Singapore’s strict domestic cat ownership rules are ahead of the world

I am a fan of domestic cat licensing and regulation. I am a fan of using the law to force an improvement in domestic cat caregiving. This is to improve animal welfare and reduce the number of feral cats in the world. There is far too much feral cats suffering.

Singapore is ahead of the world on regulating domestic cat ownership. I’m impressed. Incidentally, Singapore is also head of the world on educating schoolchildren. This South Asian island state has scored the highest in all three of a survey’s subjects namely mathematics, reading and science. On average “Singaporean students are the equivalent of almost 3 to 5 years of schooling ahead of their peers” according to the survey.

There would appear to be a link between laws on domestic cat ownership and high-quality student education. That link is government-driven structure and discipline, which comes from well-engineered nationwide laws which prove beneficial. And an agreement to comply with them. This is about societal culture and compliance in the interests of society.

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Singapore is ahead of the world on domestic cat ownership including licensing and general regulations
Singapore is ahead of the world on domestic cat ownership including licensing and general regulations. Image: MikeB

Public housing

In Singapore about 80% of citizens live in public housing called HDB flats. These are rented apartments owned by the government. The remainder live in private accommodation which I presume is owned or rented.

This unusual structure regarding housing allows the government to impose nationwide regulations on domestic cat ownership without difficulty.

HDB flat renters can now keep two cats

For about 30 years the government banned domestic cats from HDB flats. This ban has been lifted and they are now allowed two cats. In the private sector three cats are allowed. It’s called a framework on cat management.

Overall objective of the framework

The framework aims to:

  • Improve animal traceability
  • Safeguard public and animal health
  • Promote responsible cat ownership and caregiving

Education

First-time cat owners will complete an online course on responsible pet ownership before being issued with a licence. Brilliant. I have advocated for this for ages.

RELATED: Cat superstitions – educate to suppress them

First-time cat owners in Singapore can receive free cat owning instructions to improve cat caregiving
First-time cat owners in Singapore can receive free cat owning instructions to improve cat caregiving. Image: NParks (National Parks of Singapore) on Facebook.

Are you a first-time pet owner? Don’t worry! Under the proposed framework, a new one-time free online pet ownership course will cover basic pet care skills and responsible pet ownership, helping you get ready to welcome your furry friend! The course will be made available in the four vernacular languages.

NParks on Facebook

Licensing and transition period

There is a two-year transition period to allow cat owners to meet the licensing conditions.

During this transition period they can obtain licences for free. Cats have to be micro-chipped and the apartment “cat-proofed”. Not sure what that means. I presume it means protecting cats from jumping out of windows and protecting the interior of the apartment.

During the transition period people with more than two cats can keep them provided they are licensed.

During this transition period the Animal and Veterinary Service provide free sterilisation and micro-chipping for low-income families.

Penalties

Once the transition period is over, there will be penalties for failure to comply with cat ownership laws under this framework on cat management. The fines will be the same as for dog owners. Dog owners can be fined up to $5000 per non-compliance. That’s quite a strict law as you can see and I am in favour of it.

Two cats is a good limit

The two-cat principle is a compromise and I think it’s a good one. It allows the cats to have a feline companion which helps both the cats to entertain themselves in an apartment which is vital and it also takes some of the burden away from their owner to entertain their cats. This is about enriching the environment for domestic cat companions.

Failure to understand the law

Although I approve of these laws, it appears that they’ve not been publicised comprehensively enough because some cat owners with more than two cats are surrendering the extra cats to animal shelters.

The authorities understand that some households may have more than the limit and they can apply for approval from the Animal and Veterinary Service.

If approved, the licence to keep extra cats will be subject to quite tough conditions and the owners will be held to a greater account if their cats are found to be abandoned or neglected.

Supervised outdoors

Also under this new framework, licensing conditions include an obligation to ensure that cats are kept under control in public which means using a harness and lead.

Unintended breeding of cats

I’ve touched on the fact that there are too many feral cats on the planet and one of the aims of this framework is to stem the unintended breeding of cats. It was appear that people on low incomes are more prone to allowing this to happen hence free sterilisation under the scheme.

To encourage the sterilisation of domestic cats, licensed owners who have not sterilised their cats will be required to renew their license regularly had a higher cost.

TNR

Also, under this scheme there will be an extension of the TNR program to “allow us to better manage our community cat population holistically and in a humane and science-based manner”.

Foster carers

Foster carers historically look after more than two cats and there will have to be exceptions for them which I presume can be arranged through the flexibility of the programme in applying as mentioned above.

Feedback

This is an extensive programme and it’s new and therefore the government allowed people to provide feedback on the following website until very recently: https://go.gov.sg/cat-framework.

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