Debated in Parliament on 6 Feb 2017.
Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for National Development (a) how AVA monitors the population of stray cats in housing estates; (b) what is the population trend of stray cats over the past three years; (c) what measures are put in place to manage its population; and (d) what actions are taken against irresponsible cat feeders.
But AVA works with the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) on stray cat sterilisation. Efforts are also made to try to rehome stray cats, although this is not feasible in all cases.
Under the Stray Cat Sterilisation Programme (SCSP), AVA subsidises the cost of sterilising and micro-chipping stray cats in Housing and Development Board (HDB) estates, industrial and commercial areas, as well as in private housing estates. Through these efforts, the annual number of feedback cases on stray cats has dropped from more than 4,000 in 2014 to fewer than 3,000 in 2016.
AVA also works with CWS and SPCA to educate community feeders to feed stray cats responsibly. This includes placing food in receptacles and clearing up after the feeding. If these conditions are not adhered to, irresponsible feeders can be fined up to $2,000, $4,000 and $10,000 for their first, second and subsequent convictions for littering.
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