Mark your calendars!

There are some cat loving humans who need to come face to face with the kitties at our foster home. For the purpose of falling in love again with a furry feline.

Could it be you? Are you waiting to fall in love?

We shall find out soon...

Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7. Find out more.
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.  
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.  
 Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Triage In Kitten Rescue

Stop by the main cat adoptions board folks in Singapore browse through, at Cat Welfare Society, and you will find a lot of cats posted there looking for homes. A lot of people have risen up towards rescuing and fostering kittens on their own, which is a commendable effort that has grown over the years. This has alleviated the burden at shelters and rescue groups like ours, and lowered the euthanasia rate of kittens nationwide.



However, the urge to give kittens a forever home to 'save' them from the streets needs to be carried out in a responsibile manner. There are more kittens out there than there are homes, so every one of us needs to carry out rescue by triage: evaluating that the stray kitten spotted fulfills the parameters that makes it an appropriate candidate for rescue. This means that yes, some kittens need - not - be rescued and rehomed and can actually live a good life as a stray, while you free up precious fostering resources, yours and those of shelters, for the kittens that really need it. The triage rules apply for us: we only take up rescue cases that follow these guidelines.

Orphaned kittens
The younger the kittens are, the more rescue may be necessary, and to gauge so, is that when the kittens are very young but have no mother. Such kittens are known as orphans. In order to gauge whether they are young, see this guide here; the kittens should be no more than 8 weeks old, not much bigger than your hand. Any kitten beyond that can actually survive on its own unless other situations prevail (see below). If the kittens are below 8 weeks of age, you need to ascertain if there is a mother. In doing so you must not touch the kittens or go too near them, because if there really is a mother, she may abandon the kittens because you are near or have disturbed her nest. Sometimes the mother may have taken time off to get food for herself. Or she may be in the midst of changing to a different nest and is moving her litter halfway. You need to stakeout the nest to see if the mother returns. Only if there is no sighting of a mother cat then can you consider rescue. A kitten's best survival chance is still when it is with the mother because it requires mother's milk for the antibodies. You should care for the mother on site instead, by feeding it. A nursing cat needs 2-3 times more to eat than normal. This will then ensure the health of the kittens, as well as her trust, enabling you to get the mother cat neutered when the kittens reach 8 weeks of age, and eventually the kittens when they are older.

High-risk environment
This parameter includes kittens residing in areas where there have been complaints, where pest control has been called in (for private and business areas), where there is a busy road that the kittens go onto to play, where there have been abusive acts committed and witnessed, or where there are heavy construction works. Some factors may not require you to foster the kittens. For example, if the kittens are in a drain and you worry it might rain, consider whether you can get them to nestle elsewhere. This may mean luring the mother first, using food, and if she is trusting of you, moving her litter, or luring the kittens too. You have to find or perhaps temporarily construct an equally sheltered area - a box or old opened umbrella will suffice, with clean, inviting food. Unless there is heavy rain incoming, do not rush to evacuate the kittens from the drain, because you might cause an orphan situation if you do. Only if this fails and there is heavy rain arriving should you straightaway evacuate the kittens to foster and rehome. If the kittens for all the above scenarios are below 8 weeks of age, you should foster the mother too, in case she is willing to nurse them in a new environment. In any case, once she ends her nursing you must neuter her before returning her to where she was from.

Sickness and injury
Sick or injured kittens do not look like the kind you will find on your social feeds: they have teary eyes, matted fur, anal soiling. They could also be cold and hardly moving, have insect bites, wounds. Still unsure if kittens are sick or not? Take a photo and ask us. These kittens need rescue, and a vet visit promptly. By and large, this triage rule trumps all. Whether or not you should rehome them after they recover from foster care, depends on whether they were young when rescued (usually below 3 months) and whether or not they are feral. Feral kittens that do not take well to human contact, which you can ascertain while rehabilitating them, should be released back at their territory, preferably after neutering them. Some clinics neuter kittens as early as at 3 months of age.


Wondering where abandonment comes in? Not every abandoned kitten needs to be rehomed. The same three rules above apply. Unless the cat is completely unwilling to come out of hiding to eat from a stray feeder be it yourself or the regular caregiver, should you consider foster and rehome as a solution. Bear in mind that there may be behavioural issues such cats need help with before becoming viable for adoption. Because of the trauma of abandonment, they may fall sick, or exhibit aggression, both of which require treatment.

With these triage rules in place, you can focus your rescue efforts on the kittens that really need it, rather than trying to foster every single young one you come across or every time you are called upon for fostering help. This way, there is less adopter fatigue as well, making sure all our rehoming efforts succeed, creating fewer permanent shelter cats everywhere.

Share this with someone you know who helps to rescue or foster kittens. Remember, not every kitten needs rescue for better welfare.

Marukan Dry Shampoo - Grooming Powder

We used to rely on Rudducks grooming powder for post shower drying and brushing as well as to keep white fur pristine, but it is no longer distributed in Singapore.

Then we discovered a product for small animals like rabbits. Marukan dry shampoo is a great substitute. We use it after baths, by sprinkling it under fur and brushing it out with a soft bristle brush. Smells great, very absorbant of moisture and odour. Which means it is also a great powder for use after a simple grooming with baby wipes for small messes. Cats cannot shower more often than once in 2 weeks so it is great for in between times especially when it comes to kittens who are naturally dirtier. Baking soda will work well for smell and moisture absorption but it makes fur clump, whereas the Marukan version is fine and leaves no residue. Talc-free, no allergic reactions from the cats here after use.

We bought ours from Pets Republic at Lorong L Telok Kurau opposite our vet The Animal Clinic.

Cubby's new life in @sexybull26 Celine's home

On 2 Aug, Cubby was renamed Moonshine when she was adopted by Celine, a mom to two human kids.

Moonshine is now well adjusted to her new home, accompanied by Grandpa when the others are at work and school. She is still her usual self: affectionate, always purring and looking for company.

She got spayed yesterday and is recovering well. Her mom had made the appointment for her sterilisation at their nearest vet when Moonshine had settled in. Which she did by the second day! Ate her food, and started accompanying her new mom around the house. We are glad Moonshine loves her forever home!

Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7. Find out more.
Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met.  
Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.   
Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

About your window safety

Apartment death is a very real thing, and having unsecured windows means that AVA and HDB have every right to ask you to remove your pet cats from your flat if your windows are unsecured. Apartment death is the no. 1 reason why there was the archaic ruling of HDB no cat policy in the first place, something our mother cat advocate group Cat Welfare Society is lobbying to change, but it takes time and requires every cat owner and potential adopter to cooperate.

Why do cats ever want to climb out of a window? Do they not realise the depth below?

The most common reason is because they spot a bird or insect, and want to approach it. Cats are hunter-predators, which means that by nature's design, when they have focused on a target, they lose perception of everything else in order to lock their senses onto their prey. This is why when your cat is about to get into a fight with somebody else, you should not raise your voice too loudly or approach them from behind: they will assume their target is the source of the noise or contact and be propelled further into the fight or flight mode.

Another reason is because cats are naturally inclined to heights. If you do not have a secure window perch or height designed for cats to use, they will turn to other things, like windows. If your cat really likes to climb but doesn't use his cat condo, it might be because the position of the cat condo is not where they can get a good view of their surroundings.

One more reason why cats may turn to windows even if they ordinarily don't do it: in times of stress be it because of illness or changes in the household. When cats are stressed, their alert senses go up, which means that to feel secure they need to elevate themselves to be able to pounce on their source of stress (even if there is no visible target), as well as see things better and thus feel more secure. This is especially true for sedentary older cats that have no outlet to exercise like interactive toys or kitty companions. You will note these cats tend to do crazy things like dashing about the house suddenly for no reason (a behaviour known as streaking) even though they are usually very relaxed. This is also because of their natural hunter-predator biological makeup. Because illness can cause this type of behaviour, or even something as simple as you working longer hours than usual, by the time your cat gets stressed and suddenly starts streaking and climbing windows, it will be too late to get those windows secured.

What is an unsecured window? Open windows that have grilles only are considered unsecured. Top hung windows that cats can climb to via the grilles below are considered unsecured. Windows with faulty locks that can be opened by cats are considered unsecured. Unless you have windows that are permanently closed because of aircon, or grilles that have been specially designed to be tightly criss-crossed such that a kitten cannot go through, or you have special invisible cat grilles installed onto your existing grilles, your windows are unsecured and you cannot adopt a cat from any rescue group.

This problem is easily fixed by one of two ways: 1) mesh your windows with pvc covered wire mesh from hardware stores, or chicken wire, or wire racks available from Daiso using cable ties, twist ties or string, or 2) windows must be closed at all times even when there are people at home or your cat has never tried to go out. If you have the time and money, get a contractor to either install invisible cat grilles (an add on fitting) or change the grilles to ones with smaller holes.

