Deep Dive Podcast: Why is animal cruelty on the rise in Singapore?

In the latest SPCA data, the number of confirmed animal cruelty and welfare cases in Singapore reached its highest point in 2024. What’s driving these numbers?

Steven Chia and Crispina Robert find out from Samantha Chia, owner of ChubbyBuddy Cats and Sabrina Ng, communications and advocacy manager at SPCA Singapore. 

Here's an excerpt of the conversation:

Steven Chia, host:
Are there more people buying your cats these days? Have you seen the numbers go up? And is there any way for you to say: "Hey, maybe you shouldn't get a cat?"

Samantha Chia, owner of ChubbyBuddy Cats:
Since COVID-19, there's definitely been a strong surge in demand in pet ownership. For us, we prescreen our owners. We insist on meeting them first before we sell them a cat ... We talk about what's needed in the care of a cat and that they are for life, you cannot just abandon the cat.  

Crispina Robert, host:
What kind of questions do you ask? 

Samantha:
We ask them questions like: "How long are (your) working hours?", "If you travel for work, what are your arrangements?", "Are you going to send them to boarding (homes), or do you have a friend who will come over?", "Are you willing to hire a pet sitter? (Cats) can't be left alone for long periods of time."

Then we ask (if they are) mentally prepared for vet bills. Because vet bills in Singapore are high.  

Steven:
So out of every 10 potential clients, how many have changed their mind?  

Samantha:
I would say 50 per cent. We do ask a lot of questions compared to a normal pet shop, where you can just walk in and buy (a pet). 

Steven:
How does the SPCA check on the welfare of pets? 

Sabrina Ng, communications and advocacy manager, SPCA Singapore:
We usually get reports from members of the public. So we have concerned neighbours who notice that maybe another flat owner has not returned home, or there is a smell coming from the home that suggests there is some form of neglect. Or someone notices that a cat has fallen from height and then they see that the windows are not meshed. So a lot of these welfare cases, we rely on members of the public to bring them to our attention.  

(Also) abandoned pedigree pets in their senior age are fairly common at the SPCA ... Yes, the SPCA is a shelter for animals in need. But there is a limit to how many shelters (we) can build. 

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