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Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS)

Pilot scheme for cat fosterers

Two-year pilot scheme from 3 August 2026 to 31 July 2028

Last updated 6 August 2026

AVS, with inputs from HDB for cat owning households residing in public housing, will be rolling out a two-year pilot scheme to recognise responsible cat fosterers and allow them to keep more cats than the current limits, starting 3 August 2026.

AVS recognises that fosterers play an important role in cat management, by providing safe homes for cats in need, including those that are sick, injured, require palliative care, or pending adoption. By keeping these cats indoors and supporting their rehoming, fosterers help reduce the number of free-roaming cats in the community and contribute meaningfully to the broader aims of the Cat Management Framework.

Approved fosterers will be allowed to keep up to six cats in HDB flats and up to 10 cats in private premises. These limits include all pet and foster cats in each household. In addition, approved fosterers must sterilise all cats in their household.

Approved fosterers must strictly comply with the prevailing cat licensing conditions and terms of fostering. AVS and HDB reserve the right to rescind recognition status in cases of non-compliance.

Eligibility and Terms

The pre-requisites and assessment criteria are as follows:

  • Fosterer has experience caring for pet/foster cats

  • Fosterer has resources (financial and time) to care for foster cats in addition to pet cats, if any

  • Fosterer is living in private premises or 3-room or larger HDB sold flat[1]

  • All existing cats kept/fostered at point of application are sterilised and microchipped

  • There are no adverse feedback relating to pets or disamenities on the premises in the two years prior to application

  • Fosterer has not committed any animal welfare or pet licensing-related offences under the Animals & Birds Act in the two years prior to application

[1]Sold flats refer to flats purchased by flat owners directly from HDB or from the resale market.

Application

Interested applicants may apply for recognition as an approved fosterer via https://go.gov.sg/cat-fosterer-form from 3 August 2026.

Applications will be assessed by AVS, HDB (for fosterers in HDB flats), and the Cat Welfare Society (CWS), which is AVS' lead partner for TNRM Cats. The assessment process includes home visits to ensure fosterers meet the necessary requirements.

Veterinary support for approved fosterers

In support of our recognised fosterers, the following veterinary clinics have generously come on board to offer benefits for recognised fosterers. To find out more about the available benefits and terms*, recognised fosterers can reach out directly to the participating clinics:

  1. AAVC-Animal & Avian Veterinary Clinic

  2. Barkway Pet Health

  3. Canopy Veterinary Centre (Jurong West)

  4. Evervet Veterinary Clinic (Eunos)

  5. Furiends Veterinary Clinic

  6. Genesis Veterinary Clinic

  7. Gentle Oak Veterinary Clinic

  8. Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group (Bedok)

  9. Mount Pleasant Veterinary Group (Clementi)

  10. Paws N Claws Veterinary Surgery

  11. The Pet Physician

  12. Vet Central

* Benefits are subject to each clinic's own terms and conditions. Clinics may impose additional requirements at their discretion.

Fosterers can also continue to sterilise and microchip the community cats they are fostering for free through AVS’ Trap-Neuter-Rehome/Release-Manage (TNRM) programme and the Cat Welfare Society (CWS). More information can be found at https://go.gov.sg/cat-tnrm and www.catwelfare.org/catsnip.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is there a need to recognise cat fosterers?

The Cat Management Framework, implemented in September 2024, allows cats to be kept as licensed pets in HDB flats and in private premises. AVS recognises that fosterers play an important role in cat management, by providing safe homes for cats in need, including those that are sick, injured, require palliative care, or pending adoption. Approved fosterers will be allowed to keep more cats than the limit of two pet cats in HDB flats and three cats and/or dogs in private premises, enabling them to continue their important work.

Why is the number limit for HDB flats lower than the limit for private premises?

To preserve a pleasant and harmonious living environment in public housing estates and maintain good neighbourly relations , AVS and HDB sought to balance between the interests of residents who wish to foster cats and those who may be affected by potential disamenities from irresponsible ownership or fostering. The limit of 6 cats for HDB flats was set with this balance in mind.