This is even more important if you live on a lower floor. Contrary to popular opinion, the lower the floor, the higher the chance the cat cannot correct and turn onto its feet before landing, leading to injury and death, as well as being disqualified from ever adopting a rescue again. Rescuers who do rehoming have a blacklist of all people who have been inspected and flouted this important guideline so no one will allow you to adopt, and this list is shared with other rescuers. If you are spotted as an HDB cat owner with unsecured windows, neighbours can complain against you and you can be asked to remove your cats, and no one can help you fight such a case unless you mesh your windows. Some rescuers will even resort to removing your cats from your home if you are not willing to start securing your windows, even if the cats you have were not adopted from them. SPCA can also be called in to resolve the issue as unsecured windows are considered a sign or irresponsible pet ownership.

While we need to find new homes for cats all the time, this is an important requirement we need you to follow, because if any single one of the hundreds of adopters we have rehomed to over the years has an apartment death casualty, it will hurt our chances of rehoming rescue kittens and eventually these cats will forever be homeless. Your cat will get injured or die because of unsecured windows AND you will ruin the work of rescuers everywhere because we have to be more stringent about the screening: more work, longer process, extra expenses, fewer adopters because of the hassle.

So please understand when in our Adopters Questionnaire on our blog asks about window safety, normal grilles or supervision/training is not enough. Please help us help the cats find good homes, there are already more homeless cats in need of adopters than there are people who want them as it is.

Dulcetfig [@dulcetfig], local vintage and fashion store, rolls out limited edition kitty totes for animal charities

We are honoured to be one of the recipients of proceeds from sales of this masterfully created art piece: The Dulcetkittehs Tote.

Jack, Ampang and Estee were themselves once stray cats until they got adopted by their humans and given jobs as kitty staff in their shop at Haji Lane. So here they are, giving back to the community through donating 20% of all sales of the Dulcetkittehs Tote to Noah's Ark Cares and to us at Love Kuching Project.

The art on the totes was created by famous pet artist Fran from Hong Kong, done in ink.

How to buy:

Drop by their store at 41 Haji Lane, open daily:
Mon-Thurs 12pm - 9pm
Fri & Sat 12pm - 10pm
Sun 12pm - 8pm. 

Enquire at 63965648 / shoppe@dulcetfig.com or drop a comment here where you can also see more photos of the tote bag. 

Yes, Jack, Ampang and Estee will be there when you buy the totes (plus a whole range of other kitty merchandised by indie designers!) so you can thank them in person too!

Remember that this is limited edition so the Dulcetkittehs Tote is only available while stocks last. Don't wait too long to get yours!

Behind the scenes of Secrets in the Hood!

Sometime last month there was a crew visiting Love Kuching. Who could it be? Sealy and Sayang look curiously at the people working in their home.

Echo wondered who all these people were and what were those lights for? It's so different than a normal photoshoot by Furry Photos who usually came by to take pictures of the cats that are available to be adopted.

It was Pornsak! He was hosting a new show, Secrets in the Hood, premiering on Channel U, 9pm on 6 August! You can catch it every Tuesday night. We don't know which episode Love Kuching will be in but if you miss it, it'll be on Xinmsn for Catch Up TV too.

Having cats walking around curiously on shoot can be really interesting. If you ever want to see how Love Kuching is run or listen to the volunteers, catch Secrets in the Hood! We'll try to repost or tweet when the episode with us is on if we see the promotional teasers for it.

What you don't get to see on TV is that the cats kept trying to get away more than usual. They would be so nice and huggable  but when the camera is on, they start to walk towards it!

And then other kaypoh cats will want to be in shot or meow when they usually would be quiet.

I don't know what is going on in this interview but we'll know...

Caption by our twitter friends, you can follow us too at @luvkuching

Make a financial gift via a deposit to our POSB savings account 188-52652-7. Find out more. Become a monthly giver to help ensure our rescues continue getting their needs met. Feed and provide litter to the cats we foster via our corporate sponsor The Water Dish.  Follow on us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Adopt Gurly

[Update Sept 2013: Gale has been adopted]
[Update Nov 2014: Garry went missing and has not been successfully trapped and brought back to the foster home]

Most recent picture of Gurly :)

Gurly is a sweet, purring, cuddly cat that is very shy and reserved. She loves older brothers as companions and would do best in a home with existing older sibling cats.

Gurly is a slim and petite cat

She has a small curved tail, is small in size and very kitten-like. She loves snoozing by (safe) windowsills and is actually very greedy!

