Cats are an integral part of farms, but apparently hardly anyone wants to take responsibility for the animals. This is shown by a recently published survey by the German Animal Welfare Federation, for which the association surveyed veterinarians about the situation on the farms they care for. In 40 percent of farms, no one takes care of the veterinary care of the resident cats. Untreated diseases and injuries are the result. According to estimates by veterinarians, about half of the farms also do not take care of the castration of the animals. This results in great animal suffering.
"Cats are useful because they keep the number of mice and rats on farms low. Although some people take good care of the cats on their farms, the number of farms where no one cares for the cats and unwanted offspring are sometimes even killed is alarmingly high. We are facing a massive animal welfare problem,“ explains Dr. Dalia Zohni, spokesperson for pets at the German Animal Welfare Federation. To end this cruel ”tradition," the association is calling for a nationwide neutering requirement for cats with outdoor access and clear regulations for the treatment of farm cats. “If farmers feed the cats or benefit from their mouse-catching abilities, they are part of the livestock and must be adequately cared for,” says Zohni.
If cats are not neutered, they reproduce uncontrollably. They can have offspring up to three times a year. Many farm cats are malnourished and sick. Unwanted kittens are often drowned, killed, or disposed of in other ways. “Farmers rarely consciously acquire farm cats. The animals come from the surrounding area or have always lived on the farm. Farm operators therefore usually do not want to take responsibility and finance neutering,” explains Zohni.
This is also confirmed by the latest survey conducted by the German Animal Welfare Association as part of its “Every cat's life counts” campaign: the veterinarians surveyed assume that farms do not want to spend money on cats. The Animal Welfare Federation knows from experience that there is often a fear that neutered animals will lose their hunting instinct. This is a prejudice that animal welfare activists can refute: “A good hunter will still catch lots of mice even after being neutered,” says veterinarian Zohni.
Note to editors: The German Animal Welfare Federationn's “Big Cat Protection Report” can be downloaded here: www.jetzt-katzen-helfen.de/report. The results of the veterinarian survey that supplement the report, as well as the detailed study profile of the survey, can be found here: www.jetzt-katzen-helfen.de/tierärzte-umfrage-pdf. Interesting facts about farm cats can be found here: www.jetzt-katzen-helfen.de/wissenswertes/bauernhofkatzen and here
