About 7,000 cats licensed in last-minute rush to get them registered for free
There were close to 3,000 applicants in the virtual waiting room at around 11pm, AVS said.
Singapore saw a last-minute surge as about 7,000 cats were licensed from August 31 to 3am on September 1, 2026, owners hurried to register their feline companions for free under the Cat Management Framework. Despite Minister of State for National Development and Foreign Affairs Alvin Tan urging owners to register their pets quickly earlier on August 31 and during an event on July 18, many owners lamented online about the long wait times on the Animal and Veterinary Service’s (AVS) licence application portal during the final minutes of the deadline.
AVS group director Anna Wong explained that the AVS had implemented a virtual queue system from 8pm on August 31 to manage the traffic on the platform due to the anticipated surge in licensing applications. The system facilitated up to 3,000 applicants in the virtual waiting room around 11pm, and to accommodate the deadline extension, there was a system refresh from midnight to 12.30am on September 1.
One Reddit user posted a screenshot of a virtual waiting room with an expected time of over an hour and 2,940 people ahead of them, with other users sharing similar experiences. Despite the chaos, AVS’ Wong noted that more than 129,000 pet cats were currently licensed, with approximately 93 per cent of them sterilised. She emphasized the importance of ongoing efforts to license pet cats as part of the Cat Management Framework, which aims to enhance traceability, owners' accountability, and the welfare of pet cats.
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