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Straits Times

These cats may have disabilities, but they are resilient and capable of being affectionate

Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ms Julie Chong (fourth from right) and her cats Yoona, Awal and Mika at The International Cat Association Cat Show. SINGAPORE – Mika, a red-and-cream tabby, requires bladder expression three times a day because the three-month-old male kitten is half-paralysed. Awal, seven, is a brown tabby with only three legs after an amputation. Yoona, a brown domestic shorthair, suffers from a spinal injury and is fully paralysed. The four-month-old kitten moves by tossing herself about. The three disabled cats are among the 10 participants of the inaugural Exceptional Category of the 6th The International Cat Association (TICA) Cat Show, held recently at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre. The TICA Cat Show is part of the Singapore Pet Festival 2025, hosted by Clubpets, a local pet community portal. The Exceptional Category, organised by Feline Club Singapore, was started to honour cats who have overcome immense odds as well as to foster a greater sense of compassion and inclusion within the feline community. It takes a big heart to embrace these special needs animals, and for Mika, Awal and Yoona, they are in the good hands of Ms Julie Chong. The operations coordinator, who is in her 40s, has been looking after cats with special needs and those requiring palliative care for many years. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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Mika, in particular, needs help to manually empty his bladder as he is unable to do so on his own. The cats' expenditure is about $2,000 a month, which is spent on their wet food and supplements, as well as other daily necessities, including pee pads and wet wipes. Ms Julie Chong's daughter Aqilah with Yoona (left) and Mika. PHOTO: COURTESY OF JULIE CHONG Ms Chong receives regular donations from friends. She is also raising funds for acupuncture treatments for Yoona and Mika. Time and money aside, she says caring for the cats is rewarding. 'They hold a special place in my heart. They wait for me at the gate whenever I get home. They give me headbutts and follow me around. Yoona will start to scream, demanding to be carried,' says Ms Chong, who is married with children. Her family members also help out with the cats. At the cat show, Zen, a four-year-old male black Maine Coon, was named the Overall Winner in the Exceptional Category because of his quiet strength and loving personality. All 10 contestants received a rosette, a hamper of food and supplements, and a bottle of veterinary disinfectant. Zen is blind in one eye and his good eye needs constant cleaning. According to his owner Doris Liam, he is perfectly fine, like a 'normal cat'. The 54-year-old adopted Zen when he was about a year old. A sports instructor for students with disabilities, Ms Liam has another cat, a Persian named Rie, four, whom she adopted along with Zen. Ms Doris Liam (right) and Zen with Ms Michelle Tay from Feline Club Singapore at The International Cat Association Cat Show. PHOTO: FELINE CLUB SINGAPORE Describing Zen as calm, sweet and friendly, Ms Liam says the cat having just one eye has never affected him in any way. Like Rie, Zen brings much joy to the single mum who has two adult daughters. 'Zen sleeps with me and wakes me up when the alarm goes off,' says Ms Liam, who is his main caregiver. 'He will climb onto my chest and sit there, or he will meow near my face until I get up.' Zen is a partially blind Maine Coon. PHOTO: COURTESY OF DORIS LIAM For Ms Sheryl Woo, her fully blind cat Monkey, who also took part in the show, is the bully in the family of three female cats. 'Like most babies in the family, she always wants to have her way and throws tantrums if she doesn't get it.' The three cats were adopted in Doha in 2020, when Ms Woo was working in the Qatari capital. 'Monkey was already blind from severe eye infections when I first saw her. She was about three months old. I adopted her a month later,' says Ms Woo, 39. Monkey, a domestic medium-hair calico, will turn five in September. She was adopted after Princess, a Persian-British shorthair mix, six, and Cookie, a domestic shorthair calico, also six. Monkey underwent an enucleation surgery – removal of the entire eye globe and surrounding tissues – when she was five months old. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHERYL WOO 'Monkey was at risk of being euthanised because of her condition – one eye was cloudy and the other was almost closed,' Ms Woo adds. The kitten underwent an enucleation surgery – removal of the entire eye globe and surrounding tissues – when she was five months old. Being blind does not stop Monkey from climbing all over the house, says Ms Woo, adding that her cat sisters cannot keep up with her playing style. Ms Woo, who is single, and her three fur kids moved back to Singapore in October 2022. She spent three months getting them ready for the move, as they needed to be quarantined for a month. It was difficult for Monkey because she did not like being confined in a crate. Relocation cost was about $3,500 a cat. Describing Monkey as one who loves to go out, Ms Woo adds that being blind has never stopped her from being inquisitive, cheeky and mischievous. 'She was the first to jump onto the kitchen counter when we moved in and also the first to climb our 'catified' walls once they were installed,' she says . Being blind has not stopped Monkey from climbing all over the house. PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHERYL WOO What Monkey does in a new space is to walk around it many times, slowly expanding her circle and making a mental map. 'Once she's mapped it out, she knows exactly where she's going,' Ms Woo explains, adding that Monkey rarely bumps into things. Ms Woo is an advocate for special needs animals and has an Instagram account (@princess_cookie_monkey) documenting her cats' lives. Ms Sheryl Woo (right) and Monkey with Ms Michelle Tay from Feline Club Singapore at The International Cat Association Cat Show. PHOTO: FELINE CLUB SINGAPORE 'There's a misconception that special needs cats require a lot more concessions. When I Googled how to care for a blind cat before adopting Monkey, I found so many myths that Monkey has since proven wrong,' Ms Woo says. For example, she was told not to move furniture around and to attach bells to people so that Monkey knows when someone is approaching. 'A blind cat is just a cat,' she says. 'Their personality matters more than sight. They are neither fragile nor difficult to care for. They are resilient animals.' To include a special needs category in a feline competition is a positive move, she says, as it gives 'special cats a chance to be adopted because they are often overlooked'.