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Overhaul of HDB Cat Ownership Policy

Problem.

The policy not to allow cats to be kept in HDB flats is to minimise incidents of cats becoming a nuisance to residents (ST Jul 13) has good intentions but it has significant national implications for Singaporeans.

Implications.
Firstly, it leads to a loss of public integrity as residents keeping cats will have to do so furtively as cat keeping is a breach of a term and condition in the HDB property sales & purchase agreement. Will the offender be evicted from his home?

Secondly, should one HDB official decide to use his power to enforce the over fifty-year-old policy, a large number of Singaporeans will be penalised since 90% of the population is reportedly living in HDB apartments. The issue may turn into a political hot potato during the election year. Using my personal experience, my veterinary practice, existing for 19 years in an HDB industrial park was asked to cease operations by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) official last year as veterinary clinics are not categoried as "industrial". I should relocate or become an industrialist although the URA & HDB had approved the use of the premises as "veterinary clinic" in a 1982 public tender.

Thirdly, the taxpayers' money will be used to bring offenders to court should there be a challenge to the policy due to the eviction of the persistent offender from the HDB.

Fourthly, once the court case is publicised, the image and branding of Singapore as a caring developed nation suffers globally since a click of the mouse for such information at a Google search engine will reveal such litigation by anybody anywhere.

Fifthly, an increasing large number of older parents and sick senior citizens keep a cat as a companion since the children have grown up or are busy at work. Certain religions prohibit the keeping of dogs as pets; cats are a good alternative. The policy deprives many of home companionship, somebody to "talk to" after a hard days' labour. Many cat lovers who want to be law abiding, cannot afford to live in private condos and houses which will not have such a policy.

Solutions.
It is good to read that the Housing Board will consider the Cat Welfare Society's latest proposal (ST Jul 13). One HDB official had told me that cats let out of the apartments may spray urine or pass stools at neighbour's premises. Sterilisation of cats definitely stops this problem. How widespread is this wandering problem?

Education of the younger generation helps to stop pet cats wandering out of the house will take time. An excellent initiative, "Responsible pet ownership education talks" by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) vets is held in schools yearly.

I believe that the main nuisance for HDB flat owners is the cats making noisy mating calls and fighting over territories in the middle of the night rather than spraying urine at neighbour's premises.

An excellent research on Singapore stray cats by the AVA vet, Dr Lou Ek Hee, http://www.sva.org.sg/html/singapore_stray_cats.html, showed that from 1981 - 1998, there was respectively, a yearly number of around 14,000 cats "culled" by the AVA and the SPCA and around 4,000 complaints about cats. Permitting residents to keep cats legally will lead to fewer strays as many residents do not want to breach the HDB law on cat ownership and abandon the cats if they have been warned by the HDB against cat ownership.

I hope the prime minister will look into overhauling the policy owing to its larger impact on the ordinary Singaporean and the image of the country.

Dr Sing Kong Yuen
Toa Payoh Vets
Blk 1002 Toa Payoh Lor 8
01-1477, Singapore 319074
Tel: 6254 3326, 6254 2728. Home Tel: 645 45843. Mobile: 9668 6468.
drsing@pacific.net.sg

Note: I am a veterinarian in small animal practice which includes cats.

This URL: http://www.asiahomes.com/0737HDB_cats_Singapore.htm
References at:

REFERENCES

http://app.internet.gov.sg/data/mcds/mcdsfeedback/feedback/feedback175.htm
Increasing Numbers Of Stray Cats
March 13, 2002

Your Feedback :

Some private estate residents are concerned about the increasing
numbers of stray cats on the streets and the environmental issues that
may arise because of that. They have approached the Society For The
Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals and the Agri-Food and Veterinary
Authority of Singapore (AVA) for help in sterilising the cats but were told
by the latter that members need to live in HDB dwellings in order to
qualify for the help. As such, residents are interested in finding out what
other avenues of help can they seek in sterilising the cats to curb its
rising numbers.

