Singapore's one and only cat museum is sadly closing its doors on June 10. It is forced to shut business after the expiry of its lease on the premises. This will turn about 24 cats and kittens homeless if they do not get adopted soon.
Founder Jessica Seet explained in a statement on January 25, Thursday, that their top priority is to ensure the felines find loving homes and proper care.
The cat museum is currently located on the second floor of a pre-war shophouse at Purvis Street. It vacated the third and fourth floor of the building in September 2017 because of a dispute with the authorities.
The museum is shutting down as of now after the landlord refused to extend the lease. Since the cats no more have a place to live, the owner is helpless and is closing the center, reports Channel NewsAsia.
The museum, The Lion City Kitty – The Cat Museum, Muses & Mansion, has been operating for three years. Visitors can play and interact with the cats living there and also learn more about them. Interestingly, the cats have unique names like Channing Tatum, Angelina Jolie, Benedict Cumberbatch, etc.
Cat-lovers are also welcome to adopt cats from the shelter. Several Singapore residents work as volunteers to take care of the furry beasts.
The only hope for these creatures is to find a new home within the end of June. Initially, the feline residents will be taken home by Seet and some other volunteers.
Although the museum put out an adoption request on social media, only one kitten has been taken home yet.
Seet hopes to continue working for the cats in the future. Although she had been discouraged by the lease dispute, she intends to keep fighting after being inspired by the Singaporean citizens and volunteers, according to Channel NewsAsia.
Her hopes are a bit dampened as the landlord has refused to return their deposit. However, she intends to conduct a fundraising to buy a permanent place for the helpless animals.
"This time we will work very closely with MND (Ministry of National Development)," said Seet. She also pledged to look into proper legal procedure to avoid any further disputes. It is the hope of these cat-lovers that the museum can be saved and the cats find proper shelter.
