Woman aims to raise $200,000 to help save 100 stray cats in a factory area

SINGAPORE: Stray cats also deserve to be loved. With this, a 21-year-old set up a page on social media to help save more than 100 stray cats in the western factory area and is eager to raise $200,000 to help these animals. 

As reported by Shin Min Daily News, the 21-year-old volunteer started a social media page last December to raise awareness of saving stray cats and finding adopters for them. Last month, the page shared that more than 100 cats are currently living in vacant factories in the western part of Singapore, where these animals are struggling to survive. Furthermore, some of the cats have reopened wounds, are malnourished, or are infested with fleas.

Additionally, some of the factories are going to be demolished, so the page appealed to cat lovers to help rescue these stray cats through an online crowdfunding campaign. 

“These cats did not choose this life. But today, we can choose differently for them. Please help us get them out in time…Thank you for being their chance,” the campaign declared. 

More details about the situation 

In an interview, the one who initiated the cause explained that she learned about the situation because of her father, who worked in the industrial area. Upon learning about the situation, she went to visit the site to investigate and found that the cats were distributed at the junction of the industrial area and the woods—a remote environment that makes rescuing quite difficult. 

She also pointed out that there are some cat lovers who take care of the stray cats, but some of them are already old and will lose their financial capabilities once they retire. 

With this, she launched a crowdfunding campaign in hopes of raising $200,000 for the cats’ relocation, medical treatments, boarding, and daily feeding expenses. 

Currently, her team has successfully rescued 30 cats, of which 23 are temporarily cared for by the cat feeders’ relatives and a few foster families, and the other seven are staying in stray cat organisations.

More so, she emphasised that the donations could also alleviate the financial burden for cat lovers who were helping the cats in the past years. She hopes that through public fundraising, she can at least cover six months of rescue and resettlement costs and give stray cats a chance to survive.

Know more about the campaign here. 

Authorities know about  the situation 

As stated by the Parks Board, they are aware of the presence of a community of cats in the factory areas. In response to an inquiry,  the National Parks Board is working closely with the Ministry of Manpower and Jurong Group to assist tenants and workers in the area, while also promoting the Stray Animal Sterilisation and Rehabilitation Program (TNRM) to strengthen sterilisation efforts and manage the cat population. 

The authorities also indicated that they will work closely with TNRM’s partners to further strengthen management efforts in the area.