The SPCA takes heart to see the kindness of animal lovers who, out of their own pocket, feed and take these stray cats to veterinary clinics for sterilisation.

The society takes in about 500 stray cats every month. Many of these strays appear on the streets because of irresponsible pet owners who abandon them or let them run loose when they are no longer interested in keeping them. Many of these cats were not sterilised before abandonment, so their survival instincts cause them to reproduce prolifically.

Show your support for a more humane solution to the stray animal situation by e-mailing your plea to Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development, at mah_bow_tan@mnd.gov.sg.

A scratch on your car may be caused by a fallen branch, an innocent child or even a cat, but it can be polished back to its full glory. However, the culling of innocent animals just because of intolerance and lack of understanding will leave a mark in history for future generations.

With awareness of global warming heightened, everyone is trying to play a role in saving Mother Earth. Singapore is famously known to be 'clean and green' but that colour green surely depicts not just a nation that has many varieties of trees, but more important, that it accepts the presence of other living creatures - birds, lizards, macaques, cats and so on.

If only there were as widespread and deep a sense of urgency to care for our strays.

For information and suggestions on humane stray control, log on to www.spca.org.sg/about_us/opinion.asp#10.

Chong Poh Choo (Miss)

Education Officer

Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals