A review of the main issues related to feline overpopulation in the EU: public policies; no-kill management, TNR methodology, CAROcat project.

1. Feline Overpopulation in the EU:
abandonment and urban cats
Agnès Dufau
February 2018

2. Numbers
• Cats are the nº 1 companion
animals in the EU: 74 M owned
cats in 2016 / 68 M dogs (FEDIAF
Facts and Figures Report 2016
www.fediaf.org )
 Cats are “Easy to care for”; “ideal
companions for urban
environment”
 Cats are not “working animals”
 Cats have an image of being
distant and not needing human
care

3. What is a cat?
• Felis Catus are among the most commonly kept
domestic pets, and coexist with humans in a
variety of different circumstances.
• Cats are not fully domesticated although scientists
estimate their domestication started 9500 years ago
in the Middle-East
• Cats are sentient beings (Art 13 TFEU)
• Cats reproduce efficiently: measures to control
populations are needed, based on ethical and
humane approaches. Although the “100.000 cats in
7 years is wrong: Theoretical maximums do not
occur in nature.”
• The indoor –outdoor debate (in the last 15 years
indoor only cats from 52% to 64% in the USA)
• Feral/ Community/Urban cats
Free-living as single or colony cat(s). Usually some
direct human contact and tolerance. Fed and
provided for to some extent.
• Stray cats
Previously cared for by a human (typically in a home)
but now free-living. Some direct human contact and
tolerance. Fed and provided for to some extent.
• Owned cats
Living with and cared for by humans, typically
spending some or all of their time in a human
home. May be kept as single or multiple cats in the
home.
• Abandoned cats
Have been living and cared for by humans before
being dumped
*ISFM Guidelines on Population Management and
Welfare of Unowned Domestic Cats (Felis catus)

4. Cat Domestication
Human-cat symbiosis:
commensalism
Complete cat skeleton
buried beside a human
( Cyprus) dates back to
about 7,500 B.C

5. Feline Overpopulation
 Less legal requirements for identification and registration than
dogs (last example : UK; Bulgaria)
 Less birth control (neutering ratios lower than dogs)
 Less healthcare follow-up (less visits to the vet)
 Cats are more allowed to roam freely than dogs
 Lack of knowledge on cats behavior cause of abandonments
> Feline Overpopulation

6. Feline Overpopulation
ANIMAL WELFARE CONCERNS
Free-roaming cats (Feral, stray, semi-owned)
 Life conditions: food and shelter; risks
(cars, dogs, humans); sanitary conditions
(lack of veterinary attention)
 High kitten mortality: 75% kittens died or
disappeared before 6 months of age.
Trauma was the most common cause of
death. (Reproductive capacity of free-
roaming domestic cats and kitten survival
rate. Nutter Fb, JAVMA, 2004)
 High intake and killing rate in shelters:
66% cats killed in the USA, virtually 100%
of feral cats (2006 National Animal Control
Association Statistical Survey.

7. Feline Overpopulation
ANIMAL WELFARE CONCERNS
Cats in shelters
 Huge intake of feral cats for killing; (49% in Belgian shelters in 2016)
 Non adaptation to shelter for both previously owned or un-owned
cats lead to high stress level to illness and to death/euthanasia;
 Longer stay for cats than for dogs: less cats adoption (cats “easy to
acquire” from the street, friends, cat offspring's);
 Lost cats less likely to be reunited with their owners:
2% in the USA (National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy Shelter Statistics
Survey 94-97)
12% Barcelona (CAACB 2015)

8. Feline Overpopulation
COMMUNITY CONCERNS
• Less security concerns than with stray dogs population:
 Less road accidents implication;
 Less or no cat attacks;
 Lower perception of rabies risks
• More concerns about nuisances (mainly due to non neutered individuals
behavior) and environmental impact (due to the cats and their feeders);
• Human health risks (toxoplasmosis; bartonella);
• Risks for wildlife. (Reconcilable differences :Wildlife biologist helps chart a new
path for cat advocates and conservationists. animalsheltering.org)

