Mandatory castration for cats in Switzerland

For these reasons, keeping unneutered cats with free-range access is highly problematic from an animal welfare perspective. Neutering outdoor cats is a proportionate measure to prevent a further increase in the stray cat population, reduce cat suffering and sustainably regulate the cat population in Switzerland. The current legislation does not go far enough. NetAP – Network for Animal Protection has therefore joined forces with the Stiftung für das Tier im Recht (TIR) to call for the creation of a Swiss-wide regulation that obliges all owners of outdoor cats to have them neutered by a vet.

NetAP – Network for Animal Protection launched the campaign “Mandatory castration for outdoor cats in Switzerland”. At the heart of the campaign is a petition calling on the Federal Council and Parliament to introduce compulsory neutering for outdoor cats in order to curb the excessive reproduction of cats and thus reduce cat suffering in Switzerland.

In fall 2016, the Fondation SOS Chats submitted a similar petition. petition with over 17,000 signatures in Bern. At its meeting on 15 December 2016, the Council of States decided not to act on this petition for the “mandatory sterilization and castration of all cats in Switzerland”. NetAP and TIR comment on the decision of the Council of States to reject the “SOS Chats” petition to introduce compulsory neutering for cats.

We submitted a petition for mandatory neutering of outdoor cats in Switzerland to Bern with 115,567 signatures. Over 150 organizations support the motion. At the time the petition was handed over, 39 members of parliament had already co-signed the petition. At the media conference beforehand, the journalists present will be informed in detail about our concerns.

TIR and NetAP sent an open letter to the Federal Council to once again draw attention to the prevalent cat suffering in Switzerland on World Animal Day on October 4th. They demanded that the Federal Council find a sustainable and animal-friendly solution to the existing stray animal problem and thus send a clear signal for animal welfare. The letter was never answered.

On October 3, 2018, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) published the document “Questions and answers on neutering outdoor cats and Microchipping”. NetAP and TIR comment on this on 20 December 2018.

Furthermore, the Society of Swiss Veterinarians (GST) published a policy document “Neutering cats yes – on a voluntary Basis” on the issue of mandatory neutering. NetAP and TIR comment on this on 20 December 2018.

National Councillor Doris Fiala (FDP/ZH) submitted the motion 18.4119 “Less animal suffering thanks to mandatory castration for outdoor Cats” to the National Council.

The Federal Council recommended the rejection of Doris Fiala’s motion 18.4119. Its arguments are based primarily on the document “Questions and answers on the castration of outdoor cats and Microchipping” published by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) on October 3, 2018. In a joint letter, NetAP and TIR had already issued a comprehensive critical response to the FSVO paper last December. NetAP and TIR responded with an email to parliamentarians and a public statement on social media.

The National Council rejected the petition without further discussion (see also Official Bulletin). Like the Federal Council, the National Council’s Committee for Science, Education and Culture (WBK) is also guided by a statement published last fall by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO), which NetAP and TIR had already commented on in detail last December. The authorities and the National Council certainly recognize that there is a stray animal problem in Switzerland. However, they consider mandatory castration to be disproportionate. TIR and NetAP comment on this in the press release dated June 27, 2019.

The WBK of the National Council submits motion 19.3959 ‘In favour of better control of the reproduction of stray cats’ to the Federal Council. The motion instructs the Federal Council to make electronic identification mandatory for all cats. Unidentified cats should also be allowed to be sterilized without the owner’s consent.

The Council of States also rejected the petition without discussion (see also Official Bulletin). The petition is thus finally off the table in Bern.

In a press release dated October 2nd, 2019, NetAP and TIR commented on the WBK motion: they welcome the recognition of cat suffering in Switzerland contained in the motion and the demands formulated. At the same time, however, they drew attention to the fact that mandatory identification will not solve the existing problem of overpopulation, as it has no direct influence on the sexual behavior of cats. Therefore, mandatory identification can only be seen as a flanking measure to mandatory castration.

The Federal Council recommended the rejection of Motion 19.3959 “For better control of the breeding of stray cats”.

The National Council follows the recommendation of the Federal Council and rejects motion 19.3959 ‘In favour of better control of the breeding of stray cats’.

Following regular reports in the media that the Swiss government rejects mandatory neutering due to the high costs it would incur for the state, TIR and NetAP wrote to the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) on February 27, 2020, asking for information on the costs the state would allegedly incur. As the demand for compulsory neutering of outdoor cats is directed at the owners and the costs-by-cause principle therefore applies, it is unclear what costs the federal government is constantly citing to justify its negative stance.

