As cat licensing scheme kicks in, some welfare groups fear a rise in abandonment cases

SINGAPORE: When Tiny the feline was just six months old, it wandered into a ground-floor condominium unit, mewling for food.
“She was super hungry, super skinny,” said cat rescuer Kerstin Schulze from non-profit organisation LUNI Singapore.
“She was very, very scared because that environment must have been completely new to her, so we expect – or we suspect – she was abandoned,” added Ms Schulze, whose neighbours found the kitten.
Tiny was subsequently given a new lease of life when it was adopted by the neighbours, following a failed attempt by LUNI to re-home it.
But now, some animal welfare groups are concerned that more like Tiny could be abandoned, given that microchipping and licensing of pet cats has become mandatory under a new licensing scheme.
They said some owners might see such costs of caring for their pets as an additional burden. To make things worse, welfare groups are also facing a shortage of adopters and fosterers.
The cat licensing scheme took effect from Sunday (Sep 1), with Housing and Development Board (HDB) residents allowed to keep cats in their flats for the first time under a new framework.
HDB residents can keep up to two cats, as well as one dog of an approved breed. The limit for private residences is up to three cats or dogs, or a combination of both. 
There is a two-year transition period until Aug 31, 2026, during which existing owners must adapt to the new requirements.
Licensing is now available via the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS)’s Pet Animal Licensing System (PALS). 
It will be free during the transition period, after which a one-time licence for a sterilised cat will cost S$35. In contrast, a three-year licence for an unsterilised cat will cost S$230.
Low-income households can also get support from AVS via its Pet Cat Sterilisation Support programme, which will offer free sterilisation and microchipping. 
However, groups like LUNI Singapore said that with increasing cost of living, the price of pet ownership – including veterinary fees and pet food – is on the rise. Some owners might not be willing to foot the increasing costs of microchipping their pets as well.
Due to rising costs, the number of fosterers that LUNI works with has dropped from 50 to 60 during the COVID-19 period to about 35 currently, said the group’s foster manager Neha Sethi.
“The adoption cycle is definitely much longer,” she added.
“Before, we could probably re-home an adult cat in, let’s say, one to two months without any issues. Now it’s going to be maybe around six to eight months for certain cases.”
Ms Neha also pointed to how people have returned to the office after working from home during the pandemic, making it tougher to look after foster cats.
“Unfortunately, because there is an increase in abandonment, that does mean that we just don’t have the capacity to rescue all these cats and kittens, so they will be just more community cats on the streets,” she said.
The group is among several that have been pushing for mandatory sterilisation of cats as well. They said this helps reduce the rate of abandonment and even the risk of certain cancers.
“With just unsterilised cats, (they) can quickly multiply exponentially and become out of control … it’s a form of early intervention, so that it doesn’t lead to an overpopulation of cats in homes,” said Mr Rifdi Rafiuddin, vice-president of the Cat Welfare Society (CWS).
He said CWS has been receiving more requests for sterilisation and microchipping through its own programme, which was set up in 2020 to help families with financial difficulties bear the full costs of such procedures.
The group used to sterilise an average of 200 cats monthly, but that has increased to 350 to 400 in recent months.
Mr Rifdi also expressed hope that fewer pets will be abandoned due to the new licensing scheme, since microchipping can help to improve traceability of the animals.
Animal welfare groups are now ramping up efforts to educate owners on the new regulations.
“There could have been confusion about the thresholds when the framework was first announced (in May), and those who did not fully read it may have been confused and used that as an excuse to abandon. But it is no longer new information,” Mr Rifdi noted.
According to statistics from AVS, which falls under the National Parks Board, the number of cat abandonment cases hit a six-year high of 221 last year.
Mr Rifdi also said CWS has been seeing “an increasing number of anecdotal reports” of abandonment.
He pointed out that CWS and AVS have frequently communicated that pet owners are allowed to keep all their existing pet cats under the new framework, as long as they care for the felines’ health and welfare.
“The excuses for abandonment because of ignorance – they should no longer exist,” he added.
“What we really need going forward is consistent and clear messaging to continue, coupled with swift investigations and penalties to act as a deterrent to those who still choose to abandon.”