9. Feline overpopulation
SOLUTION STRATEGY
Failure to provide responsible ownership and stop cats’ abandonments
 Promoting Responsible Ownership of owned cats
• Identification and registration;
• Veterinary follow up including vaccination; neutering; avoid abandonment.
• Education; training
Failure to adequately manage community cats’ populations
(“wait and see”; killing (shooting; poisoning; diseases introduction); trap and remove)
 Promoting Humane management of urban cats
• No kill method;
• TNR as main strategy;
• Active colony management;
• Improving shelters management procedures

10. Trap-Neuter-Release
• Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is a
program in which outdoor cats
are humanely trapped, spayed or
neutered, ear-tipped and
returned to the location where
they were found.
• TNR is the most humane and
effective method for stabilizing
and eventually reducing outdoor
cat populations.
• TNR Nº 1 Challenge: Numbers
and data
Feral Cats - Overpopulation -
TNR

11. TNR Challenges
• Numbers : Identifying the Target Population (and
Metapopulations)and Setting Goals
• Target Rates for Sterilization
Reading: Journal of Animal Law & Interdisciplinary Animal Welfare Studies
(MAPAMA-IUSTEL; oo November 2017) “The potential for simple metrics to
transform TNR programs: introducing monitoring guidelines”- John Boone
(Research Director, Great Basin Bird Observatory Reno, NV, USA;
Biostatistical Consultant Humane Society)
• Non-Surgical Sterilization and Contraception
Visit acc-d.org (Alliance for Contraception for Cats and dogs)
• Integrated Management of colonies
• TNVR v TNR v TNRVM: Trap, neuter, vaccinate,
return/rescue, and manage

12. Responsible Ownership: Identification
and Registration
• UK
Mandatory I&R for dogs
since 6th April 2016 but NO
mandatory I&R for cats.
• Spain
No mandatory R&I in all
regions;
• 2,3% cats identified ( Fundación Affinity Study
2016)
• 8% cats identified at CAACB (2015)
• France
Mandatory I&R for all cats
since 2012 only
• “The accurate and permanent
identification of pet cats is both
important and desirable, and has
been regarded as an essential
component of cats' welfare.
icatcare.org”

13. I&R in the News
• Netherlands: “Coming
soon: compulsory micro-
chipping for cats”
(7 February 2018)
A proposal to allow local
councils to require cat
owners to have their pets
micro-chipped is
expected to gain a
majority in parliament
Dutchnews.nl
• UK: “Cat warning: Nine
out of 10 risk being lost
forever because they are
not microchipped”
(25 January 2018)
• Numerous stories of cats
who will never see their
owners again are being
highlighted to compel
millions of pet lovers to
get their animals
microchipped.
express.co.uk

14. Responsible Ownership: Neutering
• Domestic cat neutering
mandatory in Belgium
(Wallonia, March 2017;
Flandre 2020)
• Promoting mandatory
neutering for owned cats
• Promoting TNR
programmes for free-
roaming /unowned cats

15. Legal status of Urban cats
• Legal situation of urban cats in
Spain, France and the UK
• Can a companion animal be
considered as a res nullius?”
 Although the issues related to the
management of those
populations are similar all over
the world there is:
 No uniformity to name or classify
these animals,
 No unique criteria to establish the
local regulations

16. Urban cats in France
• Since 1999 mayors can consider the implementation of cat
colonies as a method to control urban cats - Loi nº 99-5 du 6
janvier 1999 relative aux animaux dangereux et errants et à la protection
des animaux publiée au JORF le 7 janvier 99
• From 1st January 2015 the mayors do have the obligation
to try to implement such program before making the
decision to capture and transport the animals to a shelter-
Arrete du 3 avril 2014: “Unidentified cats without owner or holder living in
groups in public places in the territory of a commune can only be captured
at the request of the Mayor. The animals can only be transported to the
public shelter if it had not be possible to implement a neutering and
identification program as specified in Article L211-27 of the “Code rural et
de la peche maritime”

17. Urban Cats in the UK
• The public administration do not have any responsability
for stray or feral cats but they do for stray dogs (Road Traffic Act -
1988; Control of Dogs Order -1992).
• NGOs are in charge of controlling abandoned, stray and
feral cats
• There is no legislation protecting cats except the Animal
Welfare Act (2006) which protect all cats, included feral
cats
• “Duty of Care” Concept : Code of Practice for the Welfare of
Cats

