By MP for Hougang SMC, Png Eng Huat
[Delivered in Committee of Supply on 11 March 2015]
Madam,
For every responsible cat feeder out there, there are probably more feeders that are ignorant of the safety and hygiene issues cat feeding activities can cause to the environment.
A few years back, an elderly resident in Hougang had a nasty fall caused by some cat food left at the void deck. Rotting food, cat urine and droppings are some of the issues residents have to put up with constantly due to the large congregation of cats brought on by the feeding activities.
I have met some cat feeders who are very responsible and they do pick up after the cats. However, if these cat feeders do not show up one day for some reasons, the cats will go up to the flats and park themselves at the doors or window ledges of homes waiting for humans to feed them as they are conditioned into thinking so. Some cats even venture into the flats uninvited. So it is a common sight in some parts of Hougang to see wire mesh nettings lining the main gates solely to prevent cats from wandering into their flats.
Perhaps, it is time for the Ministry to review the ban on cat ownership for HDB flats. By doing so, I hope cat lovers can adopt the community cats legally and take them home to feed and care for them as pets. I have friends who are cat lovers and they do take good care of their cats.
We do not allow the feeding of pigeons, dogs, monkeys etc because we know the harm it can cause to the animals’ behaviour over time and to the community at large. Hopefully, by allowing people to keep cats in HDB flats, we can inculcate responsible pet ownership and discourage indiscriminate cat feeding at our void decks and common properties.