Woman transforms box into ‘MRT cabin’ as gift for three community cats
A woman has delighted netizens after spicing up a plain box by decorating it to resemble an MRT cabin for some community cats in Braddell.
Initially unsure of what to do with the long carton, inspiration came to Janet Chin after she encountered a train technical fault on the way to work one morning.
Ms Chin, who works in the retail industry, first posted photos of her hand-crafted “Meow Residents Transport”, or the “MRT” on Facebook.
Source: Janet CashCash Chin on Facebook
The makeshift miniature “MRT”, which consisted of a long “cabin” and two “doors”, was decorated to resemble a station on the North-South Line.
More specifically, it had a sign that indicated the stop: N13 Yishun.
Source: Janet CashCash Chin on Facebook
To top things off, the end of the cabin featured a logo similar to SMRT’s and cut-outs of two cats with googly eyes.
Source: Janet CashCash Chin on Facebook
A later update revealed that Ms Chin had placed the “MRT” under a flight of stairs at Braddell.
Source: Janet CashCash Chin on Facebook
Inspired by real-life MRT fault
Speaking to MS News, Ms Chin explained the reasoning behind her uniquely local design.
“When I got this carton box, I thought it would be a waste if I cut it in half to cater to just one cat,” she explained.
The longer box can thus accommodate the three community cats in Braddell, although Ms Chin doubted that all three will occupy it at the same time.
Courtesy of Janet Chin
Ms Chin, who is not a resident of Braddell, offered the newly-embellished shelter to cat feeders there after learning that their shelters had been removed.
Calling it a “simple” project, she revealed that she only required some water-resistant wallpaper and cut-outs.
Therefore, it only took her about a week to complete.
Cat lovers, feeders grateful for the shelter
Response to her project has been largely positive, too.
Ms Chin said that many cat lovers thought this was a “great idea” since it not only gives cats shelter during rough weather, but also beautifies the place.
She added that cat feeders in other neighbourhoods also wished for their cat corners to be similarly decorated.
On Facebook, netizens expressed gratitude towards Ms Chin for her work.
One community cat feeder praised her for her creative design, and thanked her for her “good heart”.
Source: Facebook
Another commenter also hoped that the cleaners or the Town Council will not remove the “MeowRT” cabin.
Source: Facebook
Referencing a recent incident where SMRT lodged a police report against a man who consumed water on the MRT, a netizen jokingly reminded the cats that drinking water is prohibited.
Source: Facebook
When asked whether she thinks the cats will use the shelter in the long-term, Ms Chin said that it “depends on the cats’ characters”.
However, she noted that “most cats love carton boxes”, and that she is only “enhancing the external appearance of the box to beautify a public area”.
Also read: Boon Lay community cat feeders receive over S$10K in food credits to support caregiving efforts
Boon Lay community cat feeders receive over S$10K in food credits to support caregiving efforts
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Janet CashCash Chin on Facebook and Janet Chin.
