from animals - specifically cats - to humans.

But cat lovers suspect otherwise, and have been taking it upon themselves to round up strays and sending them to an animal shelter in Johor, Malaysia.

Now, I am appalled at the cullings, as I would be at the killing of any other harmless animal.

But, as a person who doesn't want to get Sars, I appreciate the AVA's vigilance even though I am also a little afraid at the sinister implications of its actions.

Let's not get hysterical here. The AVA has been culling cats for some time already - this is nothing new.

The difference is now they're culling 10 more a day, but people don't really know why.

Even as the AVA denies that the cullings are Sars-related, we are getting ominous news that blood and stool samples from 100 stray cats and dogs are being examined to see if they can indeed pass the virus on to us. Results have proven inconclusive.

Then there was the report from Hong Kong two Fridays ago which said civet cats - two abandoned ones of which were coincidentally found in Singapore a day later - could have passed the virus to humans, although the findings cannot be absolutely verified.

(This, of course, has confused everybody all the more, as civet cats aren't even cats. They are part of the mongoose family.)

Indeed, the unease and irrational fears about our feline friends had set in even earlier.

On May 1, The Straits Times reported that Beijing police were killing cats and dogs belonging to Sars patients.

'If a family has Sars and it has pets, we will catch and kill the pets regardless of whether they show Sars symptoms,' a Beijing police official was quoted as saying.

The most important fact in that report, however, seems to have been forgotten: A veterinarian at the China Agricultural University's veterinary hospital in Beijing said dogs and cats have always carried a form of coronavirus, but they have never been known to pass it on to humans or between animals.

So why all the tests? To see if this family of viruses, to which Sars belongs, can jump to humans?

I am not a rocket scientist, but this scenario seems unlikely unless one actually eats cats or, more feasibly, if one comes into contact with cat faeces and saliva.

If this is so, then domestic cats are just as dangerous as strays. Many people kiss their cats and dogs. Not many kiss strays.

But I am jumping the gun here. After all, nothing has been proven.

My guess is I have a greater danger of catching Sars from a filthy toilet at a dingy karaoke lounge than I do from playing with a stray cat.

After all, cats are basically clean animals and make it a point to hide their poop. The same can't be said for human beings.

Also, if there are no more stray cats on the streets, will there be more rats and roaches? Aren't they filthier than felines?

Don't get me wrong. I am not playing advocate for either side of the argument, just asking for calm and rational action, especially since results so far have proven to be inconclusive.

I am asking pet owners, as well as people who leave food for stray cats, to behave responsibly.

I am also asking for some transparency and compassion from the AVA.

We all know that one of the biggest obstacles in the fight against Sars is fear, coupled with misinformation.

I understand the cat lovers' plight. They are afraid that people will go nuts and start hurling their pets out the window, as one man in Beijing reportedly did when he found out his Pekinese dog had a high fever.

Remember the early days of Sars, when paranoia brought out the worst in Singaporeans? If people can evict nurses from their homes and shun their friends and relatives, imagine what they can do to cats and dogs.

And even if Kitty and Rover are eventually found to be capable of transmitting Sars to us, then the solution is to adjust our lifestyles and make sure hygienic practices are extended to our contact with animals.

After all, we have already made so many changes in our lives because of Sars, what's one more? Surely anything is better than the indiscriminate killing of harmless animals?

If not, then we might as well kill people in quarantine as well. Or smokers. (The scary thing is, some people might actually think this is a good idea.)

If you are not an animal lover, it's hard to understand what the fuss is all about, or why a businessman is willing to spend $2,500 a month to house 300 strays at a pet farm.

But if you have ever owned a pet, you will know that losing it can be as devastating as losing a relative. It is natural that this love extends to other similar animals, even if they are strays.

People say you can tell a person's real character by the way he treats waiters or service staff - people who are lower down on the totem pole.

But I think a person's true colours are revealed in how he treats small animals - the lowest you can go on the totem pole.

Believe me, a child who kicks cats and dogs is not going to grow up to be a wonderful adult.

Sars has brought out the best and worst in Singaporeans. As we Step Out and Play, let's do so with a sense of fairness and compassion - not only to fellow human beings, but also to those creatures that one could easily kick aside.