Furtively... furtively... not! We won't feed furtively no more!
When you feed cats, there is a tendency to want to switch on the stealth mode. We used to do that. But not anymore. Of course, we wouldn't endanger the cats or try to irritate people by plonking food right smack in the busiest section of the thoroughfare. The rub is, you don't want to annoy the annoyable human beans, neither do you want to hide, as if you're engaging in illicit activities - because it is not illegal to feed, no less than SM GOH said so. Because of the schedule change for feeding area 3, we've been a lot more visible in the past months. Perhaps people are more sanguine about feeding because area 3 is not a residential area. But we hardly get harassed/bothered there. On the other hand, many people appear curious. We've run a partial gamut I think: people who smile and give you the thumbs up, people who munch on snacks and behave as if they're watching a live demo of some dangerous stunt, people who stare daggers, people who look horrified, people who look like they might be calling Woodbridge, people who make snide remarks, people who try to abuse/harass them, and people who approach and chat about cats. Among the last group of people, are fellow caregivers, self-professed cat lovers, casual animal lovers, cat owners who want to boast about their brood, aspiring catnappers who want to know how we got the gang to be so trusting with us, acquaintances of the street gang who just want to be sure they're ok and we're not doing anything funny. I started to recognise the opportunity to educate people about the pertinent issues close to our hearts: TNRM, food, and sterilisation. The key points we always make are: - Tipped-ear means sterilised, means no more babies, no more noise, no more nuisance. - Witness the sleekness, size, and health of the gang and compare to cats that no one cares for or even pet cats that are unsterilised. Key points to the gang's well-being and attractiveness: TNRM, food, and sterilisation - It is not illegal to feed, no less than SM GOH said - If you or anyone you know have cats, tell them to keep their cats indoors, and sterilise! This will save their cats and the community cats as well. I'm going to collate these points and make them into a multi-language pamphlet since I have trouble with the non-English, non-Mandarin speaking audience. - Go to TNRM - ID the street gangs
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