For the old stories, please see:
http://noahsarkcares.blogspot.com/2011/06/when-kindness-can-be-weakness.html
http://noahsarkcares.blogspot.com/2011/07/update-2-when-kindess-can-become.html
We managed to successfully trap all the adult cats with the kind help of Madam Law and Mohan, both veteran cat catchers. It was not that tricky in the beginning as we still could use cat traps and lure the cats into the traps with food but as the cats got lesser, we had to use nets instead as we were dealing with the smartest and most difficult few left!
All the adult cats are now safely boarding at a shelter, all sterilized, vaccinated and microchipped. We will like to thank Mount Pleasant Sunset and Whitley (Referral Clinic) for making concessions for special appointments and subsidized rates, enabling us to work on this case more efficiently. We have chosen to board the cats locally first instead of sending them up to our sanctuary in JB, Malaysia. This is because we recognize that the Ng brothers really love their cats and we will like them to be able to visit their cats as and when they want to first at the present moment. We might slowly move a few of their cats up to NANAS after some time but we have yet to decide on this matter as this will involve time, permits and extra costs.
A kitten adoption drive was also held on 10th and 11th September 2011 at The Pet Safari at Nex Mall and all the kittens managed to find loving homes after they have been nursed back to health by various fosterers who came forth to help out. Thank you to our dear fosterers and supporters, without you this would not have been possible either!
As for the Ng brothers’ house, Lady Luck must have been smiling on us. We were initially cracking our heads on how to afford the renovation plus furniture as it would have amounted close to ten thousand dollars for even basic revamping given the dire conditions of the house, but a timely referral from a supporter Mr Chan to Shan You Counselling Centre was our savior. Sylvia from Shan You recommended the Ng brothers’ case to RenovAID – a local social reality series aimed at helping disadvantaged families to improve their living environment and provides renovations accordingly to their needs. After some consideration, the RenovAID production crew (Diana and Heng Leong) decided that the Ng brothers really needed help. We were literally jumping for joy when RenovAID gave the go-ahead for this case!
A special thank you to Mr Chan, for your referral, for that was the most crucial step. To Sylvia, thank you for giving this case a chance. And finally, to Diana and Heng Leong, thank you for providing the brothers a new lease of life!
There were a couple of viewings for the RenovAID production crew and designer, and discussions held before the actual work started. The Ng brothers requested not to start on renovation work during the lunar seventh month and we respected their wishes. Actual renovation only commenced at the start of September after all their belongings and furniture were moved/removed and of course, no more cats in the house.
During the renovation, the brothers were housed in a budget hotel near where they originally stayed. As the time frame was pretty short from start till end of renovation, we unfortunately did not have enough time and manpower to go around the island collecting the furniture to be donated which we have previously asked some supporters to hold on to. Our sincere apologies for this once again and believed our volunteer has written to each of you explaining the situation some time back. Regardless, thank you for your generosity.
The Ng brothers could not believe their eyes when they went back to their flat after the renovation was completed and the place cleaned up. Everything was clean, spotless and brand new, a far cry from where they have been living in for the past many years. They kept thanking the TV crew non-stop and walked round the flat gratefully, feeling every wall and item as they walked past.
The two RenovAID episodes for the Ng brothers will be telecasted on Channel 5 at 9pm on 13th and 20th October respectively, and it will be a good real life experience to educate the public as well as garner more understanding that the problem does not lies with the animals alone, which people tend to push the blame totally to. You can view a short introductory video of the RenovAID series at: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150346282228887
The Ng brothers deserve to at least have a clean house to spend the rest of their lives in, be it whether their way of loving their cats were correct or otherwise. Once again, the importance of sterilization cannot be emphasized enough. As much as animal welfare activists try our best to persevere in our stray work and fight the stray issue out there through active sterilization, we need to remind pet owners not to let their pets multiply unnecessarily.
As this case draws to a close, we as volunteers have in fact been taught many valuable lessons and experiences for the past four months. We will certainly not have managed to successfully complete such a huge project without your support. Thank you, to each and every one of you, for you have helped to make a difference in the Ng brothers' lives, as well as the cats that were rescued.
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