Gurly used to be very close to her brother Garry (see below) but they ran out of the foster home one day and we could only find Gurly and bring her home safely. We have since then many weeks after found Garry residing in a drain nearby but he no longer recognises us and we are trying once again to regain his trust by feeding him whenever we can sight him. He hides in a drain at the next block, only coming out in the wee hours of the night. Since then, Gurly has gotten used to being without Garry even though she used to be very close to him. We believe it is because she still has older foster siblings here to accompany her.

She should ideally be adopted by a family that already has a cat. She is very submissive and respectful of older foster siblings here and will not be difficult to introduce to a household with older cats. Otherwise, she is just as contented getting her hugs from humans when she meows for them.


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3 siblings rescued from abandoment in Geylang near Guillemard and now rehabilitated from sickness need foreverhomes! they were found with flea bites, flu' and diarrhoea, and are now completely recovered. Have been vaccinated, vet-checked, dewormed, and of course litter trained, socialised and able to eat solid food on their own. They are currently 3 months old.







Garry needs to be adopted with his closest sister Gurly as both are very playful and need to play with each other. Gale is less mischievous and is more of a cuddly girl that is satisfied with human companionship like purring on laps and being cuddled.

Garry is a hyperactive boy who enjoys play very, very much. A bit wilful but can be affectionate when he realises the humans around him love him. Gurly is like the female version of him, equally active, but more obedient and ready for cuddles. Garry is closer to her than Gale is because Gurly is able to match his speed and intensity for play. She is the greedier one compared to her brother, absolutely fun to feed.







Gale is the sweet one in the litter. She likes cuddles and is a lapcat that's good with humans of all kinds and ages. She has the absolutely cutest ET-like face! She is also fun to feed and likes chicken. She walks around the foster home exploring like a tiny boss and loves to climb. She will be good for those who like quieter kittens that require less work.

All three of them get along well with older cats. They love their older foster siblings and won't take it to heart even when some of the older ones take a while to warm up to them. They are also okay with kids and are gentle. They love to play wrestle with one another, wand toys and playing on their own - soccer with toy balls and mice is okay for them especially the girls.

To adopt Garry and Gurly, or Gale, see right side bar under 'How to adopt' or click here. You will need to contact us with quick answers to 9 questions and after approval will be able to visit them with your whole family.

Unable to adopt? Click one of the share buttons below to email or post this on social media platforms. They will soon grow up and be unwanted so hurry and click away!

Mulan, stray cat with IBD

Mulan is a tricoloured cat from Jurong West and was found ill by her rescuer Michelle of CWS. She was brought to Dr Poon at Island Vet in Jurong and thereafter found to have inflammatory bowel disease or IBD. This diagnosis was reached after many diagnostics were done including an ultrasound. She turns out not to have lymphoma (common cancer with related symptoms), thankfully. IBD is dangerous in that without management, the cat can go on to develop anemia, dehydration, not to mention daily pain from inflammation of the gut and behind.

Her IBD responded to limited treatments. Prednisolone, charcoal, but not other antidiarrhoeals or drugs for the digestive tract. She responds to herbal and nutraceutical treatments such as slippery elm bark and probiotics.

IBD requires a restricted diet. It should not be processed food like kibbles but she got a bit better on Hill's i/d which was a temporary diet for her. Canned food gives her diarrhoea too. The best option for IBD is a single protein source homemade meal. This will also minimise her need for medication. The recommended protein sources are chicken, venison, rabbit, lamb, or salmon. It has to be cooked to minimise the bacteria in the gut. It should be complemented with fibre which we do with oat bran (also recommended). The meat has to be fed with stock boiled from the bones for 2-3 hours, so as to make it complete with calcium as muscle meat alone is deficient in that. Once a cat does well on a homemade diet, the medication can be reduced.

Supplements that are recommended for IBD include slippery elm bark, curcumin, licorice, probiotics, digestive enzymes and l-glutamine. We also add in goldenseal, vitamins B, C and E, omega 3 and colloidal silver.

Mulan is a very vocal cat! Loves scratching her cardboard box to relieve stress. She has a bad habit of sleeping in her litter box and is often smelly with pee, kicking litter everywhere, that sort of thing.. She is doing well in that her poop is nice and firm with very little anal soiling. She is however not taking to the chicken we are converting her to. So now we are trying salmon. If she still doesn't want to eat that, we will try lamb. Once she takes to one protein source, we can consider adding in other ingredients like vegetable or fruit puree, rosemary for flavour.

Follow us on @luvkuching Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates on Mulan's IBD!