Flemish minister calls for cat sterilization to curb stray population

Flemish Minister of Animal Welfare Ben Weyts urged pet owners to sterilize their cats to address the ongoing issue of stray animals in Flanders, Belgium.

Local governments in Flanders have implemented an active stray cat policy since 2018. This policy requires municipalities to create management plans, establish reporting points, and capture and sterilize stray cats. While local authorities often work with volunteers and animal shelters, the minister says the current approach is producing results.

Last year, municipalities captured 12,577 stray cats, which represents a 20 percent increase compared to 2018. The minister noted that more than half of these captured cats were released back into the wild, while over a quarter found new homes through adoption. The number of adopted stray cats has risen by 147 percent since 2018. Despite these improvements, Weyts stated that the problem persists as long as owners abandon pets or fail to sterilize them.

He plans to offer more support to municipalities so they can issue fines to owners who repeatedly violate sterilization requirements. Stray cats face significant risks including disease, injury, and malnutrition, often living only 2 to 5 years compared to the 10 or more years a house cat typically lives. They also cause neighborhood issues like noise and litter.

While socialized cats go to shelters for adoption, more feral cats are sterilized and returned to fixed locations where volunteers provide food and monitoring.