Over $36k raised in ground-up effort to help community cat feeders in Singapore
A local crowdfunding effort has raised more than $36,000 in six months to support cat feeders in Singapore who often operate under the radar and reach deep into their pockets to provide for community cats.
The amount raised by Give.Asia supports cat feeders in Boon Lay, Sengkang, Circuit Road and the south region, with the organisation aiming to cover feline caregivers islandwide in due course.
This initiative first started with 18 cat feeders in Boon Lay, who provide for around 250 community cats in the neighbourhood. Some caregivers would feed 40 cats twice a day - in the early morning and at night. Since December 2024, more than $19,800 has been raised for the Boon Lay cats.
On average, $60 is needed to feed one cat every month, covering dry and wet meals, kibbles and supplements, Ms Phoong Kai Wen, a grassroots leader in Boon Lay, told The Straits Times at a fund-raising event for the initiative at Club Street on May 25. The initiative is also supported by the Boon Lay Zone A, C and D Residents' Network.
With the amount raised so far, Give.Asia has been able to provide about $300 worth of cat food for each feeder. In Boon Lay, the money is sent to pet shop Pet HQ, where feeders can collect the food items every month.
Boon Lay cat feeder Shereen Adwaney said that while the $300 does not cover all the food expenses, it helps to defray a bulk of their caregiving costs. At times, cat feeders also have to double up as cat rescuers if they need to take sick felines to the vet. Veterinary costs are rising in Singapore and the bills are often borne by the feeders.
"(This initiative) helps because we're using our own money. The attitude of cat lovers is: The cats must eat first before we do. For me, I'm already tapping my CPF savings to feed the cats," said Madam Adwaney, 66, a quality and training audit manager.
Ms Phoong said: "You cannot assume that all feeders are providing for the cats because they have the money and time. We don't have many feeders whose pockets are deep enough."
Boon Lay cat rescuer Mindy Cheong spends $4,500 on food every month for her 30 foster cats. The freelance accountant lives in a one-room flat with the cats and is about to move to a three-room flat.
"Give.Asia helps to reduce my burden quite a bit. When I rescue cats, the transport fees are borne by me. The vet fees and blood tests are paid for with my personal savings," said Ms Cheong, 45.
Give.Asia decided to start this initiative in late 2024 when it noticed several fund-raising campaigns for community cats on its site.
The fund-raising platform's founder Yu Ming Pong said: "Right now, most feeders operate in isolation - scrounging from their savings and often burning out. When these longtime cat feeders came on our platform to seek assistance, we decided to step up and support this ground-up initiative."
The fund-raising continues as the west region, which includes Boon Lay, requires $138,000 a year to cover up to 30 feeders.
At the May 25 event, Madam Adwaney and Ms Phoong also touched on errant cat feeders - well-meaning individuals who feed community cats occasionally when they see them but do not clean up after the cats finish eating.
This practice not only tends to attract rodents and roaches to the leftover kibbles, but also, feeding without being aware of a particular cat's dietary restrictions or health conditions could do more harm to the animal, said Madam Adwaney.
The Boon Lay feeders are receiving donations at https://give.asia/campaign/empowering-the-cats-heroes-west#/story
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