Woman with 20 cats told that they must go by Thursday

Woman with 20 cats told that they must go by Thursday

She is known as the Sembawang Cat Lady and she once kept up to 64 cats in her five-room HDB flat.

Her previously tastefully designed home is now in a state of disrepair after years of neglect.

The wooden cupboards of her kitchen are lined with claw scratches and her living room is almost bare. Her flat is in arrears for 42 months because she has not been working.

She lives alone because her two grown-up children are in Australia.

After moving into the resale flat at Admiralty Drive in 2006, Madam Rashida Begum's health deteriorated over the years from high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney problems.

The 58-year-old used to work in the food and beverage industry as a supervisor. She also had part-time stints as a pet-sitter. Her left foot was amputated last December as a result of a flesh-eating bug.

And now Madam Rashida realises that it is time to let some of her beloved cats go, for everyone's sake. She has about 20 cats living with her now.

She said: "Look at the state of my flat - no one wants to buy or rent it.

"It pains me to give my cats away, but I know they'll be better taken care of by someone who can give them one-on-one attention." Most of her cats are rescued strays, which were once either abandoned or abused.

Madam Rashida would make sure that each rescued cat is sterilised before bringing them home. But as the number of cats in her house grew, the situation became overwhelming for Madam Rashida, who is currently wheelchair-bound.

A group of friends set up Feline Friends of Singapore and stepped in to offer help in October last year.

Twenty of Madam Rashida's cats have been adopted, five are temporarily boarding in a shelter and 10 more adoptions are pending. The other cats require medical attention before they become suitable for adoption.

Madam Rashida hopes to spruce up her flat after the cats are adopted and rent out a room to solve her arrears problem. But time is running out for Madam Rashida and her cats.

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COMPLAINT

She was told by HDB to send her cats away after a complaint from a neighbour.

It is understood that the person who complained was not an immediate neighbour.

Madam Rashida thinks that some people might be upset with her for feeding and rescuing cats in her neighbourhood. Now, it is a race against time.

Feline Friends of Singapore said that it has been told by the authorities that all her cats must go by Thursday. She must find adopters for some 15 cats.

Weekend open-house adoption drives have been held at Madam Rashida's home for the past three months.

They have also approached the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore to seek permission to hold adoption drives at the mosques, but were unsuccessful.

Miss Tan Peiying, one of the group's volunteers, said: "Madam Rashida is not a typical cat hoarder because she is trying to work out a solution and give her cats away to better homes.

"When we first started, many of the cats had a problem with hygiene and nutrition, but things have improved drastically, including the condition of her house."

When The New Paper visited her home last Thursday, Madam Rashida's flat was clean and there were about 20 cats in the house. The cats roam around the flat freely, but each has its own "territory".

And the windows and gate are meshed to make sure that the cats do not leave the flat.

Madam Rashida said that she spent almost $80,000 of her savings to help these cats over the years.

She said: "Imagine if I didn't rescue these cats. They would be unsterilised and roaming the streets.

"I think education is important and I'm hoping to work with mosques to spread the message."

Group seeks to rehome her cats

The Feline Friends of Singapore was set up primarily to help the Sembawang Cat Lady with her cat problem.

They are not a registered society and comprise five independent volunteers who are friends.

Set up in October last year, the group's main aim is to help Madam Rashida Begum find loving homes for her cats as well as to provide care for the felines until they are adopted.

The Feline Friends of Singapore learnt about Madam Rashida's plight from a volunteer's mother, who lives a few blocks from her. Volunteer Tan Peiying said: "She has been open in sharing some of her personal issues which are intertwined with the situation, to allow us to better understand her needs and constraints.

"At the same time, trust and the willingness to delegate tasks to volunteers are very important. We are grateful that Madam Rashida has entrusted us with the task of rehoming her cats."

Most of the group's adoption calls are done through its Facebook page. Volunteers also take the cats to public adoption drives and organise open-house adoption drives at Madam Rashida's home.

The Feline Friends of Singapore said that it is grateful for the support through word of mouth and social media.

After resolving Madam Rashida's problems, they hope to continue working in the animal welfare sector, based on their experience working on her case.


This article was first published on July 28, 2014.
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