Sanctuary prepares rescued cats for adoption by making them feel at home

Ms Eva Helina Irman runs Little Katpaws, a cat shelter on the second floor of a shophouse in Aliwal Street.

- Judith Tan

The cat sanctuary, about 2,000 sq ft in size, is designed like a home for felines to roam freely.

This is to help the rescued cats "acclimate to human homes should they get adopted", said Ms Eva, 28, who is the operations manager.

Little Katpaws was started by her 48-year-old mother, Ms Katrina Shamsudin, in 2016.

"It was a small place located at Ming Arcade in Cuscaden Road. We had only 10 cats then," Ms Eva told The Straits Times.

"I was 13 when I pestered her into fostering some cats. Eventually, it became her pet project," Ms Eva said of her mother.

"We moved to a much bigger place in North Bridge Road in 2020 and at one point, we even helped rescue 40 cats from a hoarder. We managed to find homes for 25 of them. A few of those cats are still with us."