A cat feeder checking the food tray for a community cat in Clementi was confronted by an irate resident on Dec. 12 evening.
The cat feeder was filmed and accused of "illegally" feeding stray cats in the community.
The irate resident then allegedly threatened to report the cat feeder to the police.
The feeder, J, shared a video of his confrontation with the man on the "Sayang Our Singapore's Community Cats" Facebook group on Dec. 14.
Saw a family loitering around cat food tray
J, 40, told Mothership that he would head to a particular block located along Clementi Avenue 3, to feed the cats there once or twice a week.
On that day, he had met up with a fellow cat feeder to make their rounds.
After they were done, J circled back to check on a dry food tray that was used by one of the community cats, named "4D".
Image courtesy of J.
That was when he noticed a family — a man with his wife and two young children — hovering around the food tray and looking at it.
Suspicious, J asked them to leave it alone as it was meant for the community cat, but the man denied that they were tampering with it.
J left and upon returning to check on the tray, he saw the man was using his phone to take a photo of him.
The two then had an argument.
The argument
When J asked the man what the problem was, he responded that cat feeding is "illegal".
The man reportedly said at one point: “You take care of your cats, I'll take care of my children. You go away... Didn't your mother teach you not to feed cats?"
By this time, his wife and kids had already walked away.
In a video taken by J, the man was filming him while criticising him in Mandarin as "an idiot feeding cats who put a lot of cat food over there".
Image from J.
When J questioned if feeding stray cats was against the law, the man retorted in Mandarin, "if you feed stray cats outside, it's illegal!"
He then glared at J.
"You go to school and learn, okay?"
J claimed that the man also threatened to report him to the police.
Hopes for more empathy towards community cats
J, who started feeding cats about five years ago, said he will continue to do so because "it warms his heart".
He usually keeps a small supply of food in his bag so that he can feed any cats that he might come across.
This was the first time he was accused of illegally feeding cats.
J has not encountered the man since the incident, but is concerned that he might confront the cats or feeders in the area.
Although the man did not explain why he was against the practice, J suspected it was because of a misconception that cats are dirty and spread diseases.
"Cats are actually very clean animals, which will regularly clean themselves," J explained.
J said he hoped that people in Singapore will be more understanding towards community cats and their feeders, and felt it's about having "a love for animals".
"It's very sad that there are a lot of stray cats in Singapore, as many of them are due to breeding or abandonment," he shared.
Public opinion divided on stray cat feeding
In Singapore, public opinion is divided on the issue of stray cat feeding, according to the then-Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA).
The agency, now known as the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS), said some members of the public have called for the practice to be banned as they are bothered by stray cat nuisance and irresponsible feeding.
Others have advocated for responsible feeding of strays and consistent sterilisation to keep their population in control.
While cat feeding is not illegal, irresponsible feeding becomes an offence when it leads to littering.
The agency stated that it is adopting a "balanced approach" to "promote responsible pet ownership and explore feasible ways of managing the stray animal population".
To this end, AVS subsidises sterilisation costs for community cats under the Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme, which was launched in 2011.
Under this programme, an agreed number of sterilised cats are returned to the neighbourhood where they are responsibly managed by caregivers.
Irresponsible feeders may be fined up to S$2,000 for littering
The issue of feeding of community cats has come up over the past decade.
In a written parliamentary reply in April 2015, then Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan pointed out that feeding of strays can pose a risk to public health when food is left on open ground without proper disposal, and when stagnant water is not cleared.
The former can attract rodents, cockroaches, and other pests, and the latter can encourage breeding of mosquitos.
Persons who feed other stray animals without clearing leftover food or food containers may be fined up to S$2,000 for littering under the Environmental Public Health Act, Balakrishnan stated.
Feeding guidelines for community cats
Based on Cat Welfare Society's guidelines, those who want to feed community cats should only feed them cat food, place the food in containers and not directly on the ground, and clear the food within two hours of placing it out.
Fresh water should be provided to cats daily.
Feeders should pour out the previous day’s water and wipe down the containers to ensure no mosquito larvae stick to the sides.
If possible, water bowls should be marked with when the water was last changed.
CWS advised that all community cats should be sterilised and taken to a veterinary clinic if they show any other signs of medical distress.
Caregivers who continue to litter or who fail to change the water, leading to the breeding of mosquitos, will be referred to the National Environment Agency for further action.
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Top image from J.