Cat ban in HDB flats reversed

SINGAPORE: Cats will be allowed in HDB flats starting September 1, 2024, reversing a 35-year ban.

The Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) will publish a finalised Cat Management Framework for the management and welfare of cats in Singapore. The framework includes a two-year transition period for cat licensing.

“Finally, cats will be allowed in HDB flats. It’s absolutely good news,” Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng, a longtime environment and animal welfare activist, wrote in a recent Facebook post.

“Finally, finally, finally after so many years of speaking up and pushing for change, we will allow the keeping of cats in HDB flats,” he added.

The AVS framework allows up to two cats and one dog of an approved breed in every HDB flat. The two-year transition period from Sept 1, 2024, to Aug 31, 2026, is meant to help pet keepers adjust to the changes under the framework.

“Those with more cats than the limits for HDB flats and private premises will be allowed to keep all their existing pet cats if they license them within this transition period,” AVS noted.

The framework, targeted at enhancing the traceability and welfare of cats, safeguarding public and animal health, and promoting responsible cat ownership and caregiving, includes the following.

—A mandatory licensing and microchipping scheme to enhance the traceability of pet cats that will be rolled out from Sept 1.

Licensing is free during the two-year transition period. From Sept 1, pet cat licensing will also be available via AVS’ Pet Animal Licensing System (PALS).

Cat keepers are to microchip their pets when applying for a license. First-time pet keepers must complete a one-time free online pet ownership course covering basic pet care skills and responsible pet ownership before they receive their license.

A Trap-Neuter-Rehome/Release-Manage (TNRM) programme for community cats will be launched on Sept 2, 2024.

There will also be a Pet Cat Sterilisation Support (PCSS) programme for low-income households that will start on Sept 1, 2024, and noted that keeping unlicensed pet cats from Sept 1, 2026, and onward will be an offence.

AVS added the following rules that cat keepers need to know:

a) Ensure that their cats are kept in a safe environment and take reasonable steps to protect them from hazards, including, but not limited to, installing mesh, grilles, screens, or other barriers to prevent the cats from roaming or falling from heights.

b) In public, cat keepers must ensure that their cats are kept under physical control (i.e., not allowed to freely roam), such as by using a harness or placing their cat in a carrier.

Cat keepers will be liable for an offence in the event of any breach of the rules. More details for cat keepers can be found on AVS’ website at https://go.gov.sg/cat-framework. /TISG

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