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Meet the cat families available for adoption at the Lion City Kitty

Kittens having their meal at The Cat Museum, Muses & Mansion of Singapore. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)
Kittens having their meal at The Cat Museum, Muses & Mansion of Singapore. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)

There’s no doubt that many Singaporeans have a soft spot for felines. Whenever stories of abused or homeless cats surface in the news or social media, many band together to slam the abuser or show concern for the welfare of cats.

It was no surprise to see the same support from many local netizens after news broke last week that some cats from the Lion City Kitty – The Cat Museum, Muses & Mansion would need to find new homes urgently.

Owned by former radio broadcaster Jessica Seet, the Lion City Kitty is located at 8 Purvis Street, with the Cat Museum on the second floor and the Cat Mansion on the third floor.

The fourth and fifth floors serve as the 51-year-old’s home. However, Seet will be expected to move out from the third, fourth and fifth floors by the end of September as the landlord will not be renewing her lease.

Separately, the voice coach has also been given an enforcement notice by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) after recent photos showed space on the third floor appearing as a cat shelter and adoption centre. This is not allowed as the space has only been licensed for residential purposes.

During an interview with Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore on Friday (8 September), Seet said that since the space on the third floor was considered as her home, she didn’t think that she would need a licence for it.

“The inspection [by URA] was a result of someone submitting pictures of people playing with cats in my house,” said Seet, who is currently looking for a new place to live and new homes for the cats from the third floor. She will be able to continue running the Cat Museum.

“When you foster cats in your home, there is no licence,” said Seet. “After the inspection was carried out in end March, I filed an appeal against it only to receive a letter last month to say that I am still in violation and that the cats have to go”.

There are about 20 cats on the third floor Cat Mansion, all of which are available for adoption. The ones at the Cat Museum – located on the second floor – are not.

Here are some of the cats up for adoption. Many were rescued and have quirky names, some inspired by the sci-fi movie Star Wars, some by pasta and tea.

Mama Cat Chamomile and daughter Darjeeling. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)
Mama Cat Chamomile and daughter Darjeeling. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)

Tea Family

Mama Cat Chamomile and daughter Darjeeling belong to the “Tea Family”, and were rescued along with Peppermint and Earl Grey from a construction site in Yishun. Peppermint and Earl Grey have already been adopted.

Two-year-old ‘Anakin Skywalker’. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)
Two-year-old ‘Anakin Skywalker’. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)

Star Wars Family

Two-year-old Anakin Skywalker is the only kitten left in the five-member “Star Wars Family”. Anakin, along with siblings Yoda, Jar Jar Binks, Princess Leia and Luke, were rescued in Outram. His siblings were adopted over a year ago.

One and a half year old ‘Tempura’. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)
One and a half year old ‘Tempura’. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)

Japanese Food Family

Tempura belongs to the “Japanese Food Family” and was rescued from an industrial area along with mother Suki and brothers Sushi, Sashimi and Takoyaki. The rescuer had saved them from being killed by pesticides. However, Tempura is the only one left in the family as the rest have been adopted.

10-month-old Orion, and mother Cassie. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)
10-month-old Orion, and mother Cassie. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)

Constellation Family

There is also a family of cats named after constellations. Two-year-old Cassie, short for Cassiopeia, was the first cat who gave birth at the museum. Cassie and 10-month-old Orion are up for adoption. Cassie’s babies Hercules, Perseus, Pegasus and Andromeda have been adopted.

Fusilli was saved by her mother. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)
Fusilli was saved by her mother. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)

Pasta Family

The touching story of the Pasta Family started with Mama Mia saving her kittens, one by one, from a drain during a thunderstorm one night. Mama Mia and her son Fusilli remain up for adoption, while her other sons, Fettuccini and Macaroni, have already been adopted.

Some of Seet’s supurr-stars. (Photos: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)
Some of Seet’s supurr-stars. (Photos: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)

“Sometimes we feel sentimental about wanting to keep the whole family of cats together, but realistically we cannot a expect a family to take in an entire family of cats, especially if they are not ready,” Seet shared. “Having a cat as a pet is a 15 to 20 year commitment”.

The adoption process requires adopters to fill up a questionnaire and pay a $60 fee. The questionnaire ensures that the potential owners are committed to adopting a cat and live in a conducive environment for felines.

Those that don’t get adopted will be housed at volunteers’ homes. These volunteers include students from local polytechnics and universities.

Owner Jessica Seet with her first cat, Brad Pitt. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)
Owner Jessica Seet with her first cat, Brad Pitt. (Photo: Gabriel Choo / Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore)

The Lion City Kitty – Cat Museum, Muses & Mansion is a volunteer-run project that officially launched on 9 January 2015 with Law Minister K Shanmugam in attendance.

The Cat Museum also houses a nursery known as Mama & Munchkins Nursery, which was set up in December 2016 to take care of orphaned babies. However, due to a lack space, Seet is forced to shut it down.

Besides adopting the cats, there are other ways to provide help for the fluffy felines, including contributing to funds or participating in their fundraisers.

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