Speech by SMS Tan Kiat How at Asia Cat EXPO 2023

Jul 29, 2023

A very good morning to everyone. I am happy to be here to join you at this year’s Asia Cat Expo. This event brings together cat lovers, industry professionals, animal welfare groups, and more, to share valuable insights on feline care, health, and adoption.

Public consultation on cat management approach

These objectives are aligned with the Animal and Veterinary Service, or AVS’s efforts to improve the management of both pet and community cats in Singapore.

Last September, we launched a public consultation on our proposed approach to cat management. The approach aimed to safeguard public and animal health, while encouraging responsible cat ownership and caregiving. The proposed approach covers three key areas.

First, extending the licensing and microchipping scheme to include pet cats. This will improve their traceability, enabling us to respond more effectively to animal disease outbreaks.

Second, expanding our Trap-Neuter-Rehome/Release-Manage, or TNRM, programme for free-roaming dogs, to community cats. This will allow us to better manage the community cat population.

Third, introducing engagement and education programmes to promote responsible pet ownership and caregiving for community cats, as well as the adoption of cats.

Earlier this year, we shared that AVS received more than 30,000 responses on our proposed approach from members of the public, and most of them strongly supported our approach. I would also like to thank respondents for providing invaluable feedback and suggestions, particularly on implementation.

To refine our proposed approach, we are conducting focus group discussions with a diverse group of stakeholders, including cat owners, non-cat owners, community cat caregivers, HDB and private estate residents, animal welfare groups, and selected respondents from the public survey.

These focus group discussions will help us to better understand the potential impact of our proposed plans and AVS will carefully consider all feedback received.

Safeguarding welfare of pet cats

Beyond our proposed cat management approach, AVS has also been working to raise the standards of the breeding and sale of pet cats in Singapore. These licensing conditions take alignment from the conditions already in place for pet dogs, and will help ensure the health and welfare of pet cats. 

For instance, in 2021, I had announced that as part of the pet sector review, AVS will be introducing a set of licensing conditions for pet breeding and boarding services. This was implemented for pet dogs. AVS has now implemented the same set of licensing conditions for the breeding of cats for commercial purposes. These conditions cover areas such as housing, diet, emergencies and transfers of animals, and are aligned with the current dog breeding conditions.

Under a new licensing condition for pet shops, it is now also mandatory that they only sell pet cats and kittens that are from licensed pet farms, or legally imported from overseas or from other AVS-approved sources. For example, home breeding or the use of residential premises for commercial breeding of cats is not permitted. This provides potential cat owners with added reassurances on the health and welfare of the pet cats that are being sold in pet shops. 

Responsible pet ownership

Safeguarding animal health and welfare is a shared responsibility. We can do our part by ensuring a clean and safe living environment for our pet cats, and spending quality time with them.

We can also do our part to be a considerate neighbour by not letting our pet cats roam freely, and by neutering them to reduce caterwauling and disamenities to our neighbours. Sterilising our pet cats will also prevent unwanted litters and reduce their risk of health issues.

Conclusion

We will continue to work closely with the community to improve the health and welfare of companion animals, and to raise standards in the pet sector. I hope you will support us as we refine and implement our proposed cat management approach in time to come.

With that, I wish you and your pets an enjoyable time at the Asia Cat Expo!