One in four of the vets surveyed by the German Animal Welfare Federation have been confronted with more cat suffering since the coronavirus pandemic - according to a recently published survey. The main reasons for this are a lack of expertise and a lack of money on the part of owners.
"During the pet boom in the coronavirus era, numerous new cats were acquired, many of them ill-considered. The consequences are still being felt today. Millions of street cats - abandoned, runaway or abandoned animals and their offspring - live and suffer undetected among us. More and more cats end up in animal shelters, many cats become victims of animal cruelty or animal hoarding. As the most popular pet in Germany, the cat is also one of the most neglected animals," explains Dr. Dalia Zohni, specialist for pets at the German Animal Welfare Federation.
With 15.9 million animals, cats are the most frequently kept pet in Germany. During the coronavirus pandemic, the number of cats owned increased by two million animals in just two years - between 2019 and 2021. The German Animal Welfare Association has now surveyed veterinary practices for its “Big Cat Protection Report”: 27% of the vets surveyed believe that they have been confronted with more animal welfare-related incidents involving cats in their practices since the coronavirus pandemic. Cats are neglected, poorly kept or abandoned.
According to the vets, too many pet owners know too little about the animals' needs, how to keep them and how to treat them properly. They also often lack the financial means to afford necessary veterinary treatment. The results of the new veterinarian survey are consistent with existing findings: Many animal welfare organizations affiliated with the German Animal Welfare Federation confirm that animal cruelty to cats has increased in their catchment area. Evaluations by the German Animal Welfare Federation also show that cats have been the species most frequently affected by animal hoarding in recent years. In cases of animal hoarding, the animals are often found seriously ill or already dead.
ADOPTION MUST BE WELL CONSIDERED
The German Animal Welfare Federation advises people to consider the needs of their cat in detail before acquiring it and to ensure that they can afford the costs of neutering, regular vaccinations and parasite treatments, other veterinary treatments, food and accessories. A mandatory certificate of competence before acquiring an animal, as demanded by the association, would ensure that future owners have the necessary knowledge.
The German Animal Welfare Federation is also calling on the German government to introduce a nationwide castration requirement for outdoor cats in order to prevent uncontrolled breeding and thus reduce the suffering of street cats. If cat owners were also required to have their animals microchipped and registered in a pet register such as FINDEFIX, cats found in animal shelters or abandoned animals could be quickly assigned to their owners. This would also relieve the pressure on overcrowded animal shelters.
Note to editors: You can download the German Animal Welfare Federation's “Big Cat Protection Report” here: www.jetzt-katzen-helfen.de/report. The results of the veterinarian survey, which supplement the report, as well as the exact study profile of the survey can be found here: www.jetzt-katzen-helfen.de/tierärzte-umfrage-pdf
