New figures from the German Animal Welfare Federation provide the first insights into the hidden suffering of street kittens in Germany: 99 percent of kittens found are sick; countless die immediately after birth or shortly afterwards. Since every street cat comes from an unneutered cat from a private household, the German Animal Welfare Association is calling for a nationwide neutering obligation for outdoor cats.
The association estimates the number of street cats in the country at several million - and the number of dead kittens is likely to be correspondingly high. “Street cats in Germany suffer in obscurity; many die an early death,” explains Dr. Dalia Zohni, specialist for pets at the German Animal Welfare Federation. The high reproduction rate of cats ensures that there are always new kittens: A female cat has two to three litters of four to six kittens per year. “As the population grows, so does the number of street cats that die in agony. In order to break the vicious circle of uncontrolled reproduction and end the suffering of the animals, a nationwide castration requirement for outdoor cats is needed. As long as politicians fail to act, the death of kittens will continue,” says Zohni.
99 PERCENT OF KITTENS ARE SICK
New results of a survey conducted by the German Animal Welfare Federation among its member organizations confirm that 99 percent of street cat offspring are sick, 69 percent even seriously ill. “The animals suffer from infectious diseases such as cat flu, malnutrition and parasites,” says Zohni. The weak kittens usually only have a chance of survival if animal lovers find them in time and get them medical treatment. However, only 17 percent of animal welfare organizations assume that they were able to save all kittens from a found litter. The majority fear that siblings have already died or could not be found.
HIGH BURDEN AND FRUSTRATION DUE TO POLITICAL INACTION
The fact that many cats die despite all efforts has consequences for the animal welfare organizations themselves: The majority of animal welfare organizations classify the emotional burden of working with street cats as high or very high. Animal welfare activists report that they are “at the end of their tether” or that their thoughts revolve around cats that urgently need to be caught and cared for so that they don't “die somewhere”.
The fact that politicians play down the problem and dismiss the demand for mandatory neutering causes additional frustration: 74 percent of the animal welfare organizations surveyed stated that the biggest factor for frustration was that the street cat problem was not taken seriously by politicians. “Animal rights activists, who are already at their limit, are very often asked to provide concrete data on population size first, even though it is almost impossible to count the shy animals. To demand this from people who experience the suffering and death of cats on a daily basis is cynical,” says Zohni. “The decisive factor is that no domesticated animal should have to fight for its survival and suffer in pain - regardless of the total number of animals. This is also required by the state objective of animal welfare in the German Basic Law.”
Note to editors: In order to make the suffering of street cats visible, educate the public and hold politicians accountable, the German Animal Welfare Association has published the “Great Cat Protection Report”. This is accompanied by the current campaign “Every cat's life counts”: www.jetzt-katzen-helfen.de.
Important facts from the report and the current supplementary paper:
- 99% of street kittens are sick.
- Only 17% of animal welfare organizations assume that all kittens from a litter have been rescued.
- Street cats and their offspring are dependent on human help. The lack of contact with humans is the street cats' downfall.
- In principle, most injuries, diseases and parasite infestations suffered by street cats can be treated medically or prevented (e.g. through vaccinations or parasite prophylaxis).
- The greatest risks to the lives of street cats can be reduced to a minimum through human care.
- According to estimates by the German Animal Welfare Association, the life expectancy of kittens in human care is around 40 times higher than that of street cats.
- For 78% of animal welfare organizations, the situation regarding street cats is a problem.
- 71% of animal welfare organizations report that the number of stray cats in their catchment area has increased in the last 12 months.
