In consultation with the Lëtzebuerger Déiereschutzliga ASBL, Martine Hansen, Minister for Agriculture, Food and Viticulture, is calling on cat owners to help combat the proliferation of stray cats.
An unwanted litter often leads to the cat and/or kittens being abandoned. A cat can have kittens up to twice a year, with an average of two to six kittens born per litter. More and more overwhelmed owners abandon their animals, so they are left to fend for themselves and die, often because of their age, either through lack of food or by growing up in poor conditions. The reproduction of these abandoned cats is also a growing concern, given that animal shelters are already overcrowded.
The Luxembourg Veterinary and Food Administration (ALVA) points out that castration or sterilisation of cats prevents them from reproducing involuntarily, and is therefore an act of animal protection and welfare. Cats are domestic animals and, as such, cannot be left to fend for themselves without potential risk to their own health, but also to the community.
The law of 27 June 2018 on the protection of animals and its appendices requires castration for any cat with access to the outdoors, with the exception of stray cats on farms.
It is therefore strongly advised to contact the attending vet as soon as you acquire a cat in order to determine the right time for its castration as well as its compulsory identification to thus avoid uncontrolled reproduction and the resulting problems.
As such, castration or sterilisation is an effective tool for combating and preventing the abandonment of animals and attacks on their well-being.
For further information, please consult the agriculture portal.
Press release from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Viticulture