Reply from Ministry :

When the residents of private estates mentioned about approaching AVA
to sterilise stray cats to control the population, I believe they may have
AVA's Stray Cat Rehabilitation Scheme in mind. This scheme was started
for HDB estates in August 1998 as a way to control the stray cat
population humanely through sterilisation and responsible management of
the cats.

Under this scheme, residents of HDB estates can apply to register with
AVA or their town councils if they wish to help control stray cats
through sterilisation and responsible management. They will qualify for
registration (and henceforth called volunteers) if they can meet the
conditions of registration which include working towards getting at least
90% of the cats in their area sterilised, managing the cats so that they
can live harmoniously in the neighbourhood and assisting the town
council to deal with complaints about the cats they manage.

The majority of these volunteers begin by putting in their own time,
money and effort to get the cats sterilised and manage the cats. To
assist them, AVA will sterilise some of the cats if the town council
requests AVA to do so. The volunteers have to arrange to catch and
transport the cats and the cats must be accompanied with an original
signed letterhead from the town council. A prior surgery appointment
must be made.

For your information about a year ago the scheme was extended to
private areas that have an area management or residents' committee to
work with the volunteers to control the cats. The conditions of
registration and how the scheme works remain the same. If the
committee would like to participate in the scheme and requests AVA to
sterilise the cats we will do so upon receiving a formal written request.

If yourself or your residents would like further clarification about the
scheme or advice on how to be involved in managing stray cats
humanely, please contact us. Thank you.

Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore
Tel: 2221211
Fax: 2206068
Email: ava_email.ava.gov.sg
Website: http://www.ava.gov.sg
Date Of Reply: 13 March 2002

http://www.sva.org.sg/html/singapore_stray_cats.html
1981-1998.
Dr Lou Ek Hee, Head, Animal Welfare Section, AVA
14000 stray cats culled per year. 4,000 complaints about cats per year.
Kinder and more gracious society. Majority does not want the stray cats "culled".

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,1870,131011,00.html
July 10, 2001. Straits Times. Forum page.
Cats make great pets in HDB
flats

I REFER to Minister of State (National Development) Vivian
Balakrishnan's comments in Parliament ('Animal abusers to face heavier
penalties'; ST, July 9).

Firstly, we would like to point out that 28 veterinarians support our
proposal to allow HDB residents to keep cats as pets and have confirmed
they are excellent apartment animals. Increasingly, cats are becoming the
most popular pet for urban dwellers.

With sterilisation, they are content to remain housebound and indoors.
Furthermore, we have stated clearly in our proposal that only people who
agree to keep cats responsibly, i.e. indoors, will be allowed to keep them.

Secondly, sterilisation is different for cats and humans. Unlike humans, cats
lose all interest in mating once they are sterilised. As such, caterwauling,
howling and 'post-coital agony' will no longer be an issue. The Cat
Welfare Society advocates sterilisation of all home cats and stray cats.

Thirdly, the minister may have confused the issue of stray cats and indoor
pets. The complaints, which the minister refers to, seem to be in relation to
stray cats which have not been sterilised or managed properly. This will
not be a problem with pet cats, which need to be sterilised, microchipped
and kept indoors, under our proposal.

By allowing HDB residents to keep cats in flats, the number of stray cats
will decrease, which will in turn lower the number of complaints.

We believe that the minister may not have read our proposal or may have
been mistaken as to its contents. We will be sending a copy to him. We
hope to meet the Ministry of National Development to clarify the
misconceptions with regard to our proposal.

For details of our proposal, please visit our website at
www.catwelfare.org

http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,1870,131586,00.html
July 13, 2002 Straits Times Forum Page.
Proposal on cats under study

I REFER to the letters, 'Cats make great pets in HDB flats' by Ms Dawn
Kua from the Cat Welfare Society and 'Sterilised felines won't be a
nuisance' by Ms Deirdre Moss from the Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals (ST, July 10). We thank both for their comments.

The Housing Board does not permit cats to be kept in HDB flats in order
to minimise incidents of cats becoming a nuisance to residents.

Nonetheless, we are studying the Cat Welfare Society's latest proposal
and will inform it of the outcome of our review in due course.

SOO SIEW KEONG
Assistant Director
Public Affairs
Ministry of National Development