Singapore to End Cat Ban in Public Housing

Singapore to End Cat Ban in Public Housing

新加坡将结束公共住房中的禁养猫政策

【听力音频】

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　　By John Russell

　　07 January 2024

　　Sunny is a proud Singaporean citizen who follows the laws of her country. Mostly, anyway. For the last three years, she has been illegally sheltering a cat called Mooncake.

　　A 34-year-old Singaporean law bars cats from government-built housing. Such housing is where most of the city-state's population lives - and Mooncake too, although secretly.

　　Luckily for Sunny and her cat, Singapore plans to end the feline ban later this year.

　　The legal change will free Sunny from the threat of a $3,007 fine or her pet's possible removal.

　　The 30-year-old works in marketing and asked to be identified only by her first name for the security of her cat. She did not want to risk officials removing Sunny from her care.

　　She wonders about the reasoning behind the ban.

　　"Cats are so much quieter than dogs. If they allow dogs, I don't understand why not cats."

　　Officials rarely enforce the ban. And the law is only for the high-rise Housing and Development Board (HDB) buildings. Eighty percent of Singapore's 3.6 million people live in the buildings.

　　The ban does, however, make life difficult for cat owners. One problem they face is health care for their animals. Medical insurance cannot be provided for illegal pets.

　　Lawmaker Louis Ng campaigned to end the ban. He said the law sometimes becomes part of disputes between neighbors.

　　"A lot of times, the cats are collateral when there's neighborly disputes," he said. One neighbor will threaten to tell police about another neighbor's cat.

　　Established in 1960, the HDB plan sells government-built housing directly to citizens for 99-year special agreements. The policy has led to one of the world's highest home-ownership rates. Still, people who live in the buildings are subject to many restrictions and laws.

　　Cats were permitted in HDB apartments until 1989 when lawmakers changed the housing law. On its website, the HDB says cats are difficult to keep contained in individual homes. It also says that cats drop hairs and other body waste in public areas and can be loud.

　　It is not clear what made the Singapore government decide to end the cat ban. But a 2022 government public opinion study may have been the turning point. The study results showed 9 out of 10 Singaporeans believed that cats were fit to keep as pets, including in HDB buildings.

　　Officials are requesting public input on a proposed cat management policy.

　　Dogs have not been subject to a similar ban, but they are limited to one per household. And, only some kinds of dogs are permitted.

　　Market research company Euromonitor International has predicted a big increase in cat ownership. It estimated Singapore's current pet population at around 94,000 cats and 113,000 dogs.

　　Lawmaker Ng, who ran an animal aid group before joining parliament in 2015, also hopes the change will lead more people to adopt rescued cats.

　　Under the new rules, HDB homeowners would be limited to two pet cats. The rules also require owners to register their pets with the government. The owners must also get special identifying electronic devices for the animals. And, owners must install protective devices on windows so cats do not get out.

　　Some cat lovers say the new laws do not go far enough.

　　Thenuga Vijakumar from the Cat Welfare Society wants the law to require sterilization. Another cat rescuer, Chan Chow Wah, urges officials to punish irresponsible owners. He said he had to take care of a cat that fell from a high window in one home. The owners refused to pay its medical bills. Wah also took care of another cat that was abandoned because he had heart disease.

　　"I end up taking over these cases. Basically, I look after them until they pass away," said Chan, estimating he spent $45,100 on cat medical expenses in 2022.

　　But for many cat owners the law will bring peace of mind.

　　Including Mooncake's: "I think it's a good thing and it's a step forward after 30 years," Sunny said.

　　I'm John Russell.

