Cat hoarding cases in Singapore on the rise in recent years

When did cat hoarding become a thing? And why are people mistreating the furry felines, like in the Yishun case where more than 30 cats were rescued from cages covered in faeces? 

The problem seems to be on the rise. In 2009, the Cat Welfare Society said it handled around five cases on average per year. Now, the number has increased to seven to ten annually, due to more public awareness and helpful neighbours who report serious cases. 

Apparently, there are varying levels of cat hoarding, from mild ones where families have multiple cats but still manage to take proper care of them, to extreme ones where households are uncooperative and the animals live in terrible conditions. The CWS usually extends help in the form of sterilisation, donating pet supplies, finding new owners, and even heading down to the homes to give them a good cleaning.

A recent case at a Mei Ling Street HDB block saw about 20 cats prowling around in cages outside a house on the ground floor, reports Channel NewsAsia. And here’s where things get tricky. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said “cats should be allowed to roam freely and safely within the confines of a home”, but the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority replied that those ones were found to be in “satsfactory condition”, where the caregiver “ensured that the cats were provided with adequate food, water and shelter”. No official complaints have been filed by residents, even though the number of cats has increased through the years.

In lieu of all this, the SPCA urges owners to provide the best for their pets, and is available if anyone needs advice or support. To report any cases of mistreated animals, call the SPCA at 6287-5355.

Oh, and if you’ve been following the Yishun hoarding case, here’s a quick update from the CWS.