Fewer animal cruelty and welfare cases reported to SPCA in 2025; most still involve cats

SINGAPORE - Animal cruelty and welfare cases saw a dip in 2025 from a 12-year high the previous year, though the majority of them continued to involve poor welfare or neglect.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) investigated a total of 608 confirmed cases in 2025, a decline from the 961 seen in 2024, according to its annual report released on Feb 2.

Of these, 470 cases involved welfare concerns, while 138 related to animal cruelty.

A total of 1,584 animals were victims, translating to an average of four animals subjected to suffering or death each day.

Cats continued to make up most of the victims in 2025.

SPCA said that while the drop in cases was “encouraging”, the 2025 figure was “still alarming”, especially since it represented only the cases it was aware of.

“The nationwide numbers are most certainly higher,” it added.

Most animal cruelty cases involved abandonment, physical abuse

According to the report, animal cruelty cases saw a general decline across all classifications in 2025.

Most cases involved abandonment and physical abuse – accounting for 42 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.

Animal abandonment cases dipped to 58 in 2025, down from 120 the previous year. Meanwhile, cases involving physical abuse decreased to 35, from 84 in 2024.

There were also 21 cases of causing injury or death to animals, 15 cases of road traffic accidents, and nine cases of inhumane trapping.

Cats remained the biggest victims of abandonment, though SPCA also highlighted cases involving senior dogs with health issues related to breeding practices.

“When people buy pedigree pets for their physical appearance but without consideration of their long-term health requirements, this increases the chance of abandonment when the pet grows older and veterinary fees skyrocket,” SPCA said. “In fact, many of the abandoned pedigrees that SPCA sees are seniors with crippling health conditions.”

The society said physical abuse frequently occurs under the guise or misguided notion of disciplining and training an animal to behave.

Sixteen out of the 35 cases in 2025 involved animals being handled roughly as a form of “discipline”, or due to frustration on the abuser’s part.

In other cases, animals may be abused for social media content or “for reasons that defy understanding”, SPCA said.

It highlighted the case of influencer Eunice Ng, known by the online moniker “Mermaid Girl”, who

uploaded videos of herself allegedly abusing her dog

.

In December, SPCA said it had escalated the matter to the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS), which is a cluster within the National Parks Board (NParks), after receiving multiple reports. NParks is investigating the case.

In a statement on Feb 2, NParks said that following investigations, it had taken action in around 100 cases of animal cruelty and/or failure of duty of care in 2025.

Actions taken ranged from advisories and warnings to prosecution in egregious cases.

Ms Jessica Kwok, NParks’ group director for enforcement and investigation, said in the press statement that animal deaths can be attributed to various reasons, some of which are not related to animal abuse and cruelty.

“Free-roaming animals do not have optimal living conditions, such as... medical care, shelter and regular access to food,” she said. “They are also at greater risk of injuries or death from attacks or fights with other animals, traffic accidents, falls from height, and diseases.”

Ms Kwok added that NParks takes a serious view of all acts of animal cruelty, and works closely with SPCA on improving animal welfare, including outreach and education on responsible pet ownership.

Dissatisfactory living conditions, high-rise syndrome top welfare cases

Dissatisfactory living conditions and high-rise syndrome were the two top contributors of welfare cases, accounting for 50 per cent and 19 per cent of reported cases, respectively.

There were 233 cases of animals found in dissatisfactory living conditions in 2025, down from 324 in 2024.

Cases of high-rise syndrome, which refers to injuries caused by falling from height, decreased from 134 in 2024 to 88 in 2025.

SPCA said high-rise syndrome was preventable in many cases, as these mostly involved owners who did not install mesh on their windows because they usually kept them closed.

While cats are common victims, it added that any animal can fall from height, including dogs and rabbits.

High-rise syndrome affects community cats, too, said SPCA, noting that HDB residents on the upper floors who offer food to animals could put them at risk.

“The cats may also soil the common areas or make noises which can upset neighbours and cause animosity towards the cats, when these neighbours would otherwise be fine if they encountered cats in less private spaces,” SPCA said. “Instead, feeding of community cats should be done in safe areas such as on ground level and away from places with high human footfall.”

More cases involving backyard breeders, pet shops

SPCA received more reports of cases involving backyard breeders and pet shops in 2025.

Cases involving backyard breeders rose from 29 in 2024, to 31 in 2025, while those involving pet shops rose from seven to 11 in the same period. Meanwhile, cases involving groomers fell from eight to three, and those involving daycare or boarding facilities fell from three to two.

In its report, SPCA called for stronger legislation and enforcement action against errant pet businesses. It said backyard breeders and unlicensed sellers pose even greater challenges when it comes to enforcement, as they often fly under the radar by using social media platforms.

An outright ban on pet sales may not be feasible here as this could drive sellers to operate underground, SPCA said, adding that the next best option would be to continue ramping up public education.

There is also a need to hold licensed pet businesses accountable and take swift action against unlicensed sources, it said.

In rounding off its report, SPCA reminded the public that “everyone, from individuals to organisations, has a role to play in protecting animals from harm and improving their quality of life to a level that is beyond bare minimum”.

It added: “The SPCA will continue to work closely with fellow animal welfare groups, independent rescuers, members of the community, and the authorities at NParks, amongst other stakeholders, to put animal welfare firmly on the national agenda.”

NParks’ Ms Kwok said AVS has been organising public seminars, workshops and webinars to raise awareness of the science behind animal welfare and behaviour.

“AVS will continue to engage with the public and stakeholders to raise standards within the pet sector,” she added.