　　Xinghui Kok reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者：约翰·罗素

　　2024年1月7日

　　Sunny是一位自豪的新加坡公民，她遵守着自己国家的法律。至少，大部分时候是这样。然而，在过去的三年里，她一直在非法收养一只名叫Mooncake的猫。

　　一项有34年历史的新加坡法律禁止在政府建造的住房中养猫。这样的住房是这个城市国家大部分人口的居住地——Mooncake也是，尽管是秘密地。

　　对于Sunny和她的猫来说，幸运的是，新加坡计划在今年晚些时候结束这项禁养猫的规定。

　　这项法律的改变将使Sunny免于可能被罚款3007美元或者她的宠物被带走的威胁。

　　这位30岁的市场营销工作者要求只用她的名字来保护她的猫的安全。她不想冒险让官员将Sunny从她的照顾中带走。

　　她对禁令背后的理由感到疑惑。

　　"猫比狗要安静得多。如果他们允许养狗，我不明白为什么不允许养猫。"

　　官员们很少执行这项禁令。而且这项法律只针对高层的住房和发展局（HDB）建筑。新加坡360万人口中有80%的人住在这些建筑中。

　　然而，这项禁令确实给猫主人的生活带来了困扰。他们面临的一个问题是他们的动物的健康护理。医疗保险不能为非法的宠物提供。

　　议员Louis Ng发起了结束禁令的运动。他说，这项法律有时会成为邻居之间争执的一部分。

　　"很多时候，当邻里之间有争执时，猫就成了牵连的对象，"他说。一方邻居会威胁要向警方告发另一方邻居养猫的事情。

　　住房和发展局（HDB）计划于1960年建立，将政府建造的住房直接出售给公民，签订99年的特殊协议。这项政策导致了全球最高的房屋拥有率之一。然而，住在这些建筑中的人们需要遵守许多限制和法律。

　　猫在1989年之前是被允许在HDB公寓中饲养的，但是当时的立法者改变了住房法。在其网站上，HDB表示猫很难在个人家中养，它还说猫会在公共区域掉毛和排泄物，并且可能会发出大声。

　　新加坡政府决定结束禁养猫政策的原因尚不清楚。但是，2022年的一项政府公众意见研究可能是转折点。研究结果显示，10个新加坡人中有9个认为猫适合作为宠物饲养，包括在HDB建筑中。

　　官方正在征求公众对于拟议中的猫管理政策的意见。

　　狗没有受到类似的禁令，但每户只限养一只。并且，只有某些种类的狗被允许。

　　市场研究公司Euromonitor International预测猫的拥有量将大幅增加。它估计新加坡目前的宠物数量大约为94,000只猫和113,000只狗。

　　在2015年加入议会之前曾经运营过一个动物援助组织的议员Ng，也希望这个改变会让更多的人去领养被救助的猫。

　　根据新的规定，HDB的房主将被限制只能养两只宠物猫。规定还要求主人必须将他们的宠物向政府注册。主人还必须为动物获取特殊的识别电子设备。并且，主人必须在窗户上安装防护设备，以防猫跑出去。

　　一些猫爱好者表示，新的法律还不够完善。

　　Thenuga Vijakumar来自猫福利协会，她希望法律要求对猫进行绝育。另一位猫救助者Chan Chow Wah敦促官员惩罚不负责任的主人。他说他不得不照顾一只从高窗户掉下来的猫。主人拒绝支付它的医疗费用。Wah还照顾了另一只因患有心脏病而被遗弃的猫。

　　"我最后接手了这些案件。基本上，我会照顾它们，直到它们离世，"Chan说，他估计他在2022年花费了45100美元的猫医疗费用。

　　但对于许多猫主人来说，这项法律将带来安心。

　　包括月饼的主人："我认为这是一件好事，这是30年后的一步进步，"Sunny说。

　　我是John Russell。

　　这个故事是由路透社的Xinghui Kok报道的。John Russell为VOA学习英语改编了它。

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　　这个故事中的词汇

　　collateral – n. 附带损害，指在争端或战争中对不直接参与的人或物造成的间接损害。

　　sterilize – v. 绝育，使（某人或某物）无法生育子女或幼崽。