The Cat Museum first opened its doors in January 2015.

It was meant to be a place where visitors could play with cute kitties, view some informative exhibits, and also learn the merits of adopting cats instead of buying them.

However, according to its founder Jessica Seet, the museum has been asked by the Ministry of National Development to move their cats out of the third floor of the building.

By the end of this month, 30 of its 50 resident cats will need to find new homes.

How come?

The Museum is situated in a four-storey shophouse at 8 Purvis Street. It's laid out like this:

1st floor - Restaurant (Not affiliated with the Cat Museum).

2nd floor - Cat Museum and the Mama & Munchkins Nursery, designated as a commercial area.

3rd floor - Designated space for cats to interact with potential adopters nicknamed "The Mansion", designated as a residential area.

4th floor - A private living space for Seet, designated as a residential area.

To enter the premises, one walks up to the second floor and purchases a ticket to the Cat Museum for S$9 (children under six enter for free).

After that, you're free to walk around the second and third floors to check out the exhibits and interact with the cats.

According to Seet, MND conducted a spot check one day and volunteers on the third floor asked visitors to show their tickets.

Subsequently, Seet received a notice from MND pointing out that the fact that visitors on the third floor had to show proof of their ticket purchase effectively converted that floor into a "cat shelter cum cat adoption centre".

As MND has stated that there can be "no collection of admission fees for entrance into (the) unit”, where the cats live, Seet has to move them out of the third floor.

Mothership understands, therefore, that by turning the third floor residential area into an extension of the Cat Museum, Seet was not abiding by the terms of the agreement — which, as you might notice, required that the museum be only located on the second floor.

Unfortunately, as the second floor area has very limited space, it is not possible for all of 50 cats to continue living there. A total of 30 of them will have to leave.

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Seet's side of the story

Seet disputes MND's decision. She says that her volunteers asked to see the tickets just to ensure that the visitors had entered the museum and adoption area in the proper manner.

Also, she states that no monetary transactions took place within her home, nor did she personally collect any adoption fees. Adoption fees were instead paid to the Cat Museum itself. The museum also passed all previous National Environment Agency (NEA) and Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) inspections.

As a result of MND's decision, the Mama & Munchkins Nursery has stopped taking in at-risk cats and kittens due to the lack of space.

"I still get calls from people who spot pregnant cats in dangerous places, like industrial areas. Or kittens who are abandoned. But I have to turn them down because we don't have the space," she wrote in a statement sharing her story with the media.

Unfortunately, this issue coincides with another decision by Seet's landlord not to renew the lease for her own home, which means she, too, has to move out.

She does still, however, have the lease for the Museum's second floor premises, which she will continue operating till June 30, 2018.

How can you help?

The first and most urgent priority is to find homes for the 30 cats who can no longer live in the building.

However, as there may not be enough adopters, Seet is also looking for a new site for the Cat Museum with sufficient space for all the cats.

She also intends to set up another nursery that can offer proper education and training to prospective cat owners.

To do that, Seet is appealing for funds. The Cat Museum will be holding fund-raising weekends for the next three weeks before the deadline for her to move out from the third and fourth floors -- from Sept. 7 to Sept. 24.

A premium price will be introduced:

• $20 for visitors aged 13 and above
• $10 for children aged 12 and below

And visiting sessions will be held in one-and-a-half hour blocks:

• Thursdays and Fridays: 4-5.30pm or 5.30-7pm
• Saturdays and Sundays: 1-2.30pm or 2.30-4pm or 4-5.30pm or 5.30-7pm

If you wish to contribute more directly, you can do so below:

• Transfer a donation to Save The Cat Museum and an Education & Training Fund set up at DBS Current Account 0339049743.
• Transfer a donation via ibanking to the new "Mamas & Munchkins nursery" fund at OCBC account 686362385001, or the Give.Asia fundraiser page.

Finally, if you wish to adopt a cat, you can indicate your interest at the Cat Museum's website.

Mothership has reached out to the MND for more information about this case.

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Top image courtesy of the Cat Museum