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The only sustainable solution to the suffering of cats is consistent neutering. NetAP neuters cats from almost all cantons in Switzerland on an ongoing basis and is campaigning for a national neutering obligation for outdoor cats.
Here we give you an insight into some of the neutering campaigns we carried out in Switzerland in 2013 and 2014. This list is not exhaustive, as we often refrain from reporting due to time constraints.
At the end of the year, a team was once again deployed in western Switzerland to examine feral cats, neuter them, treat them against internal and external parasites, vaccinate them, mark them and carry out other individually tailored treatments or operations. A total of 42 cats were operated on, a proud result given the snow and ice that day.
Another successful mission in Switzerland: he had read about us in the newspaper, the young farmer from Eptingen, and immediately sent an email asking if we could help him. There were 24 unneutered cats on his farm and would otherwise probably produce more kittens in the spring.
When we send an outreach team to a farm to neuter cats, this only happens under numerous conditions. One of these is that all cats are neutered, without exception. This is the only way to really reduce cat suffering. If at some point there are no more cats on the farm, it is not difficult to find a few cats who are happy to live on the farm.
Another condition is that all cats are allowed to stay on the farm and are fed. With real food, not just milk. Of course, we help to place one or two cats, but that must not be the rule. And under no circumstances should an animal be killed because it is too many.
All cats are marked with a small incision on the left ear. Cats that are very trusting and possibly adoptable can be marked with a tattoo as an exception. We also reserve the right to chip cats.
The farmer must provide us with a clean, warm room with at least two large tables and storage space, electricity, hot and cold running water, a washbasin and sanitary facilities, as well as a very warm room where the cats can wake up in peace after the operation. He must be prepared to let the cats rest in this room overnight and only release them the day after the operation. Only when all these conditions (and a few more) have been met does NetAP send its emergency team to the site.
The farmer concerned was happy to fulfil all our conditions and prepared the operation in an exemplary manner. A large, bright, clean and heated room was available to us for the operation and the tiled stove in the living room spread a cosy warmth so that the cats could wake up and recover in peace and quiet, snugly wrapped up in their boxes at over 25 degrees. It was a wonderful experience to work with him. You could tell that he cares about the cats from the way he spoke about them and seeing how he handled them emphasised this impression even more. He was particularly fond of the cats that he had to cuddle up because a strange dog had killed their mother.
23 cats were finally examined by the NetAP team, neutered, treated for internal and external parasites, vaccinated and released a day later. 13 females and 10 males, one of them a cryptorchid. All cats are doing well. Only one male cat is still missing. He hasn’t been seen the whole time. But as soon as he turns up again, the young farmer will have him neutered too. Colleagues of the farmer have already expressed an interest in having the same operation carried out.
Last Friday it happened again in the Zurich Oberland: the cats on a farm in Bauma were caught, examined, neutered, treated for parasites, vaccinated and released back onto the farm on Saturday. One cat still needs further treatment. Two cats refused to be trapped. The farmer will only feed the cats in boxes for the next few weeks so that they get used to it. At the end of the year, we will then catch the two remaining cats so that there are no more offspring on the farm.
53 cats were neutered by the NetAP team in Lucerne on Saturday. All the cats were examined, treated for internal and external parasites, neutered, vaccinated and marked on the tip of their ears so that it is clear that they were part of our neutering programme and will not be caught again.
This mission took place in collaboration with Lucerne Animal Welfare and Swiss Animal Protection STS. The team was able to operate on the premises of the Ron animal shelter and received a warm welcome. Animal Welfare Lucerne had caught the cats in advance and prepared everything perfectly for the day. On Sunday, the cats were released back into their home territory. One kitten remained at the shelter for further observation.
Another neutering day took place on Sunday in Porrentruy in the canton of Jura. 81 cats, including 48 females, were examined, neutered, treated for parasites, marked and vaccinated and released back into the wild today.
The NetAP team received valuable support from the Association of Jura Veterinarians, who provided their services free of charge. The equipment was provided in full by NetAP, as were the medicines and consumables.
Some animals required further treatment or surgery. Teeth were extracted, a tail had to be amputated, an abscess was split and other operations were carried out. The lucky cat of the day was Pino. He was put to sleep because he had allegedly had an accident and was therefore unable to use his hind legs. It turned out that his balance problems were probably caused by his cerebellum and that he was able to live comfortably and pain-free with his disability. Thanks to local animal lovers, he was immediately placed in a foster home, as he was no longer allowed to return to his home territory.
The well-known animal lover Lolita Morena documented the mission and will soon be broadcasting a programme about the Jura cat mission. A successful day that has shown how important and meaningful co-operation is. This is the only way to combat the great cat misery in the long term.
Following a report from a local resident who was feeding 10 stray cats in Bonaduz, a team tried to catch these animals on Saturday in order to have them treated and neutered. Unfortunately, it turned out that five of these cats had disappeared without a trace shortly beforehand. Only three females were trapped that day and could be examined, neutered, treated for internal and external parasites and finally released on Sunday. One cat had a slight disability, but based on the x-rays it can be assumed that she is not in pain and is coping well.
