SINGAPORE: Thinking they had spotted a business opportunity, a married couple bred imported Ragdoll cats at home.
They imported one male and four female Ragdolls, producing a total of 30 kittens between May 2022 and May 2023, despite knowing it was illegal to do so.
They sold eight kittens for S$46,300.
On Thursday (Nov 20), Wen Tianhao and Qiu Shiwen, both 29, were each fined $52,500 and jailed for a week.
The couple had each pleaded guilty to one charge for operating a commercial breeding farm without a valid licence and 15 charges for keeping the cats they had bred for sale at home without a licence.
Court documents showed that Wen, a Singaporean, and Qiu, a Chinese national who is a permanent resident, came up with a plan to open a cattery in 2021.
They felt Ragdoll cats being sold in Singapore were of poor quality, and imported adults from overseas catteries to their home.
It was only about a year later in May 2022 that Wen contacted NParks to enquire about obtaining a pet shop licence to sell cats.
He was told a valid licence was required if he wanted to breed his pets for sale, and that commercial breeding of pets should only be conducted on licensed farms.
He applied for a pet shop licence on June 1, 2022.
