Recourse for Cat Owners Who Missed Deadline to Apply for Cat Licences Due to Pet Animal Licensing System Downtime

Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik asked the Minister for National Development (a) given the recent Pet Animal Licensing System maintenance downtime, whether cat owners who are affected by the system downtime and unable to apply for a cat licence will face enforcement action after the 31 August 2026 deadline; (b) whether the free licensing period will be extended; and (c) how many pet cats have been licensed under the cat licensing scheme to date.

Mr Chee Hong Tat: Under the Cat Management Framework, cat owners were given a two-year transition period, from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2026, to license their cats free-of-charge. During this period, the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) supported cat owners through islandwide free microchipping drives and through the Pet Cat Sterilisation Support (PCSS) programme, which provides free sterilisation and microchipping for lower-income households. By the end of the transition period, more than 129,000 cats had been licensed.

The Pet Animal Licensing System underwent a 30-minute scheduled maintenance on 19 August 2026 for the deployment of a waiting room function, in anticipation of higher licence applications towards the end of the transition period. On 25 August 2026, the system experienced downtime for one hour and 45 minutes due to a Microsoft service power outage that affected systems across Southeast Asia. As these downtimes were limited and did not materially affect the overall licensing process, it is not necessary to extend the transition period and the free licensing arrangement further.

From 1 September 2026, keeping an unlicensed cat is an offence under the Animals and Birds Act, punishable by a fine of up to $5,000. Cat owners who have not yet licensed their cats should do so promptly. Those who require financial assistance with sterilisation and microchipping may apply to AVS for support under the PCSS programme.