The German Animal Welfare Federation and its Schleswig-Holstein regional federation are supporting the 16th Schleswig-Holstein cat neutering campaign, which starts on October 9. Provided the funds are not used up before then, the campaign will run until October 20. As the amendment to the scale of fees for veterinarians (GOT) has led to a sharp rise in costs, the planned period for the fall campaign will be two weeks shorter than before. The campaign for animal welfare organizations and those delivering unneutered stray cats will remain free of charge in the participating municipalities.
"At least 50,000, more likely 75,000 street cats live in Schleswig-Holstein - the animal suffering is immense, even if it is not visible to all of us, as street cats live in secret. As the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament has rejected a state-wide cat protection ordinance with the government majority, the only thing left to do to alleviate the misery of street cats is a state-wide castration campaign. Our associations and local animal welfare activists are still appalled by the state parliament's negative decision. The opportunity was missed to turn fine words into deeds," says Ellen Kloth, Chairwoman of the Schleswig-Holstein branch of the German Animal Welfare Federation. Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, adds: "The neutering campaigns that take place twice a year in Schleswig-Holstein are an example of how cat protection works. Neutering street cats as comprehensively as possible is an essential measure to minimize their suffering. However, the vicious circle of uncontrolled reproduction can only be broken in the long term if outdoor cats are also neutered. As the state parliament has decided against a cat protection ordinance, we appeal to all cat owners to have their animals neutered."
PERIOD OF THE CAT NEUTERING CAMPAIGN SHORTENED
The amendment to the GOT from November 22, 2022 will increase the cost of neutering cats and tomcats by an average of 20 percent. As a result, the fund was exhausted early during the last campaign in spring, meaning that the scheduled campaign period of four weeks could not be adhered to. For the fall campaign, the period was immediately shortened by two weeks. The German Animal Welfare Federation, together with its regional federation in Schleswig-Holstein, had already decided in spring to increase the subsidy due to the increased costs: Both federations will contribute a total of 20,000 euros in 2023. The Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Agriculture increased its contribution to 110,000 euros following discussions with the state federation, among others. The vets are also waiving 30 euros of their fee per castration. There are currently still 100,000 euros in the fund for the campaign in the fall. The amount results from the shares of the participating municipalities from the spring campaign.
The offer in Schleswig-Holstein is primarily aimed at animal welfare organizations, but also at other people who bring in cats that have been found. In order for the vets to be able to neuter the cats free of charge, the animals must have been caught in one of the participating municipalities. In addition, the person delivering the cat must confirm that it is a free-roaming street cat. After neutering, the cats are marked with a transponder with a microchip and registered with FINDEFIX, the pet register of the German Animal Welfare Federation. They must then be returned to the place where they were caught. Animal welfare organizations continue to feed them at feeding stations.
CAMPAIGNS ARE PROMISING
Since the project was launched in 2014, animal welfare activists have already carried out 15 campaigns in Schleswig-Holstein together with the state and local authorities. The total number of animals neutered since then is around 26,400. 1,396 cats were neutered during the spring campaign - of which 812 were female and 582 male cats.
More information on the campaign, a list of participating municipalities and all documents can be found on the websites of the state government and the Chamber of Veterinarians.
Note to editors: The German Animal Welfare Federation provides information as part of its campaigns "Every cat's life counts" and "Animal shelters help. Help animal shelters!" campaigns about the suffering of street cats and the importance of neutering: https://www.jetzt-katzen-helfen.de and www.tierheime-helfen.de/katzenschutz
