The majority, or 90%, of Singaporeans believe cats are suitable to be kept as pets, reports Mothership.sg, citing a survey by Singapore’s Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS).
The survey ran between September and November 2022, and garnered 30,000 responses. Meanwhile, more than 80% of respondents also agreed that pet cats should be microchipped and licensed. AVS has proposed that the licensing and microchipping scheme for dogs should be expanded to include cats.
According to the AVS, such a scheme would allow a ‘robust traceability system’, which AVS added would be critical.
“Improving the traceability of pet cats would better safeguard their health and welfare, as it would allow AVS to more quickly react in event of a disease outbreak,” AVS added. Licensing would allow help mitigate pet abandonment and help lost pets to be returned to owners more quickly, the AVS stated.
Most, or 80%, of respondents agreed that first time cat and dog owners should attend mandatory short courses on basic pet care skills. AVS also said that irresponsible pet ownership could lead to unhappiness in the community, and could strain Singapore’s social compact.
As for managing community cats, AVS will build on the current Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme. It is proposing the Trap-Neuter-Rehome/Release-Manage (TNRM) programme for cats, and will work with animal welfare groups to sterilise and microchip community cats.
