Meow Therapy

With cat cafes getting increasingly popular over the years, it is refreshing to see a fun, new idea breaking into the feline scene. The latest addition is the Cat Safari therapy centre, set up by Mr Derrick Tan—founder of animal welfare group, Voice For Animals (VFA). Situated at Sunny Heights, visitors will get to enjoy the companionship of pedigree cats in a large animal day care centre for just $5 (or $3 if you’re a student).

Two days ago, Derrick posted on VFA’s Facebook page, explaining his purpose of setting up the Cat Safari. He said it is neither for profit nor publicity. He wrote in his post, “The main objective is to use animal therapy to reach out to those who are in need of help, especially to the special needs kids, elderly, and et cetera.”

He gave the example of the first two special cases he handled since the opening of the Cat Safari. The first “customer” is a child, who was abused. The second is a distressed mother and her special needs child. Both recipients benefitted from the cat therapy where they calmed down and opened up after a session with the purring felines. Derrick also mentioned that he would be conducting private sessions to assist families that are in need of such therapies. He also encourages members of the public to drop VFA a message if they are aware of anyone in need of cat therapy. Attending to such cases is the main priority of the Cat Safari, which is why the venue will be closed to the public if a private session is ongoing.

The Cat Safari is open every weekend, from 1-7pm, with exceptions in the case of private therapy sessions. Visitors are reminded to book a slot early to avoid disappointment. The resident cats at the Cat Safari are not available for adoption. For more information, visit their Facebook page here.