Guest Blog Entry: Singapore SPCA — Be Kind to Animals
Days at the SPCA are always eventful (no two days are ever the same, believe me!). Animals are always coming in to our shelter daily, on average around 25 per day: pets that are lost (mainly dogs, about 100 per month), given up, or abandoned; including dogs, cats, hamsters, and rabbits. We also accept strays (but we don’t go catching healthy stray dogs and cats – we would rather leave them in the environment if they have a food source and can survive).
Wild animals that are injured are also attended to, on our emergency rescue cases. A couple of weeks ago we rescued a pangolin from a drain in Yishun after someone had reported to us that it was in distress. After a vet check at the SPCA, we made arrangements with the National Parks Board to have the animal released back into a nature reserve.
Our Inspector is kept busy receiving 60 to 80 complaints of alleged animal abuse each month. At least a third of these cases relate to dogs being tied up or caged for most of the day. One wonders why people buy these animals in the first place, only to confine them. (Imagine what it would be like for us humans if we had to spend most of our life in confinement, with no entertainment whatsoever – not even regular exercise!)
Extreme cases of abuse where people deliberately harm or kill an animal occur from time to time, but sometimes there are no witnesses to the crime. It is important for people who see an act of animal abuse to report it to the police and the SPCA (you may have to testify in court otherwise action cannot be taken). You can visit our website, www.spca.org.sg, to see some of the cases reported to us. You can help us spread the message to stop animal abuse by downloading our banners and sending them to your friends.
And if you buy a pet, remember that it is a lifetime of commitment. The SPCA is always receiving pets that people have no time for anymore. We receive so many unwanted pets that we have to put animals to sleep daily. We receive around 700 animals per month, but only 85 animals on average are adopted each month. Why is this, you may ask? The SPCA has to compete with many pet shops and pet farms for homes – there is too much commercial breeding with no limits or restrictions placed by the authorities.
People also buy pets for the wrong reasons on the spur of the moment because the animals are cute and adorable, but have no knowledge on how to take care of them. Animals have feelings too – they can feel pain, suffering, and isolation. Our advice: Think twice before you buy.
When we see people coming to our counter to give up a pet, we try to change their minds by asking them to take back the animal and look for another home for the animal themselves, because we have too many to find homes for. If every pet owner were to do this, the SPCA would be able to focus more on the prevention of cruelty to animals, which is why the organization was founded.
In the media nowadays, we are always seeing opposing views: those who like animals, and those who do not. Singapore is a city where people live in close proximity to each other. Pet owners need to consider their neighbors and not let their pets stray or make a mess in public without cleaning it up. Such unthinking acts cause people to be anti-pets and anti-strays.
Sterilizing pets is also important as it prevents them from breeding and is healthier for them. It not only prevents them from getting cancer-related illnesses in their reproductive organs later in life, but also helps eradicate noise pollution caused by mating calls.
On that note, so long for now, and remember: Be kind to animals.
Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)
A special thanks to the folks at the Singapore SPCA for this post and to our sister site, Yahoo! Answers Blog Singapore, for sending this on to us. You can find additional information on the SPCA International site.
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amen to that. i hate how ppl think breeding animals doesnt hurt anyone, but when ppl buy breeded animals they forget about all the ones in shelters.
I do fundraising to support the local animal shelter, but it never seems enough – for every animal rescued, it seems there are five more in need. All that we can do is keep going, and hope that people will stop abusing and neglecting and discarding these trusting and so hopeful creatures.
People, I thank you all for your good work. God bless you.
YOU ARE ALL GREAT!!! Thank you for doing this. This is the first time I’ve heard that something is being done in ASIA to help the helpless animals. My dream is to one day to have the same thing happen in Philippines. MORE POWER!!!
Thanks for the info. I have 4 stray cats, two of them stay inside and the other two prefer the outside but I feed them and give them water everyday.
Thanks for letting us know that the shelter do put them to sleep in 24 hours. I did not know that! I am not allow to have cats in my apartment. I only took them because they were starving and only 6 months old, but if I move, I might have to let them go in the wild again. Its so sad that these animales got to suffer. I am scared to give them to anyone because of the abuse. I rather give them their freedom.
I just wanted someone to be aware there is a misspelling of the word “places”. It should be placeD with a D on the end. Thanks!
You people true heroes……
Enough said.
Being kind to animls is something that I consider VERy important, so I applaud you for writing this blog to spread awareness.
HOWEVER, I STILL hate Yahoo for constantly “updating” and “taking coffee breaks.” FIX THE DAMN SITE ALREADY. this is RIDICULOUS.
thank you, and have a good day!
I am the founder and president of a horse rescue and i have to disagree with something written here and i dont think anyone noticed and a policy you need to rethink.
