Approved fosterers may keep up to 6 cats in HDB flats, 10 in private homes under new pilot scheme

The new limits include all pet and foster cats in each household, according to the authority. For example, an approved fosterer who has two existing pet cats will be allowed to license and keep up to four foster cats if they live in an HDB flat and up to eight foster cats if they live in private premises.

Approved cat fosterers must also sterilise all cats in their household. This prevents unintended breeding, which can lead to overpopulation and compromise the welfare of the cats in their care, said AVS.

Additionally, AVS said it will waive licensing fees for cats fostered by approved fosterers during the two-year pilot period. 

For unsterilised foster cats, a one-year licence will be issued with licensing fees waived. This licence will not be renewable if the cats remain unsterilised upon expiry, according to the authority.

Following the pilot, agencies will assess whether it meets the needs of fosterers and gather feedback from the wider community. The findings from the pilot will inform the longer-term approach for fosterer recognition, including the limits for cat fosterers, said AVS.

Interested applicants may apply to be approved fosterer via an online form on the AVS website from Aug 3. 

AVS said it had gathered input since 2023 on how to better support fosterers under the Cat Management Framework, which was rolled out on Sept 1, 2024. 

These included responses to public surveys – respondents included fosterers, residents, cat owners, and non-cat owners to ensure that diverse perspectives – and discussions with partners from the Trap-Neuter-Rehome/Release-Manage programme. 

The authority also said it conducted a survey of fosterers from December 2025 to January 2026 to “better understand the landscape of cat fosterers in Singapore and the challenges they faced”.