Rescued by my rescue: She has fostered 140 stray cats in Singapore, and counting
In a new series, Stomp speaks to furparents who adopted rescue pets — and found that they were the ones who were rescued instead.
It was in 2003 that Helene Mayne rescued her first cats in Singapore.
Having just arrived from Melbourne for a short work assignment, she was collecting mail at her Chinatown condominium when she heard soft meowing.
She initially thought she was hearing things, but following the sound led her to a female ginger cat and her kittens.
“I went and bought some tuna for this mother cat and her kittens, and then each day, twice a day, I would go and feed her,” said Ms Mayne, who had never cared for cats before.
“After that experience, I realised how much I appreciated cats and how I could provide them with a good home.”
It was the start of more than two decades of rescuing and fostering cats in Singapore for the stepmother of three, who was initially meant to be in the Republic for only three months.
The 54-year-old is currently a director of customer success at an artificial intelligence assurance firm, and is married to a Singapore permanent resident.
A volunteer with cat welfare group LUNI Singapore since 2020, Ms Mayne estimates that she has fostered more than 110 cats in the past five years alone. That’s on top of the 25 to 30 she had already fostered when she was operating independently.
Doing her best to avoid ‘foster fails’
While she was still living in Chinatown, Ms Mayne soon found herself caring for six cats — all under a year old — in her three-bedroom unit. “That’s when I realised apartment living was not the way to go.”
She eventually moved to a five-bedroom landed home, which allowed her to continue fostering. One room was set aside for foster cats, while the rest of the house was shared with her pets, her family and her helper, Argeline.
Ms Mayne and her helper did most of the caring for the fosters, while her stepfamily would play and socialise with the felines.
At one point, she had as many as 12 cats and two dogs under her roof.
One of them was Poppy, a kitten she adopted in 2004 after it was run over and nearly died. Poppy later died at the age of six from kidney failure.
Like many rescuers, Ms Mayne grows attached to the animals who pass through her home. She joked that her husband of 15 years would prefer there be no more “foster fails” — when a fostered animal ends up becoming a permanent pet.
Olive, a timid and fearful cat whom Ms Mayne felt would struggle to adjust in a new environment, became her only “foster fail” in 2022.
She told Stomp that she cries when her foster cats leave, as she’s happy they have found good homes.
Found in a ‘terrible state’
Diego was one of them.
“He was the cuddliest cat, he took his medicine so well, and he would just sit with me,” recalled Ms Mayne of Diego, who had been found in a terrible state after being attacked by other stray cats.
His body was covered in wounds from claws and bites. He had to be sedated, treated with antibiotics and painkillers, and shaved down because his fur was matted with blood.
Still, he had a remarkable temperament. As Diego recovered, he would keep her company while she worked, sometimes refusing to move as she tried to use her computer.
When the time came to find him a permanent home, a family — an Australian couple living in Singapore with two young children and a Labrador — came forward.
Though the family has now returned to Australia, Ms Mayne continues to receive regular updates on Diego, which bring her joy.
The Boon Lay flat with dozens of cats
One case that has stayed with her took place in a small Boon Lay flat, where an elderly woman, believed to be in her late 60s or early 70s, lived with her disabled adult son.
Ms Mayne recalled that the woman’s flat housed at least 26 cats, as she had feared for the community cats after learning of alleged cat abuse in her neighbourhood.
There were four litters of kittens at different stages of development, from a few weeks of age to older, independent kittens. There were also several adult cats, including two large males that were difficult to handle.
Cat urine and faeces was everywhere, and many of the cats also had ringworm as a result of their living conditions. “It was very difficult to see,” she said.
Over several days, the LUNI Singapore team worked to remove the kittens and most of the mother cats, placing them into foster care.
Some were frightened and defensive, and the team sustained minor injuries while trying to secure the two male cats, who were “very keen to keep their genitals”, said Ms Mayne wryly.
The adult cats were sterilised, and after discussions, the elderly woman agreed to keep only four cats. All the other rescued cats were eventually rehomed into new families.
The experience left a lasting impression on the Australian. Hoarding cases, she noted, are often complex — sometimes involving individuals with good intentions, and others with people who want to control their lives through owning cats.
“She just picked them up and put them under her arm and thought they were safer at her house. But she didn’t have as much awareness about sterilisation, vaccination or sanitation,” said Ms Mayne.
Kindness in unexpected places
Along the way, it has heartened Ms Mayne to discover that there are many others who also care for the most vulnerable.
When she was still living in Chinatown, she often noticed a handful of elderly cardboard collectors feeding community cats in Amoy Street and Telok Ayer.
Despite having little, they made sure the cats had something to eat, sometimes mixing rice with cat food to stretch their supplies.
Whenever Ms Mayne stopped by, they would greet her warmly and even offer her a red plastic chair so she could sit while spending time with the cats – something that made her feel “paiseh”, or embarrassed.
“These were people who didn’t have much,” she said, “but they still cared for the cats. It was beautiful.”
“That’s the pride of Singapore,” said Ms Mayne.
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