Meet the two loves of my life - the stray cats under my block.

My housing estate has a relatively large population of stray cats; there are easily around 10 cats. But I have developed this particular affection towards these two cats. I am not alone in my attachment towards these felines; it is indeed uncommon to see passers-by stopping by under my block to give them some lovin’. I have always seen cat food laid out for them, but just never managed to meet the ones who have been feeding them.

Last week though, I met one of them under my block, by chance. Florence, her name was. She lives across the road, but makes it a point to feed the cats around my block every day, without fail. And she has been doing so for the past 2 years.

So we started chatting about the cats for up to 30 minutes. And she told me stories - heartwrenching ones, about Jetstream and Kitty.

Meet Jetstream, the youngest of the lot. He could be 2, 3, 4 years old, or even older - nobody really knows. Jetstream was found abandoned by his ex-owners in the field 2 years ago. At the time he was found, he was very frail-looking. And to make matters worse, he’d even had his claws removed. Now, we don’t know for sure, whether his ex-owners were responsible for this. But the underlying issue is, how can anyone be so heartless as to abandon his/her pet like that?

He is very domesticated, and is said to be toilet-trained. He is so adorable; always purring and meowing ever-so-gently whenever he sees me.

And then there is Kitty, the ginger-white cat. Before I learnt of his name from Florence, I used to call him “The Sore Throat Cat”. This, because he cannot meow properly and always seemed to be having this perpetual sore throat.

But Florence told me that Kitty’s voice box was damaged after being bitten by a stray dog. I’m not too sure when this incident happened, but it must have been such an ordeal for him.

And just 2 months ago, he was subjected to even more abuse - this time, by someone who struck his lit cigarette upon his fur.

Perhaps we might not have any control over animal-versus-animal interactions. But what upsets me so much is the fact that some human beings can still be so heartless as to commit such atrocities against animals.

We don’t know about the future of Jetstream, and especially Kitty. It’s rather obvious that Kitty is getting on with age; always seen sleeping under the block and being immobile for the most part. And if he suffers another brutality like that, we don’t know whether he will be able to survive.

Most of the residents around my area do not mind having these stray felines around. But then there is a minority who do. And the minority have expressed their disapproval; Florence has said that she does not dare lay out water for the cats under my block anymore, for fear of having the water being poisoned by some unscrupulous people. She has also gotten wind of people wanting to report her actions (of merely feeding the cats and giving them love - seriously, in what way is it wrong? She feeds them responsibly too, always making sure to clean up after they eat) to the AVA/SPCA.

The risks of the cats being culled are evident, and definitely more so if the AVA or SPCA intervene.

I did feel rather outraged upon hearing this from Florence. And we both talked to each other and questioned, do these cats not have a right to live as well? They have not gone around scratching strangers or causing general harm to the neighbourhood. If anything, they are almost like our community pets; for the residents in our estate to show some love and compassion to - especially for people like us who are unable to adopt cats (Florence and my mother are asthmatic)

Before these minority residents lift a finger to call the AVA/SPCA, let me pose this question first: Should we not take a look at other more pertinent issues affecting the state of our neighbourhood, especially with regards to the issue of indiscriminate littering in our estates?

Like how some people gather at the void deck under my block, eating take-away food and smoking their cigarettes. The dustbin is a mere 2 metres away from the table where they “feast”. But countless times, I have seen food that has not been disposed of properly. Chicken wings are strewn across the table, stools and on the ground. Empty styrofoam boxes and canned drinks lie open atop the table.

Where is this civic-mindedness? Clearly, it is lacking in some people. Should there not be a greater focus towards these ignorant and negligent acts?

Civic-mindedness extends not only towards human interaction between one another, but also to one’s compassion for animals, and giving them the right to live.