This limit takes into consideration past surveys which show that 98% of cat owners keep up to six cats and over 80% of cat fosterers fostered up to six cats at any point in time. These findings show that the proposed limit meets the needs of the majority of fosterers.

The higher limit of 10 cats for private premises reflects the wider range of property types in that category, including condominiums and landed properties. This gives fosterers in private premises greater flexibility to accommodate more cats. As this is a pilot, the scheme, including the cat limits, will be reviewed upon its conclusion to assess how it has been managed and the community's response.

Must the applicant be affiliated with an Animal Group to be approved?

Affiliation with an Animal Group is not a prerequisite for this programme. Applications will be assessed based on the applicant's suitability and ability to carry out cat fostering activities responsibly.

Why is the Cat Welfare Society (CWS) assessing the applications?

Assessment of fosterers' applications is part of CWS' roles as lead partner under the TNRM programme for community cats. AVS will review the recommendations and retains sole authority and discretion in the final determination of application outcomes.

Does an approved fosterer need to license the foster cats?/ Can an approved fosterer be exempted from licencing fostered cats, but ensuring the adopters license the cats upon adoption?

Under the Animals and Birds (Licensing and Control of Cats and Dogs) Rules 2024, all cats and dogs must be licensed. This applies to fostered cats as well — fosterers are required to license all cats in their care for traceability purposes. Upon adoption, the licence can be transferred to the adopter.

Are licences for foster cats free?

In recognition of and support for fosterers, approved fosterers will be able to license their fostered cats for free during the 2-year pilot, from 3 August 2026 to 2 August 2028. Free one-time licences with lifetime validity will be issued for sterilised foster cats, while free licences for unsterilised foster cats will only be valid for one year*.

Pet cats owned by approved fosterers, as well as fostered cats that have been adopted out, will still be subject to prevailing licensing fees.

*Unless medically exempted by a veterinarian, all cats kept within the premises must be sterilised: Kittens must be sterilised by 6 months of age or within 2 months of fostering (whichever is later). Cats over 6 months of age must be sterilised within 2 months of fostering.

What will happen if a fosterer is already fostering more cats than the allowed limit before the fosterer recognition scheme is rolled out?

Fosterers who have licensed their foster cats during the transition period (1 Aug 2024 to 31 August 2026) may continue keeping these cats after 1 September 2026. They will not be permitted to take in additional cats until the number falls below the limit through natural attrition or rehoming.

Fosterers who have not licensed their fostered cats by the end of the transition period (31 August 2026) will have these cats classified as new intakes and must therefore comply with the permitted limits.

Can I appeal to foster more cats beyond the number limit if I have the resources to do so?

Appeals for fosterers in private premises to keep more cats will be considered by AVS on a case-by-case basis. Appeals for fosterers in HDB flats to keep more cats will not be considered.

Will approved fosterers be subject to inspections or spot checks by AVS or HDB?

Inspections or visits will be conducted when necessary, for example if any feedback on non-compliance is received.

What should I do if I move/ change my address after being approved as a fosterer?

Approval is granted specific to the address stated in your application. If you are an approved fosterer and are moving to a new address, please contact AVS.

What happens if a fosterer’s recognition is revoked?

Fosterers whose recognition has been revoked will be required to rehome all their foster cats.

How long will it take for a fosterer’s application to be approved?

Prospective recognised fosterers should expect the approval process to take up to 8 weeks.

The process involves assessments conducted by AVS, HDB (for fosterers staying in HDB flats), and CWS (as lead partner for TNRM cats), including home visits, to ensure that fosterers meet the necessary requirements.

I have more enquiries regarding the policy. Where can I enquire?

For further enquires or feedback, you can submit them via the online feedback form at  www.avs.gov.sg/feedback, or contact us at 1800 476 1600.