Saviour of strays
Singaporean nicole Ling has spent the past two decades saving cats from being culled. That’s no mean feat for someone who once suffered from ailurophobia or the fear of cats.
IT is ironic how our greatest fear can sometimes turn into a lifelong cause which we champion with passion.
As a child, Nicole Ling suffered from ailurophobia, which is the fear of cats. She would have recurrent nightmares about black cats and could never bring herself near any cat.
Through a strange twist of fate, a helpless kitten decided to make himself at home at her place, having sought refuge from the rain and a lurking tomcat. One day, the kitten fell ill and Ling, then 19, was forced to take him to the vet.
“I was terrified! I was sweating buckets just trying to get near to him,” recalls Ling.
“I was led to believe that cats are dangerous and filthy disease-carriers but this cannot be further from the truth. After saving the kitten, I began to develop a soft spot for it.”
Singapore’s frequent culling practice saw Ling bent on saving more street cats. She overcame her fear of felines soon enough to fully commit to the cause.
Alone in the face of resistance, without support from any animal welfare organisation, Ling forged ahead as an independent rescuer. Along the way, she formed small teams made up of expats and locals who cared about the welfare of animals.
“In the initial years, I was involved in much of the physical rescue and sterilisation work, but the culling did not stop. So I decided to leave the sterilisation (programme) to the community, while I approached town councils and appealed to them to stop culling. That was a lot tougher than doing sterilising work,” she says.
All that effort paid off when Ling, 43, was recently honoured with the Global Women Summit Leadership 2013 Award as a tribute to her pioneering work in animal rescue.
“I was surprised to learn about the award from Azeeza Jalaludeen, regional director (South Asia) for The Women’s Information Network chapter in Singapore,” says Ling. “It feels great to have my work recognised though I haven’t been as active in recent years as I’m pursuing further studies in psychology and counselling. I thought that people would have forgotten about me since my work has gone mostly unnoticed for years. This award is proof that no genuine contribution is ever wasted.”
The cats that Ling rescued were kept in her house, which did not please her parents at all. As the number of rescued cats increased, Ling rented a small apartment to house them.
“My animal rescue expenses amounted to S$1,700 a month, including rent. Most of the money went to medical and sterilisation procedures.
“Once, I rescued two newborn kittens which had to be bottle-fed every one-and-a-half hours. I was working as a private tutor then, so my work schedule was more flexible. I could run back in between lessons to check on the cats and the orphaned kittens which required nursing and frequent meals.
“Looking back, I don’t know how I could have survived the sleepless nights and turned up for work the next day. I only have God to thank during those lonely, difficult times,” says Ling, who has been rescuing strays for the past two decades.
As she could only take in a maximum of 15 cats at any time, Ling would try to rehome the pedigrees first, and kept the non-pedigrees for herself.
Culling, she explains, is initiated by town councils which hire pestcontrol companies. While it has been carried out for decades, she feels it is inhumane and unjustified.
“In other First World countries, you do not see emaciated or abused animals walking around in public areas. Neither do town councils hire pest-control companies to round up animals for killing. When I was in San Francisco, a city famous for its spay-and-neuter programmes and no-kill shelters, I did not see homeless animals scavenging for food on the streets.
“What they have is humane sterilisation for these homeless animals. This shows that sterilisation is the most effective form of reducing strays, and town councils should work closely with welfare groups and volunteers to educate pet own- ers,” says Ling, who adds that while the situation has improved, more can be done.
According to Singapore’s AgriFood and Veterinary Authority in its media release, some 10,000 to 13,000 stray cats are put down each year. There are an estimated 80,000 stray cats in Singapore, raising concerns of public health risks, environmental problems and social nuisance.
It adds that while the stray cat rehabilitation scheme was initiated in 1998 to control the population through sterilisation and responsible management of cats, the scheme has been suspended pending review.
A counselling psychotherapist and workplace psychology consultant by profession, Ling says she has a deep interest in forensics psychology, human behaviour and the science of personality profiling.
Her transition to workplace psychology was driven by a strong belief in helping organisations maintain a happy and efficient working environment.
“It’s undeniable that work takes up half of our lives; we spend more time with our bosses and colleagues than with our families. I noticed many are not happy at work, while bosses are frustrated with their employees. So if we cannot work effectively in our day job, more than half of our lives is spent in vain.”
Last year, Ling sustained a serious injury which left her out of work for 11 months; she spent five months lying in bed. “The pain was excruciating. I was depressed, but I realised I should not wallow in misery. I had to move on. That realisation helped in my recovery. We need to learn to love ourselves and move beyond our suffering,” says the self-confessed raw organic vegan.
Her staple fare includes vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruits, seaweed and sprouts which she says has improved her health tremendously.
“A raw diet gives me the energy to meet the demands of a full and busy life,” says Ling.
“In doing so, I leave a smaller carbon footprint on Earth and do not contribute to the needless suffering of factory farm animals,” says Ling.
Ling is also passionate about human rights and will be embarking on a prison project in Bangkok, Thailand, this year, to conduct mental wellness programmes and a prison psychology workshop to help officers gain a better understanding of the behaviour patterns of inmates, as well as the impact of mental stress while in jail.
“I have conducted stress management training in Singapore for women drug-users, male inmates and prison officers. Prison is a harsh and stressful environment for both prisoners and staff.”
Ling is very focused on what she wants out of life. Her priority is on worthy causes, and this has helped her to juggle the demands of social work, career and personal life. Her work mode is turned off during weekends which are strictly reserved for family and close friends.