Over 111,000 pet cats licensed since start of new ownership rules; transition period ends on Aug 31

SINGAPORE – More than 111,000 pet cats have been licensed two years since new rules for cat ownership rolled out in Singapore.

Giving this update in a Facebook post on Aug 31, Minister of State for National Development & Foreign Affairs Alvin Tan urged those who have yet to microchip and license their pet cats to do so soon.

“Microchipping and licensing our pet cats enhance traceability and owner accountability, and make it easier to identify and reunite lost cats with their owners,” he said.

The pet cat licensing scheme was rolled out under the Cat Management Framework on Sept 1, 2024, making it mandatory for all pet cats to be microchipped and licensed to enhance traceability.

Tan said the two-year transition period allowing owners to ease into the new requirements will end on Aug 31.

During the transition period, the Animal & Veterinary Service supported close to 170 free microchipping drives islandwide, where over 13,000 pet cats were microchipped, he added.

In addition, more than 6,300 pet cats from 2,900 lower-income households have benefitted from free sterilisation and microchipping under the Pet Cat Sterilisation Support programme, he said.

From Sept 1, it will be an offence under the Animals and Birds Act to keep unlicensed pet cats.

In his Facebook post, Tan said the standard cat ownership limits will also apply for new licence applications from Sept 1. Those living in HDB flats can have a maximum of two cats, while those in private residences can keep three cats and dogs.

He added that to date, over 4,700 community cats have been part of the Trap-Neuter-Rehome/Release-Manage programme.

As part of this initiative, AVS has enhanced funding support for the sterilisation and microchipping of community cats while funding additional components, such as trapping and boarding.