The FDHA subsequently instructs the FSVO to respond. In this reply dated 9 April 2020, the FSVO unfortunately does not address our questions, or only to a limited extent, which is why we wrote on 30 April 2020 to Federal Councillor Alain Berset and the FDHA again and asked for answers to the outstanding questions. On 13 May 2020, we were informed that the FSVO had been tasked with answering the questions, but that it would only respond verbally. The corresponding telephone conversation took place on 27 August 2020. The FSVO assured us that it had recognised the plight of cats and wanted to take measures, but that it did not consider mandatory castration to be feasible. It confirmed that the argument of high costs was merely based on assumptions. The assertion that the majority of owners were already neutering their cats and that cantons and municipalities were carrying out neutering campaigns was also based on assumptions. Other measures were discussed that could alleviate the suffering of cats.

Three members of the cantonal parliament (Stampfli/Graf/Rüfenacht) of the canton of Bern submit a postulate 069-2020 calling for mandatory castration in the canton. The cantonal government recommends that this demand be rejected and bases its reasoning on the FSVO’s arguments. Together with the umbrella organization of Bernese animal welfare organizations, TIR and NetAP will send a set of arguments for mandatory castration to all Bernese councillors on 18 November 2020. 2020. The vote is postponed from November of 2020 to March of 2021.

Doris Fiala’s motion 18.4119 was also rejected by the National Council without discussion, with 151 votes against and 19 in favour.

The postulate 069-2020 by Stampfli/Graf/Rüfenacht was rejected by the Cantonal Parliament of Bern with 88 votes against, 55 in favor and 8 withhold votes.

The cantonal councilors Nathalie Aeschbacher (GLP, Zurich), Linda Camenisch (FDP, Wallisellen), Isabel Bartal (SP, Zurich), Wilma Willi (Grüne, Dielsdorf) and Janine Vannaz (Die Mitte, Aesch) submitted postulate 208/2021, which calls on the Zurich cantonal government to examine measures to prevent the excessive proliferation of outdoor cats.

In June 2021, we received a reply from the FSVO to a citizen. She had contacted the FSVO because she was concerned about the development of cat suffering. Against its better judgment, the FSVO replied with the same arguments that we had already refuted several times and which the FSVO had already confirmed it could not prove (see above, August 27, 2020). On June 26, 2021, we asked the FSVO why it was still sticking to these claims. Unfortunately, the FSVO did not respond, but state that it will no longer comment on the issue. On August 5, 2021, we therefore sent another open letter to the FDHA, as we believe that an authority must stick to the facts and not spread unfounded assumptions. There was no reply. There was no reply.

Claudia Baumgartner (GLP) and other female politicians in Basel-Stadt submitted an appeal (Geschäft 21.5630) to the cantonal government regarding the “Excessive proliferation of outdoor Cats / Animal welfare for stray Cats” with the request to examine appropriate measures.

The Zurich cantonal government speaks out against measures that would sustainably improve the situation for cats. In its reasoning, it also follows the FSVO (RR minutes of 15.09.2021).

On the occasion of World Cat Day on August 8, 2022, the FSVO refers to cats as pests in the press. In a letter, we asked the FSVO to comment on what steps it was planning to take to fight against the suffering of cats. In an email dated 19 September 2022, the FSVO replied: “The Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) has taken note of the requests from NetAP and other animal welfare organizations regarding the prevention of feral cat populations through mandatory cat neutering. Any regulations in this regard must take into account not only animal welfare concerns but also the concerns of cat owners and enforcement authorities. In addition, new animal welfare legislation must be proportionate, feasible and reasonable in its overall context. We will submit specific proposals for comment as part of the consultation process, but cannot provide any further information until then.”

City Councilor Susanne Clauss (SP) submitted a postulate 20230224 to the city of Biel to curb the cat epidemic.

The Cantonal Council of the Canton of Zurich decides by 111 : 56 votes (with 0 withheld votes) the Postulat KR-Nr. 208/2021 to be referred to the cantonal government. Within two years, it must draw up a report on the subject of cat suffering.

The Basel-Stadt cantonal council proposes that the motion by Claudia Baumgartner and her colleagues concerning the “Excessive reproduction of outdoor Cats / Animal welfare for stray Cats” be written off.

The Grand Council of the Canton of Basel-Stadt decides by 72:16 votes against writing off the motion by Claudia Baumgartner and consorts. The cantonal government therefore has two years to draw up a proposal for a solution.

St. Gallen cantonal councilor Andreas Bisig (GLP) submits an interpellation on the subject of “Getting feral cats under control: Introduction of a mandatory chip for cats”.

The city council of Biel definitively rejects the postulate 20230224 ‘Curbing cat misery’ by Susanne Clauss. Here, too, cat misery is not denied, but the responsibility for suitable measures is shifted back to the federal government.

In a letter, NetAP asked the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO for information on the impact of the ‘Luna & Filou’ awareness campaign from October 2018 in connection with the petition on the mandatory neutering of outdoor cats.

National Councillor SP Nina Schläfli submits question 24.1051 ‘2 Millionen Hauskatzen in der Schweiz: Was macht der Bundesrat?‘.

Uri SVP politician Kevin Arnold is submitting a motion LA.2024-0895 to create a legal basis for compulsory registration and castration of cats in the canton of Uri.