18. CATS and the EU Laws
• Regulation No 1523/2007.
Regulation on the ban of cat and
dog fur : the ban on cat and dog
fur applies in the European
Union since 31 December 2008
and was introduced by
• Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of
the European Parliament and of
the Council of 12 June 2013 on
the non-commercial movement
of pet animals applies to the
cross-border movement of pet
animals into Member States

19. Cats in the EU Politics
• European Parliament resolution of 4 July 2012 on the
establishment of an EU legal framework for the
protection of pets and stray animals (2012/2670(RSP))
(2013/C 349 E/08)
Calls on the Commission to put forward an EU legal
framework for the protection of pets and stray animals,
including:
- rules for the identification and registration of animals,
- stray animal management strategies, including vaccination and
sterilization programs,
- measures to promote responsible ownership.

20. Important EU News
• EU cat and dog survey: European
Commission’s report on the welfare of
dogs and cats involved in commercial
practices published (March 2016)
Available here
• MEPs vote on a Joint motion for a
resolution on the introduction of
compatible systems for the registration
of pet animals across Member States
(25th February 2016)
• Second Eurobarometer “ Attitudes of
Europeans towards Animal Welfare”
published by the European
Commission (March 2016)
• “The most recent Eurobarometer
survey on “European citizens' attitudes
towards animal welfare” showed that
over 90% of those interviewed believed
it was important to protect the welfare
of animals. (V. Andriukaitis)
• Final vote of the Animal Health Law
(8th March 2016)
• “Although the distinction between kept
and wild animals was maintained in the
final text, the preamble of the legislation
clearly explains that stray animals are not
wild animals”.

21. EU News 2017
• 14/02/2017 Vytenis
Andriukaitis (EU
Commissioner for Health and
Food Safety) announced 3
studies: thus the Animal
Welfare Strategy 2012-2015
will come to an end with a
delay of two years.
• Commission Decision of 24
January 2017 establishing the
Commission Expert Group
‘Platform on Animal Welfare’
EU PLATFORM ON AW
• 75 members
• Inaugural meeting 6/06/ 2017; First
meeting 10/11/2017; next meeting
21/06/2018.
• Representatives from Member States;
international organisations (OIE; FAO) and
the EFSA (35 members)
• Remaining 40 members come from
business and professional organisations
covering farmers, food processors, animal
transporters, veterinarians and retailers;
organisations representing civil society
such as animal welfare organisations; and
independent scientific experts.
• VierPfoten is a member

22. Eu News 2018
Animal Welfare Platform
• On Friday 10th November, the
second meeting of the EU
Animal Welfare Platform took
place in Brussels. As
announced during the last
meeting, two sub-groups will
be created: one on transport
and one on pig welfare. Sadly,
the EU Commission is not
willing to create other groups,
in particular regarding the
issue of pet trade.
• On 31 January 2018 MEP
Ivan JAKOVČIĆ (Croatia –
Group of the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats for
Europe) has presented a
motion for a European
Parliament Resolution on
mandatory sterilisation of
dogs and cats.

23. CAROcat: a Vier Pfoten initiative
 PARTNERS
● VIER FOTEN EPO Brussels
● IZSAM G.CAPORALE TERRAMO
● FEDERATION OF VETERINARIANS OF
EUROPE (FVE)
● THE EU COMMISSION
● European Advisory Board on Feline
Diseases (ABCDvets)
www.carocat.eu
• Generate and share
scientific based data and
practical information with
all target groups
(administration; policy
makers; politicians; NGOs;
veterinarians; citizens)
• Promote cat responsible
ownership and humane
management of urban cats
• Knowledge management
tool

24. CAROcat Mission
• Generate and share scientific based
data and practical information with
all target groups (administration;
policy makers; politicians; NGOs;
veterinarians; citizens)
• Promote cat responsible ownership
and humane management of
community cats
• Knowledge management tool to
share experience
• EDUCATION TOOL

25. CAROcat Message
Every cat should have a responsible owner.
“The current cat overpopulation crisis is generating important animal health
and welfare issues and must be dealt with by promoting responsible
ownership and controlling the number of community cats in an ethically
acceptable (no kill) approach”.
CAROcat website offers scientific, legal and practical tools for political
strategies, concrete projects and programs to build a European wide
culture of responsible cat ownership.
www.carocat.eu