(but we don’t go catching healthy stray dogs and cats – we would rather leave them in the environment if they have a food source and can survive).
I see a huge problem with this because they will breed more strays and can cause chaos. What about disease…rabies these animals are not vaccinated? You cant have a pack of wild dogs running the streets, saftey is an issue here.
We keep barn cats they live outdoors…well they have a huge cat house they can go into. These cats are not classified as strays there is a difference, they have been altered and can not breed and are not feral.
Other than than i wish you sucess in your mission, with so many unwanted animals in the world at least they have a chance finding a home through a shelter.
HI” HALO HOW ARE YOU
Thank you for the work that you do. I have a Springer I bought from a back-yard breeder (Sorry, but I was ignorant back then. I wanted to adopt but was over-ruled by my then-husband). I have since adopted two cocker spaniels from a rescue and most recently a cat from a shelter. The rescues & shelters are awesome and do a great job. I love all of my animals and feel so bad for ones who have lesser fates. Please keep up your good work, the animals need you!
Thank you for the terrific and important work you do!
Thank you greatly for sharing this story with us. I live in the USA, and used to volunteer for the SPCA. It was quite rewarding.
I realize how important it is for people to give their time, supplies, and donations to the SPCA. It truly is used for the best of the cuddly friends there.
Seeing the animals change on a daily basis, and the constant influx of new, lovely, “unwanted?!” was far too much for me to handle…
Having 5 cats at my own at the time, (Due to a parental divide and non-allowance of pets on their new properties – in addition to my own two) did not allow me to adopt any, so that was also frustrating.
I still have three of those five – two of them passed at ages of approximately 20 and 22, respectively. All of my cats and dogs have been adopted.. and throughout the years, we have been so blessed.
As far as we can tell, the secret to longevity of a cat is to adopt them at a later age! We typically adopted cats whom seemed more likely to be euthanized, as kittens have a larger “draw”
Also, we feed them a foods recommended by their Veterinarian. Since we always adopt males, unfortunately we must keep kidney issues at bay… there is a prescription food just for this. We also give them Iams, which they just love.
The biggest thing is, know how your pets act. If you see them urinating places other than their litter box, lethargy, or inability to urinate… please do take them to your Veterinarian. We have come so close to losing one of our dear kitties several times due to urinary blockages.
We also have a cat who was very unfortunately hit by a car when he was young. His leg had to have a temporary pin placed for healing. He is fine now, although the leg is likely arthritic, due to his prior injury and age, (approx. 25)
I apologize for any graphic nature listed here… but I reallly think it is important for everyone to realize that illnesses and injuries can, and most often are – very fixable with a good Veterinarian.
Love your pets just as you would any family member!!
Thank you again for sharing World wide awareness about adoption, taking care of pets, and ridding the World of cruelty to animals!
Oh yes, I forgot to add something.. (I realize that seems impossible with the length of my message)
My parents once “purchased” a Siamese cat from an in-house breeder. He had a severe illness which caused his bones to be extremely brittle and break.
He was euthanized before he saw his first birthday.
I have a Snowshoe Siamese now who is 25, and he still cuddles with us every night. He was adopted from the SPCA.
From my point of view, there is only one option!
Thank you for all that you do, SPCA!
I actually like talking in abandoned animals into my home. I know it might sound bad, but i kind of prefer getting abandoned animals. I really don’t like to buy pups that were just born, because i am totally against taking animals away from there families. This is why i only take in animals with no home.
I called the SPCA ONCE, to tell them about someone dumping a 1 wk old litter of kittens at the void deck. The operator replied “Would you like us to come and kill it for you (for $75)? That was the first and last time I contacted the SPCA, S’pore.
We had to stop adopting at the 8th stray cat. HDB doesn’t allow us to keep cats, feeding and providing medical attention to them seems to automatically give you ownership. Neighbors start pointing fingers. Luckily we managed to give away all but one after we neutered them all. Strange people don’t seem to mind the three family of rats living in the bush next to the playground.
YOU GUYS ARE GREAT! Me and my huhsband have taken cats from the streets of Brooklyn, NY and cleaned them up and found homes. You guys do what you can and even more. God bless!
We livied in Singapore for a year. We adopted a beloved dog while we were there. She blessed our lifes for 16 years before passing and is still missed deeply.
I adopted a gorgeous little dog from a rescue centre, she had pups and was dumped at the centre like garbage. How can people be so cruel. We love her to bits.
Thanks for all the work you do. I want to volunteer at the SPCA but i live in Brooklyn and i dont live near any of them. I have 8 cats. I want to get another cat but my brother will go nuts if we get any more cats. We love all of them so much.