Sirikit Treiling loves cats. Otherwise she would not get involved with Felina Sicily, an association that takes care of abandoned cats. What Treiling and the other club members don’t like at all is when the cat population grows uncontrollably, many of the animals become neglected and then suffer.
Treiling believes that happens too often in Frankfurt. “There are enough cats in the city.” She reports that a few days ago she and her comrades-in-arms had a “shocking” experience. They rescued a total of 34 stray cats from several Frankfurt green spaces, most of which were in an allotment garden in Griesheim. Citizens would have noticed the action and then given further information on homeless cats. “I have 50 cats on the waiting list,” says Treiling.
Castration can be reported as property damage
The cat protectors believe that this situation is intolerable. To solve the problem, they demand a cat protection regulation for Frankfurt. Such a regulation would oblige owners – many of whom let their animals roam freely without being controlled – to have their cats neutered, tagged and registered. “That would improve the situation significantly,” says Treiling. On the one hand, such a regulation would offer voluntary animal rights activists legal certainty.
According to Treiling, it is currently the case that a cat owner whose free-roaming animal has the animal rights activists castrated can report them for damage to property. In the future, cat lovers could point out the ordinance to unreasonable owners – and thanks to the chip, the homes could bring the animals back to those who are actually responsible much faster.
Allegedly 18,000 stray cats in Frankfurt
The situation of the animals would also improve, says Treiling, because uncontrolled reproduction leads to diseases and unnecessary animal suffering. Cats reproduce quickly. They are sexually mature quickly and can have up to four young twice a year. “Where three cats are reported, there are 20,” claims Treiling. And says that there are 18,000 stray cats in Frankfurt – a number with which she relies on calculations by the German Animal Welfare Association.
When the animals roam around outside, many of them get sick, they get parasites or diseases like cat flu or cat AIDS. Up to 80 percent of these animals die, as Treiling says. “An immense animal suffering,” she says, adding that controlling the population would not least benefit the birds.
According to the animal rights activists, the city of Frankfurt is responsible for the strays – this is already evident from the Animal Welfare Act, according to which such suffering should not be tolerated. The Cat Protection Ordinance is a suitable means that cities and municipalities could use to protect animals. The animal rights activists criticize the fact that there is no such regulation in Frankfurt.
