Singapore Expats

We are planning our relocation to Singapore. Does anybody have exerience with bringing cats to Singapore? How is life for cats in Singapore ?

Hi, we moved to Singapore almost a year ago and brought our two cats. This thread on this site helped us a lot, even though we weren't bringing our cats from the US. http://www.singaporeexpats.com/forum/ft ... asc-0.html Also, this thread is useful http://www.singaporeexpats.com/forum/ftopic36703.html

We did all the vet visits, paperwork and airport transferring ourselves and it was fairly smooth. The AVA quarantine facilities and staff are great! We visited our kitties almost every day during visiting hours, and they came out pretty relaxed after their 1 month stay. They have adapted to life in Singapore very well, but we don't let our cats roam outdoors.

We got our cats here in Singapore, so quarantine was not needed. Life in Singapore, for our cats anyway, seems close to ideal. We have a big garden that occupies them much of their time -- though I don't think a big garden is necessary, just some access to the outdoors (sorry batgirl_cdn, I just wouldn't move to a location where they couldn't get outside, they love it so, but that's just me).

They prefer to be out all night, and in the house during the day. But really the choice is their's, they come and go as they please. They are savvy when it comes to traffic and seem perfectly capable at avoiding cars -- a concern even though our street is quiet. The veterinary care is cheaper then at home and top-notch. Imported pet food is more expensive (just like ours!)

We used to walk our cats and supervise them in the garden where we used to live abroad, but if we take them out of the apartment here and walk them, they will start screaming at the door all night, every day, which would not make us very popular with the neighbours. We feel it is too risky to let our cats loose, between possible death by cars, fights with other cats etc. We don't have the budget to afford a black-and-white house in a more green area where they might be safer and have a larger space to themselves. If we move back home and find a nice house with property we will consider letting them out.

There are risks of course, but you don't need a B&W or anything close to it to have 'outdoor' cats. I have friends on Emerald Hill with no gardens at all who have cats that go in and out. I guess it all depends on the cats.

Yeah, I wish mine would stay in one area, but they don't. Also, one cat is very territorial and aggressive, so I dread to think of the vet bills for dealing with him after all of his altercations. He's affectionate and gentle in the house, but outside he's chased neighbour's dogs and every cat he sees.

Dear all
Thank you very much for your valuable input. Currently, our two cats can go outside whenever the want and they love to play around outside and explore everything. That's the way we would also like to keep it in Singapore. Your comments are giving us hope that this will be possible and that life in Singapore will also be enjoyable for our cats in Singapore.
Regards

Good luck with the move! I think you just need to choose a place to live that will have a yard for the cats to play in, and away from dangerous roads.