Ms Helga Koh has clearly spoken with a much larger number of residents who did not want the cats removed. That the RC should decide to remove the cats based on a very small return rate on the surveys (three responses in all) is both disappointing and frankly quite surprising.

Either the surveys are not getting to the residents (as seems to have been the case) or the residents do not respond to the survey, thinking it is unimportant and not realising the cats will be removed as a result.

It also seems a waste of resources and time to send out surveys that only three residents responded to. One wonders if the RC also sends out surveys about every other matter in the estate and if there is a more environmentally friendly and perhaps effective way of finding out what residents want.

The Cat Welfare Society hopes that the RC in question will work with caregivers who, as Ms Koh rightly pointed out, are residents themselves and practising cat management in the area.

They are more than happy to work with the RC to help with complaints and to work with fellow residents to make the living environment a better one for all.

Looking into the root cause of the problem is certainly a better solution than removing the cats which will just lead to more unsterilised cats moving in due to what is known as the vacuum effect.

It would be a shame if RCs which are there to foster community relations do the opposite by choosing to listen selectively to some of their residents.

Dawn Kua (Ms)

Director of Operations

Cat Welfare Society