Monday, March 28, 2011

Helping Cats by Su Mei Lenden-Hitchcock


I have always loved cats, so much so that my last two boyfriends said I was borderline obsessive and were sure I would become one of those old ladies wandering the streets feeding cats in the alleys. They were wrong about the age though. I’m only 20 and have already begun the process of becoming a “cat lady”. And like many “cat ladies”, I go that little bit further, from just feeding to neutering.


I started catching cats for sterilization in light of the recent spate of cat murders and abuse cases. I didn’t want to bring more cats into the world just to see them being preyed upon by some sadistic person. It is a tragedy, in a sense, that we have to end lives prematurely in the womb or before they are even conceived, so as to protect them from the harsher lives they would have faced in this cruel world.


Spaying of our local cats is important. By stopping the cats from reproducing, we in turn stop the problems that come with their increased numbers. Fewer cats mean fewer fights for food, ensuring that these animals will live healthier lives with enough to eat. Cats that are full are also less likely to scavenge though our refuse bins, overturning them and spilling rubbish everywhere. This will in turn help prevent the spread of pests.


The long term benefits of spaying/neutering out-weigh the initial inconveniences by a large margin. I therefore find it hard to believe why people would still resort to outright culling and removal when these 2 methods are both inhumane and ineffective.


In the midst of it all, I learnt 2 important lessons;


1) To catch cats, you need fast hands and a sturdy carrier. Doggie carrier bags won’t do. Especially if your captive cat doesn’t want to cooperate and has fast, sharp claws.


2) This job is a lot harder than I realized. And it isn’t in terms of the physical work but the choices you have to make. According to a cleaner in the vicinity, one of the cats had already given birth; and I had already caught her. I had to make a decision whether or not to sterilize the cat and have the kittens starve to death, or let her go without the guarantee that I would be able to catch her or her kittens in the future and so, allow the reproduction to carry on. Thankfully, it was another cat that had the kittens, not the two little girls I had just caught. But the point is, the power to choose who lives or dies is in our hands, even if it is indirectly. And having to make that choice is terrible as it weighs on your conscience. And I can sincerely say, to all in this field who have to make these choices- you have my utmost respect.


Special thanks to Nicholas Lee, whose help I couldn’t have done without. To Natasha Suraidi, who helped take the cats to and from the vet. To volunteers for their time and advice. And of course to Noah’s Ark CARES for making all this possible!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Mindy needs a family to love her

My husband discovered 2 fat little pups (abt 2-3 mths old) when he was walking along Sembawang Park. By the time he got home to tell me, the pups had disappeared. After 3 days of searching, my daughter and myself managed to rescue one pup but the second was no where in sight. At this point, Mindy's been to the vet and has had all the required shots. Her baby fur fell out and she didn't look too pretty for awhile but she is absolutely lovely now. See for yourself :)


A couple of points to take note:

* Mindy is a home dog, she is not confident on walks and loud sounds like a motorcycles or large trucks scare her.
* Mindy loves a good cuddle and will do her best to get on our laps.
* Mindy is a good guard dog who will bark at anything different.
* Mindy will even alert me when it rains.
* Mindy hates bathtime, I don't know why but she will struggle and whine.
* Mindy will poo on her walks or over the drain at home.
* Mindy has NOT been Sterilized or Micro Chipped yet.
* Mindy is a quick learner.

We can't keep her as we are here on a project and have only a month or so left in Singapore. Also, my husband is OK with rescuing dogs but he does not like the idea of a pet at home. We emailed other animal organisations seeking help since December but had no luck thus far. We desperately need to find someone to take her or as a last resort we will send her to the SPCA but I heard that they put dogs to sleep within 24hrs and we do not want that.

My daughter and I will truly miss her but we know that Mindy is not ours to keep. Please contact me at cynthia.tilaka@gmail.com if you are able to care for Mindy or know of a friend who would like to adopt her for life.

Regards,
Cynthia Tilaka

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Food Donation Drive - March 2011

Dear Friends and Supporters of Noah's Ark,

After last year's successful donation drives, Noah's Ark CARES is privileged to partner with Pets' Station once again for our food donation drive. The first drive kicks off today, 01 March and ends on 31 March 2011. We are extremely happy and grateful for their continuous support.



Noah's Ark animals definitely have something to rejoice about as more yummy food coming their way! The food runs out faster than you can imagine at the sanctuary.

For this drive, Pets' Station is offering a total of 9 items from their SportMix and Feline Gourmet (canned food) range that supporters can choose to purchase during this period. They are:

• Sportmix Ori Cat food 33lbs - S$49.00

• Sportmix High Energy mini chunks 44lbs - S$55.00

• Sportmix Dog Adult 44lbs - S$50.00

• Sportmix Dog Hi-Pro 44lbs - $50.00

• Feline Gourmet (5 different flavors - canned food) - $ 38.40 (per ctn of 24 cans)

For every item purchased, Pets' Station will be donating the same item to Noah's Ark, one-for-one. More details can be found at their website at http://www.petsstation.com.

To make your food donation, there are 2 ways you can do it.

1. To do it online, please go to http://petsstation.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&category_id=180&Itemid=1&vmcchk=1&Itemid=1 to view the items available and select the food you want to donate accordingly.

2. You would have to go to any of their nine outlets which are located at Causeway Point, Compass Point, Frankel Avenue, Holland Village, Jurong West, Tampines Central 1, Tiong Bahru, Serangoon Gardens and Serangoon North Ave.

The donated food will be stored at Pets Stations' warehouse and our volunteers will arrange to collect the food items and bring them to Noah's Ark.

What we need to feed 1,000 animals at the animal sanctuary:

Dog Dry Food - 17 bags a day or 306kg a day
Dog Tin Food - 1 carton a day or 700gm x 24 cans = 16.8kg
Cat Dry Food - 1 bag a day or 23kg a day
Cat Tin Food - 10 cans a day or 400gm x 10 cans = 4kg
Cat Litter - S$1,200/- a month

This donation food drive is held only during this month. Do tell your friends about and help feed our animals. On behalf of the animals, we appreciate your continuing support and generosity!!

Beneficiary of Animal Merchandise :)

Noah's Ark CARES Supporters