Owner of shuttered Cat Museum registers new org, plans new space in Kampong Glam

Remember the Cat Museum that was forced to close down last year following leasing issues and a dispute with authorities? It’s back. Kinda.

The person behind the shuttered shelter and adoption center, Jessica Seet, yesterday announced that she’s officially back in action, this time in Kampong Glam. (Not all that far away from the previous location on Purvis Street, actually).

Seet announced yesterday in a press release that she has officially registered Kitten Sanctuary Singapore (KiSS) as a non-governmental organization.

Renovations for the KiSS nursery — a 1,500 square feet space — will start next week, the 53-year-old former radio deejay-turned-cat advocate told Coconuts Singapore via email.

The space will be divided into a “kitten nursery,” where care will be provided to newly born orphaned kittens, and a “kitten kindergarten,” where visitors thinking of adopting a cat can interact with the cats or learn more about all things cat-related through programs that will be hosted there.

Previously, Seet’s Cat Museum, Muses & Mansions of Singapore had occupied three floors of a shophouse along Purvis Street. Some 400 strays called it home during its three-year run before it was finally forced to close on June 10, after a dispute between Seet and authorities had led the landlord to not renew the lease.

The Ministry of National Development said at the time that the third floor had been “illegally converted” into a cat shelter and adoption center when, in fact, it was only authorized for residential use, The Straits Times reported.

All of the cats and kittens living there at the time were given up for adoption when the Cat Museum closed, Seet told Coconuts Singapore.

Now, she’s ready for a new chapter, starting with five kittens and an adult female cat.

Two of the kittens were rescued from Punggol and Senoko, respectively, Seet told us, while the remaining three were rescued together with their mother from Bukit Batok.

Running a cat shelter is also costly, which is why Seet is seeking donations to cover up to S$150,000 (US$108,000) in management costs for the year. The single largest expense — S$30,000 – will go toward setting up the new Kampong Glam space. The rest, she said, will be set aside for expenses including those related to medical and rescue costs.

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