Cats in HDB flats? The public says yes

Did you know that Singaporeans are not legally allowed to keep cats in public housing (HDB flats), whereas having dogs, on the other hand, is permitted? Given how cats and dogs are two of the more commonly owned pets in Singapore, this begs the question: why is there a disparity between the two?

According to the Housing and Development Board (HDB), cats are “generally difficult to contain within the flat”, and “when allowed to roam indiscriminately, they tend to shed fur and defecate or urinate in public areas, and also make caterwauling sounds”.

With regard to this issue, Member of Parliament (MP) Louis Ng has been actively speaking out and expressing his support in reviewing this ban, both in parliament and on his personal social media accounts, for years.

In a recent Facebook post, Ng writes that the concerns raised by HDB “can be easily addressed” through sterilisation, and by simply ensuring that domestic cats are kept indoors.

But what do Singaporeans think about this? The OPPi team engaged with 229 local respondents of different ages through an AI-powered conversation to find out more. The results: approximately nine in 10 locals feel that cats should be allowed in HDB flats.

Despite HDB’s ban though, many residents still keep cats as pets in HDB flats with no legal consequences. The Ministry of National Development (MND) states that investigations are carried out whenever HDB receives a cat-related complaint, but as long as the cat is not causing any disturbances, the resident will be allowed to keep it.

In response to this, Ng questions the point of having a rule that is not actively enforced — to which a large majority (75%) of OPPi’s respondents agree that it is in fact pointless to have symbolic laws.

A few other MPs have also recently come on board with Ng. Earlier this month, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin adopted a stray kitten and has since expressed support for revising the ban. Just last month in a Facebook live session organised by non-profit animal advocacy group Hope for Animals, MP Raeesah Khan, agreed with Ng that these furry felines should be allowed in HDB flats.

While the crowdsourcing results reveal an overwhelming consensus for having cats in HDB flats, not all of these respondents are necessarily fond of cats. Some of them claimed to not be animal lovers and expressed a phobia towards cats. A significant number (17%) of respondents have also had negative experiences with cats or cat owners.

That being said, many non-animal lovers are still willing to have cats in HDB flats as long as appropriate measures are in place to prevent unwanted pregnancies and unruly behaviour among the cats in the community. Of the 229 respondents, 80% agreed with Ng that there should be stricter enforcement to ensure that domestic cats are being sterilised. 90% of respondents also feel that cats should be micro-chipped for enforcement purposes like domestic dogs are.

Furthermore, while many (89%) respondents agree that we should be more understanding towards the needs of animal lovers, a large number (73%) of respondents feel that this tolerance goes both ways, and that cat owners should be more sensitive towards the feelings of others.

Minister for National Development Desmond Lee has addressed this issue in his round-up speech on the Housing and Development (Amendment) Bill in response to MP Louis Ng’s requests, and has stated that the ministry “will continually review” this law, but will have to “strike a balance between residents who are pet lovers and those who are not”.

So it remains to be seen if the law will be amended in the near future. In the meantime, join in the discourse in our community group, get to know like-minded people, or just stay on top of the issue with us. We’d love to hear what you have to say!