Singapore’s Cat Museum kittens need a new home

FireIce SG

As we move to develop as a nation, we must not forget to help those without a voice

By the end of September, the orphan kittens and cats up for adoption and living at Singapore’s beloved Cat Museum on Purvis Street will be without a home. This comes after a decision made by the Minister of National Development, Mr. Lawrence Wong, that would prevent visitors (located on the 2nd floor of the same shop house), to meet and adopt the orphaned cats.

Sounds a bit unfair? Well, it is. Unlike cat cafes where cats are constantly stressed from being handled by strangers, the Cat Museum ensures that the cats and visitors are always being supervised. There’s also a strict no food and drinks rule in the museum to avoid any contamination or spreading of germs.

This is also Singapore’s only ‘Mama & Munchkins Nursery’, a programme to care for newborn kittens that no other animal welfare organisation in Singapore has. On top of that, the Cat Museum has held workshops like the Kiddie Cat Camp, which teaches children about proper handling of cats and their welfare.

For now, the Museum will continue to operate from only one floor, while volunteers are working hard to get the orphans re-homed or relocated. There’s not much time left in September, so the next few weekends are crucial fundraising periods for the future of the Cat Museum where a part of the entrance fee to the museum will be set aside for the funds needed or you could always contribute to the cause via their online fundraising page. Time to help out some fur-riends!

Or better yet, have a serious think about giving a kitten a forever home.

Cat Museum, Muses and Mansion, 8 Purvis Street, #02-02, Singapore 188587

FireIce SG

The founder of a volunteer-run cat museum is looking to rehome some 30 cats after the Ministry of National Development (MND) issued her a letter saying the felines could not be housed in the unit above the museum.

Museum founder Jessica Seet, 51, is a tenant of the second to fourth floors at the building at 8 Purvis Street. The Lion City Kitty - The Cat Museum, Muses & Mansion is on the second floor, while the third and fourth floors are registered as Ms Seet's residences.

MND said in a statement on Facebook on Thursday (Sept 7) night that Urban Redevelopment Auhority officers conducted an inspection of the premises early this year and found that it had been "illegally converted into a cat shelter and adoption centre".

Visitors entering the unit on the third floor had to first purchase a ticket at the Cat Museum on the second floor, said MND.

According to MND's letter to founder Jessica Seet, published on the museum's website, the second-floor unit was approved for commercial use, while the third and fourth-floor units were approved for residential use.

It asked Ms Seet to comply with the enforcement notice and stop using the third-floor unit as a cat shelter-cum-cat adoption centre, giving her a month from Aug 3 to comply.

The museum - which was officially opened on Jan 9, 2015, by Law Minister K Shanmugam - has been operating for about two and a half years at 8 Purvis Street.

Ms Seet, 51, told The Straits Times on Thursday (Sept 7) that she appealed against the enforcement action in June, but was told by MND in August that her appeal was rejected.

Ms Seet, who also runs a training company, said a grassroots member was speaking to Mr Shanmugam about the issue on her behalf.

She is raising funds for a new cat shelter, and she is also looking for new homes for the "evicted" cats.

The museum has started a fund-raising campaign on Give.Asia, aiming to raise $25,000 to rent a new space for the felines, and for equipment to care for neo-natal kittens.

As of 7.30pm on Thursday, $11,500 had been raised.

"We appreciate the good work being done by Ms Seet in caring for the stray cats," said MND. "But this should not be done through illegal usage of residential space."

It added that MND will do its best to assist if Ms Seet needs help looking for alternative space for a cat shelter and adoption centre.

CatWelfare Society spokesman Veron Lau told ST that it is difficult to open adoption centres and shelters "in locations that are not Pasir Ris or Lim Chu Kang".

Ms Lau, who said CWS will lend a hand to the museum if it is asked to, said CWS is disappointed at MND's decision.

"We hope the Government provides more options for people who want to run adoption centres that promote animal welfare to be able to do so sustainably in locations that can reach a wider audience," she said.