The Pasir Ris community is galvanising to protect their beloved resident cat. Ginger the cat has apparently been accused by an irate resident of scratching the roof of his car. In response, the Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council has decided to ‘remove’ the cat – a decision which many members of the community feel is too heavy handed, especially when no formal investigation was conducted at all.
In protest of the town council’s decision, the community has come together to form a petition to save Ginger’s life. The petition already has over 1,600 signatures, a little over 50% of their goal of 2,500.
Described as the community’s ‘go-to therapy cat’, Ginger has been around for about a decade and has bonded with nearly every child and adult in the area. The petition says of Ginger, “Ginger is known to be a well-behaved feline in this neighbourhood, loved by many of us, including passers-by. He is quite the community star who loved to be stroked by those who knew him and strangers alike, especially before or after a long commute, after a hard’s day at work, on the way home.”.
The petition specifically requests that a thorough investigation be carried out on the claims made against Ginger and that concrete evidence be provided before sentencing a gentle and harmless cat.
In an email to TOC, a volunteer lamented the state of society right now that seems to value material things over life. The volunteer said, “Why take the easy way out instead of providing a solution that doesn’t involve a ‘removal of an animal’s life?” It is unclear if the town council intends to put Ginger to sleep or send her to a shelter.
Either way, the community is not happy about it. Clearly, Ginger is a special creature to many of the Pasir Ris residents and they will not give up of Ginger without a fight.