By Sara Grosse | Posted: 31
July 2011 1735 hrs
SINGAPORE: Some Town Councils said they receive
regular complaints on cats in their neighbourhood.
Sembawang-Nee Soon told Channel NewsAsia that for the month of
June, it received 35 complaints.
With the Housing and Development Board (HDB) still reviewing its
policy on whether cats should be allowed in HDB homes as pets, this
may pose a problem to some.
But animal experts said it boils down to responsible cat
ownership.
41-year-old Kareen Kaur is the proud owner of two cats. Ginger has
been with Kareen for three years, while Bella is the latest
addition.
Kareen lives in a two-room apartment in a high-rise condominium,
and she said her neighbours have not complained about her pets so
far.
The HDB does not allow cats mainly because cats are seen as
difficult to confine within flat premises.
"I think it really depends a lot on the character of the cat. If
you have a cat that's very hyper, very curious, I think it's better
to put barricades on the window," said Kaur.
And erecting barricades was the first thing Kaur did when she
adopted Bella.
Experts said the onus is on the cat owner to make sure measures are
in place to avoid disturbances.
"It becomes a human's responsibility. It cannot be a cat's
responsibility. Their nature is to jump, to play. Whoever wants to
keep a cat in the house, in the HDB flat, needs to take up that
responsibility in order to keep peace in the area," said Dr Denise
Ng, a veterinarian at the Light of Life Veterinary Clinic &
Services.
Sembawang-Nee Soon Town Council told Channel NewsAsia that
residents usually voice concerns about cat noises or scratches on
vehicles.
On its website, HDB cited urination in common areas as another
concern.
"Most cats that dirty the corridors or general public areas are
cats that are not sterilised. The male cat, the tomcats will
generally mark the area to increase their territorial or
territories in order to mate as many females as possible. In this
sort of situation, sterilisation would really help," said Dr
Ng.
Dr Ng also suggests that if the government were to allow cats in
HDB flats, cat owners should be required to barricade their windows
on top of having a license for their cats.
- CNA
