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A NURSING STUDENT’S LOVE FOR CATS TURNS INTO SOMETHING MORE
Kelly Tan, 18, raised more than $5000 since she became an independent community cat rescuer in June 2020.
Rescuing an ill and abandoned cat in Toa Payoh marked Kelly Tan's first milestone as an independent community cat rescuer.
Kelly said that she didn’t expect to see herself become the independent rescuer she is today.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary of Singapore told Today Online that the number of cats being abandoned in Singapore had increased from nine cases in 2016 to 57 in 2018.
Adrienne Reniva Eleosida, 19, one of Kelly’s good friends, recalled how her colleague found an abandoned cat at Toa Payoh which was in a bad shape. Following that, Adrienne decided to alert Kelly who then came down and brought the cat to seek medical help.
Although it was Kelly’s first rescue, she stated on her Instagram page that she managed to raise $1,215 to help the cat with her medical and future necessities.
Before Kelly became a rescuer, she already had a passion for cats.
“... Back in secondary school, I would just see her post [about] cats. And I think before CCA (Co-Curricular Activities) started, she would go to the HDBs (Housing Development Boards) and then she would just touch the cat and you know, feed it,” Adrienne said.
Kelly’s love for cats took a big turn and she now finds herself caring for the community cats at one spot in Sembawang.
Kelly stated on her community cats Instagram page that as an independent rescuer, she helps to feed the cats and provides them with medical assistance.
She said that the rescued cats would be either set free to the place they first found at, or she would help them find fosterers, adopters and boarding facilities as her family is not fond of having cats in the house.
To provide for the cats, Kelly has raised around $5,000 since June 2020.
Kelly said that she usually raised funds on “case to case basis” and she also works part time to pay for the cats’ food.
Despite the successful fundraising and donations, her journey wasn’t always smooth sailing. Kelly said that the main hurdle she had to face was the problem of financial capability.
Tessa Oh, 25, a full-time journalist who volunteers at Project LUNI, a non-profit cat welfare organisation, said that “the medical fees can range from about $3,000 to $5,000 per case”.
Kelly said that in one of her latest rescues, she raised funds to pay $1,600 for a cat with breathing issues to stay a single night at the hospital.
Despite being independent, Kelly agreed that working with others was necessary.
"It's a two-way kind of thing so there's like nothing really much you can do alone …,” Kelly said. “I feel that one person to so many cats is just crazy and they cannot get the quality care that they should receive.”
Kelly said that she often works alongside the primary caregiver located in Sembawang and they will take turns to look after the cats. On occasions where she has no time to give a cat its medication, the caregiver would do so on her behalf.
Currently, Kelly has several memorable achievements as an independent rescuer.
Kelly said that her greatest achievements were if “the cats find a foster or an adopter that really loves[s] them” or “if a cat thankfully recovers from an illness that we would never think of them recovering [from]”.
Besides being a rescuer, Kelly also hopes to pursue veterinary studies one day.
“… I can use science to advocate even more,” Kelly said.
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