Increased Focus on Outreach in 2012
The Cat Welfare Society’s sterilisation programme continues to be a pillar of cat welfare in Singapore. Our reimbursement scheme has grown over the years as more people are sterilising community cats. The capacity of our Spay Day has also increased from 100 over cats to almost 400 cats last year! At the end of last year, we launched Project 500 to increase the rate of sterilisation as well as to support the work of our mediators and caregivers. We need to change the name of the project because more than 600 cats were sterilised from Nov to Dec! And this is over and above our reimbursement scheme that continues unabated! Sterilisation will continue to feature strongly in our programmes in 2012. More veterinary clinics have since joined our programme in offering stray rates.
Supporting Caregivers in Stray Management
Caregivers and mediators play a big role as a first line of defence in managing and protecting community cats in their estates. Sterilisation, responsible feeding and mediation are essential elements to ensuring that our community cats are increasingly tolerated and appreciated in our neighbourhoods instead of being seen as pests and nuisances. In many estates, caregivers have established a working relationship with the Town Council so that a humane alternative is applied to culling. They remain the eyes and ears and a active and passionate voice for the voiceless in our estates. It is a myth that caregivers who mediate are often the more educated and the young. They come from all walks of life. To grow and support this group of mediators in Singapore, we will are launching a Mediator Support Programme.
1) 5 free sterilisation slots per month
2) $100 expense claim limit for mediation activities 3) Monthly workshops to be held in different parts of Singapore We will also be holding TWO Spay Days this year. The first will be on the last Friday of May 2012 and the next in October. With more people sterilising community cats, we are looking for more volunteers to help in managing our
Sterilisation Hotline that helps caregivers make bookings at vet clinics for stray sterilisation slots. Volunteering opportunities:
Mediators Spay Day Coordinators
Sterilisation Hotline Coordinators
Education Outreach
We are making a big push for presence in retail spaces. Because that is where the general population are! In this respect, our partnership with Pet Lovers Foundation to do
Adoption Drives at Pet Safari stores will continue. In addition to this, we are working with AVA and other animal welfare organisations on bringing the Responsible Pet Ownership Roadshow to retail malls in the heartlands. The first will be at Jurong Point in June where adoptions and the ever-popular Most Beautiful Cat Contest will take place!
In support of these and other events and outreach activities, we will be revamping our Event and Outreach Collaterals including posters, brochures & flyers and strengthening our Mews & Mini Mews Newsletters. With a more cohesive partnership between AVA, industry players and animal welfare organisations this year, it also opens up many opportunities for collaborations and cross dissemination of information across various channels.
Students looking to fulfill CIP hours can participate in our School Programme which includes a fun project on ‘Flour Babies’, setting up education booths in their school and assisting CWS in our community education & projects. Volunteering opportunities:
Event coordinators for Adoption Drives, Responsible Pet Ownership Roadshows & other events
Newsletter & collateral design, writing & copy-editing
School Programme Coordinators
Database Management
Finally, we are consolidating our databases to bring more targeted information to various groups, including cat fosters, cat owners, volunteers, caregivers etc. Volunteering opportunities:
Database administrator with some Web/IT skills
Thanks to all the volunteers who joined us last Sunday. If you are interested to also join us in contributing towards the welfare of cats, come look for us at our booth at the Public Forum tomorrow or email us at [email protected]!