Previously, Mothership.sg reported that 30 cats residing at the Cat Museum at 8 Purvis Road had to be given up for adoption following an enforcement notice.

According to Jessica Seet, the founder of the Cat Museum, most of the cats were kept on the 3rd floor of the building. Following the notice for the cats to move out from that floor, there will not be enough space to house all the cats, and most of them will have to leave the Museum.

The Ministry of National Development responded on Sept. 7 evening with a Facebook post. You can see it below:

1. Illegal use of residential space

Seet is a tenant of the 2nd to 4th storey units at No. 8 Purvis Street.

The 2nd storey unit is approved for commercial use and the Cat Museum is currently operating there. The 3rd and 4th storey units are approved for residential use.

The crux of the matter lies in the fact that the 3rd story had been "illegally converted into a cat shelter and adoption centre", despite it being designated as a residential area.

This was discovered by an inspection of the premises in early 2017, by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) officers who also found out that visitors entering the 3rd storey unit had to first purchase a ticket at the Cat Museum.

According to MND:

"URA issued an enforcement notice to stop this unauthorised use of the 3rd storey unit and have it reverted back to residential use. The notice does not affect the Cat Museum on the 2nd storey. It also does not restrict Ms Seet from keeping and fostering her cats in her own residential premises."

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2. MND did not evict Seet from the premises

Seet's landlord has decided not to renew Seet's lease on her residential units, thereby leaving her looking for a new home as well.

MND stated categorically in the post that it did not evict Seet from the premises, and emphasised later that the decision of the landlord was unrelated to URA's actions.

"We understand that the landlord has separately decided not to renew Ms Seet’s lease for the 3rd and 4th storey units after its expiry in end-September. This is a contractual matter between the landlord and Ms Seet. It is a decision made by the landlord and has nothing to do with the URA enforcement."

3. MND appreciates Seet's work but the law is the law

MND gave a shoutout to Seet's work in caring for stray cats, but reminded everyone that it should not be done through illegal use of residential space. They also offered to help Seet to look for an alternative site for a cat shelter and adoption centre.

"We appreciate the good work being done by Ms Seet in caring for the stray cats. But this should not be done through illegal usage of residential space.

If Ms Seet needs help looking for alternative space for a cat shelter and adoption centre, we will do our best to assist. We will also check to see if the landlord is prepared to give her more time, but that is a matter for the landlord to decide on."

Still, those cats need a home. Details on how you can help the Cat Museum can be found below.

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How can I help?

The Cat Museum will be holding fund-raising weekends for the next three weeks -- from Sept. 7 to Sept. 24, before the deadline to move out from the third and fourth floors.

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.

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Top image from Cat Museum's website.