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If you watch online videos regularly, then you probably know how addictive cat videos can be. Other than dogs, cats are the most common house pet. However, not everyone likes cats, and some often end up suffering in the streets while the lucky ones end up being rescued. Cats face a lot of abuse, especially in Singapore, and the only solution is for more people to enroll as cat rescuers.
So far, a community of like-minded people has been rescuing cats from the streets of Singapore. They make sure that the cats are neutered and well-fed before they get adopted by feline lovers. It would be great if more people jumped on board by becoming a cat rescuers. The process is relatively easy, but there are a few factors to consider.
Understanding why cat rescuers are important in Singapore
There are many homeless cats in Singapore, which means that those furry felines are not taken care of, left to fend for themselves, and are often abused or mistreated in the streets. Since they roam freely, they easily mate and multiply, leading to a higher homeless-cat population. This not only leads to overcrowding but also creates a conducive environment for other problems such as ringworm infections, fleas, and cat flu.
Singapore’s Cat Welfare Society (CWS) and Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) have a program called the Stray Cat Sterilization Scheme. The aim of the program is to provide cat rescuers with funds for the sterilization of rescued cats. CWS also runs an independent program called the Trap-Neuter-Return-Manage program (TNRM), whose role is to control the stray cat population.
The cost of becoming a cat rescuer in Singapore
The first thing you should note about becoming a cat rescuer in Singapore is that it is a resource-intensive process. Cats need food, healthcare, and litter boxes. Food and litter will set you back between $50 and $100 per month for a single cat. Healthcare needs such as deworming, and vaccinations will set you back around $200 while neutering costs roughly $150. However, one can take advantage of the programs that offer free neutering, especially for rescued stray cats.
There might be other costs involved, such as treatment for cats suffering from fungal infections or cat flu.
If you want to be a cat rescuer in Singapore, you should also consider space, especially if you intend to rescue more than ten cats. Cats need enough space to roam around or to relax, and so you need to have the right amount of space. Keep in mind that you will have to invest a lot of time and resources into making sure that the cats are healthy and comfortable.
The duration of foster care that each cat should stay with the cat rescuer
This is a key factor that every cat rescuer in Singapore should consider. The aim of rescuing stray cats is to make sure that the cats are nurtured back to a good condition that will make them eligible for adoption. Some of the cat rescuers keep the cats for three to six months, but then again, the duration may depend on whether they find a family or individuals that will adopt the cats.
Some cats stay in foster care for more than a year, especially if the cat rescuer fails to find them a home. It is always in the rescuer’s interest to find a place for every cat as soon as possible. The longer the cat stays in foster care, the more the financial obligations, especially if you handle more than several cats at a time.
Will the adoption costs offset the costs incurred after rescuing a cat?
Most of the cat rescuers in Singapore set their cat adoption fees between $50 and $150. The adoption fees are supposed to help offset the costs incurred by the cat rescuer. However, the costs may not be enough to cover the costs that the rescuer may have incurred, such as healthcare and neutering, among others.
The cat rescuer might still have to incur the bulk of the rescue expenses. However, there is fulfillment in their work of making sure that the stray cats are eventually adopted. The experience itself is a reward, especially when a cat becomes adopted.
Organizations that you should consider working with
There are numerous organizations that you might want to work with if you want to become a cat rescuer. Some of these organizations will even help you find foster homes for the cats that you have already rescued and rehabilitated. CWS, as mentioned above, is one of the major organizations in Singapore that have programs that cater to stray cat rescuing.
CWS has a cat adoption board through which it facilitates the adoption of cats from cat rescuers. It also features adoption drives that are open for cat rescue groups to join. There are other organizations you can consider, such as Mettacats, PurelyMeow, and Love Kuching Project. These groups are ideal because they help cat adoption groups to interact and know each other.
Some of the organizations that focus on cat care such as NUS Cat Café at the National University of Singapore not only focus on rescuing and feeding felines but also on educating people about how to care for them. Students and campus employees work together to care for the cats that live around the campus.
The good thing about cat care groups and organizations is that they are welcoming, especially to anyone or any like-minded group of individuals that want to contribute to cat care. In addition to the above, it is also always a good idea to find out as much information as possible about cat care and cat rescuing before you dive in. This will allow you to be fully prepared when you embark on this selfless mission.
Also, keep in mind that by becoming a cat rescuer in Singapore, you contribute towards improving the life of every cat that will come your way. You will, therefore, be doing a great service not only to cats but also to the entire community.
