Feline enthusiasts staying in Singapore’s public housing flats (colloquially known as HDBs) have recent cause to celebrate, following the reversal of a 35 year ban on cats in all flats. Under this new framework, up to 2 registered cats will be allowed per flat (licensed and microchipped). While it is stipulated that owners must take proper measures to prevent their cats from roaming freely outdoors, is it even possible to ensure your cat receives enough enrichment within the enclosed confines of a flat? Why are outdoor cats such an environmental threat?
The Problem with Outdoor Cats
Key notes
- Free-roaming cats wreak havoc on ecosystems, killing billions of birds and mammals annually, single-handedly causing multiple wildlife extinctions
- Cats usually roam and hunt outdoors when bored, lacking enrichment
- Proper pet ownership is vital to ensure your cat is receiving sufficient stimulation
Simply put, cats are phenomenal hunters. Even your grandmother’s overfed orange tabby is a remarkably efficient predator (okay, maybe not the fatter ones), capable of killing all types of reptiles, mammals and birds. Hence it should be no surprise that cats are recognized as a global threat to biodiversity.
According to a 2013 study, free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.3-4 billion birds and 6.3-22.3 billion mammals annually in the United States alone.1
Outdoor cats have contributed to the extinction of 63 species of wildlife
Yet, the problem isn’t just with the hunting alone. The very presence of cats outdoors significantly influences bird health. Whenever cats (as recognizable predators) are within proximity of nesting birds, chick health and nesting success experience reduced performance.
It is true that stray cats are at larger fault compared to free-roaming pet cats. Australia in particular recognizes the ecological threat stray cats pose, citing them as the single biggest threat to their native mammals. They are directly responsible for the extinction of more than 20 Australian mammals, are implicated in another 8 extinctions, and place direct pressure on at least 120 endangered Australian species2.
Australia culls 50,000 strays annually in an attempt to manage feral population.
However cat owners still play a very large responsibility. Many owners let their cats roam freely outdoors, whether knowingly or unknowingly. Often, many owners are busy with work, and don’t realize their cat has a very active life outdoors. However, some owners purposely allow their cats to free-roam outdoors unsupervised due to supposed ‘enrichment benefits’. If you are a cat owner, just know this: Never let your cat outdoors unsupervised
Why you should never let your pet cat outdoors
If you are a cat owner, you’ll know the importance of enrichment – providing your cat with enough exercise, toys and scratching posts. Many of these toys actually serve to hone their hunting instinct. Playing with feather toys and lasers encourages their innate predatory behaviors. If not enough enrichment is provided, that pet cat will become restless, destructive and aggressive. They will search elsewhere for mental stimulation, somewhere they can practice their hunting prowess. They will start hunting outdoors.
Sufficient enrichment is vital not only for your cat’s health, but for the environment
Many owners, seeking shortcuts, allow their cats outdoors unsupervised for enrichment. After all, the natural environment should stimulate the cat in the most natural way, right? In a sense, the outdoors provides the perfect training ground for hunting, exploring and climbing.
However, this can be disastrous for the welfare of the cat. It faces multitudes of risks: Increased exposure to diseases and parasites, potentially fatal injuries from traffic, predation, and ingestion of toxins just to name a few.
A common myth is that if the cat is well-fed, they will not hunt on their own. This is false. Cats will continually hunt for practice and even sport. They will simply just not eat their victim. If your cat has ever brought you presents in the form of a rat’s lifeless corpse, it had been hunting for practice.
The key is adequate and diversified enrichment indoors. If you must provide outdoor access, ensure your cat is properly supervised at all times.
What You Can Do
Both feral (strays) and domestic (pet) cats have been steadily increasing in numbers worldwide. In Singapore, the number of registered pet cats in 2023 was 94,000, increasing by 10% from 2019 (according to a Euromonitor International report). The stray cat population is estimated around 60,000. Ultimately, with increasing pet ownership and resultant increasing neglect of said pets, the number of cats (feral and domestic) roaming our streets will continuously increase.
As an environmentally-mindful community, it is our job to tackle this problem. Whether you own a cat or not, we can all play a part in ensuring pverall cat welfare, while protecting our fragile ecosystems.
Ways to Help
1
Adopt, Adopt, Adopt – I will forever be an advocate for adoption. Not only are you giving the cat a second chance to live a comfortable life, you are removing the number of feral cats on the street by freeing up space in the shelter. It may not be the perfectly obedient kitten you envisioned as a companion, however the process of building trust in an adoptee is one of the most rewarding experiences in life.
If you or someone you know is thinking of becoming a cat owner, please consider adoption.
2
Proper Pet Ownership – never become a pet owner on impulse. Always do proper research on the exact pet you’d want, its exact nutritional needs and living requirements, and what you’d need to purchase for its enrichment (an often forgotten aspect).
If you are unable to provide proper care for a pet, especially due to living space or budget concerns, please reconsider becoming a pet owner. There are other fulfilling pathways towards animal companionship, including volunteering at local shelters. Remember – a neglected pet is a dangerous pet.
3
Education and Outreach – Raising awareness on the biodiversity threat of outdoor cats and proper pet care is the most essential step. Individual action can only change so much. Only by inspiring communities towards change can this problem be mitigated.
Make posters, volunteer at outreach booths, even write blog posts like this one. If proper pet ownership becomes the norm, the number of neglected pets and resulting strays will decrease, reducing the number of outdoor cats.
Every evening walk home, I can easily spot many outdoor cats: darting in the shadows, hiding by the trash, or walking along the railings. Stray cats are becoming increasingly prevalent in our lives. Many elderly leave food out for them, even holding funerals for beloved strays. Though cute encounters, their increasing numbers underscore a looming environmental issue: one that threatens regional biodiversity, and has already devastated ecosystems around the world.