Can anyone pls advise me? Re pet puss in a rented apartment

[Johann Sebastian]

Hi All,

My wife and I are relocating to Singapore from Aust and have a well loved 17 YO persian cat, who we can't bear to part with. We will be renting (dont know exact details as yet but am guessing a rental budget of about S$2500 -S$3500 month).

I know we won't be allowed to have him in a HDB apartment, so that leaves us with private accommodation. We were hoping to get into a 2 bedroom highrise/condo in or around the CBD - preferably with a pool and gym (for us, not the cat ).


Do you have to tell the landlord you have a cat or can you just move in without advising them?
Can anyone tell me if there are difficulties finding accommodation of the type I have described that allows you to keep a cat in Singapore?
Are landlords generally tolerant of cats or are they picky?
Do you have to pay extra bond?
Will I need a letter of referral from my vet? (sounds bizarre but someone told me they thought this might help).
Any advice on vets in Singapore who specialize in cats?

All advice will be very greatfully accepted!

[seasider]

We have lived in a condo and now a house and have adopted 3 cats here. We didn't inform the first landlord but never saw him anyway; his agent knew and was fine about it. We haven't met our current landlord but we did check with the agent before we took on the house; he even approved us to fit a catflap in a very old, original door!

You will see cats around condos. Unless they are a nuisance or expressly forbidden, you should be fine. I do know people in HDBs with cats; some small dogs are allowed too.

Does your cat have to go through quarantine to come here? I appreciate you can't bear to leave him but IMHO 17 years is old to be put through quarantine so I hope it's not necessary. When you get here, if there is a chance you may have to move on, I recommend you get him a rabies jab. So long as you keep it up annually after his first blood test (it takes 6 months for him to be certified rabies-free), most places will not require quarantine. We did this with ours when we feared we may have to move on and now we just keep up with the boosters.

Please reconsider the HIGH RISE condo unless your cat is used to being an indoor cat - I hear too many horror stories of cats falling out of windows.

My favourite vet is Dr Ling at Namly Animal Clinic, 74 Namly Place. That's between Holland Road and Bukit Timah Road in an area very popular with expats. It's a long way from our current house but worth the journey.

Good luck with your move!

[Johann Sebastian]

No need for quarantine luckily - yes, 17 is too old to do 30 days. Good point re the dangers of open windows in tower blocks - Ill make a mental note to wear a motorbike helmet around residential hi-rise.

Thanks again,
JS

[seasider]

JS - if you have the habit of walking along window ledges and chasing birds, it's probably wise.

Being serious for a minute - a friend's cat fell 4 storeys and survived but was very poorly with both external and internal injuries. Over 4 storeys and the cat is not usually so "lucky".