Jakarta Expands 'Cat Feeding Stations' Programme to Pasar Santa

The Jakarta provincial government is expanding its animal-friendly city programme. After introducing cat feeding stations in MRT Jakarta and TransJakarta environments, the programme has now been extended to Pasar Santa in South Jakarta. Member of Commission B of the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives from the PSI faction, Francine Widjojo, appreciated PD Pasar Jaya for presenting a sterilisation programme while building two cat feeding station points at Pasar Santa. The programme was implemented with the support of the South Jakarta Food Security, Marine, and Agriculture Sub-agency. “This is a very good initiative from the Jakarta provincial government,” Francine said in a statement on Wednesday. The cat feeding stations at Pasar Santa were inaugurated on 24 June 2026. The inauguration was attended by Head of the South Jakarta KPKP Sub-agency Ridho S. Yudyantoro, Head of the Livestock and Animal Health Section Irawati Harry Artharini, Area 11 Manager of Pasar Jaya Dewi Ratna Furi, and Head of Pasar Santa Shiva Ramadhania. In addition to inaugurating the feeding stations, the event included the installation of educational banners and stickers to encourage the public to feed cats in the designated locations. The two feeding points are located near the entrance by Tuku and Kawaki Roastery. Francine said similar programmes had previously been implemented in a number of public spaces. In 2022, the Jakarta provincial government introduced cat feeding stations in the MRT Jakarta environment. Then in 2025, similar facilities were built at the Kebayoran, Velbak, and Kuningan Madya TransJakarta bus stops, as well as at Kebayoran KRL Station. According to Francine, the addition of these facilities is part of the effort to realise Jakarta as an animal-friendly global city. “I hope there will be more cat feeding stations in public spaces so that Jakarta becomes an animal-friendly global city,” she said. She reminded that the addition of feeding stations must also be accompanied by public education to maintain environmental cleanliness and comfort. One method is using paper-based containers and prioritising dry food or kibble. In addition to providing facilities, Francine requested Pasar Jaya to collaborate with the South Jakarta KPKP Sub-agency to run a Trap-Neuter-Return programme at Pasar Santa. She stated that sterilisation is an important step to control the cat population while increasing public awareness of animal welfare. Francine said a census of unsterilised cats at Pasar Santa is currently underway. Once the data collection is complete, the cats will participate in a free sterilisation programme facilitated by the South Jakarta KPKP Sub-agency. “The sterilisation is free from the South Jakarta KPKP Sub-agency because there is already a quota,” she revealed. Francine also mentioned that the free cat sterilisation quota in Jakarta continues to increase. From an initial 9,000 cats in 2024, the quota rose to 21,000 in 2025 and increased again to 22,000 in 2026. She added that access to animal health services will also become easier with the presence of six Animal Health Centres and five Mobile Veterinary Service vehicles in Jakarta this year.