During the mission, the team came across another feeding site and are now investigating whether there are other groups of cats that need to be neutered. Only by consistently neutering all outdoor cats can the cat misery be brought under control. We are also continuing our work in Bonaduz.
In western Switzerland, there are thousands upon thousands of feral or neglected cats that are constantly reproducing. That’s why we are constantly working with local animal welfare organisations there too.
Also on 25 October, two vets neutered 33 feral cats directly on site. All the cats were also treated for internal and external parasites, vaccinated and marked.
A very strenuous day of neutering in French-speaking Switzerland lies behind the team. 61 cats were examined, neutered, treated for internal and external parasites, vaccinated and further individualised measures were introduced as required. There were numerous open wounds, broken teeth, broken eyes, one cat’s tail was almost dead and a festering wound was gaping at its rear end, another animal had been hit by a car the week before and had broken both front legs without anyone feeling the need to do anything.
There were kittens with suspected feline enteritis, an often fatal viral disease that is starting to spread again in Switzerland because many people no longer want to vaccinate their pets.
The worst was the case of Moses: Moses, a red long-haired tomcat, was apparently due to be disposed of. The police were able to save him from being drowned at the last moment. They wanted to drown him in his box in the stream. As a NetAP team was on site, the totally terrified cat was presented to our vets. He was skinny, dehydrated, completely matted, his claws were ingrown and his paws were bloody. Naturally, Moses was given all-round care and we immediately organised a foster home. As soon as his condition has stabilised, we will try to find a good place for him.
The next castration day in French-speaking Switzerland is just one week away.
Feral cats that breed uncontrollably are also regularly reported in the Zurich Oberland. Yesterday, feral animals were caught in an allotment garden in Gossau, Zurich, neutered, vaccinated, chipped and released today. The suffering of cats is great in every canton, and the co-operation of the population is elementary. Only if all the cats can be caught with the help of local residents and the neutered animals are then fed can the suffering of cats in Switzerland be successfully combated and eventually ended.
A NetAP neutering operation also took place in Basel-Stadt on World Animal Day. A group of feral cats were caught by two NetAP volunteers and taken to the Sevogel veterinary practice, where they were neutered, treated for internal and external parasites, vaccinated and given further care if necessary. The cats will be looked after and fed regularly in the future.
Another NetAP neutering day took place in tranquil Sevelen on World Animal Day. A large team of volunteers started work at 09.00 on a farm. A mobile castration clinic was set up in the barn, with a recovery, preparation and operating room. The conditions were a challenge, but the experienced team mastered them very well.
19 female cats and 12 male cats, all wild, were neutered, treated for internal and external parasites and vaccinated. All were thoroughly checked and received further medical care if necessary. Many of the cats were very skinny, a fact that can certainly be remedied by neutering. Sexuality also means stress for the animals and when this is eliminated, the health and well-being of the animals usually improves.
The mission was the first that we carried out on behalf of the Swiss Animal Protection STS. The STS had observed our work and approved it. In order to be able to cover more ‘hotspots’ with many feral cats in the regions of the numerous STS sections, they asked us for help and of course we agreed. We are of the opinion that we will only be able to get a grip on the great cat misery in Switzerland if we work together.
The co-operation between the STS, the Sargans-Werdenberg Animal Welfare Association and NetAP has worked very well and we are looking forward to tackling more missions for the STS soon.
A NetAP team also catches feral cats in Basel and brings them to our partner veterinary clinic Klaus, where the cats are examined, neutered and treated for internal and external parasites. The help for the cats is desperately needed. For example, one kitten that fell into a trap had to have an eye removed. A bad abscess was already pressing so hard on the eye that it was already inflamed and protruding. Many animals suffer from hunger, disease and neglect. Hardly anyone takes any notice of them. Only occasionally does someone take pity on them and feed them. But feeding alone is not enough. All cats need to be neutered and treated to break the cycle of misery.
While a large team in French-speaking Switzerland was carrying out a very large neutering operation, a small team in Chur was working on a small group of feral cats. Two kittens have already been placed in foster homes and we hope that all the cats in this group can soon be caught and neutered. Without our volunteers, we would not be able to tackle cat suffering in so many places.
We also hope that the number of donors will also increase and not just the number of emergency calls. We have been inundated with emergency calls for months, and donations are still in short supply for the cats in Switzerland!
Another large-scale neutering operation took place in western Switzerland. Three vets and four helpers were deployed to help feral or neglected cats. The cats previously caught by local animal rights activists were examined, neutered, treated for internal and external parasites, vaccinated and marked. Some received urgently needed individual treatment for injuries or illnesses. Two cats were handed over to a local animal lover for further care as they require longer medical treatment.
70% of the animals were female. I can’t imagine how many offspring they would have had this year. The condition of some of the cats was alarming. Many are hardly fed, never treated for parasites and if they have something more serious it is usually a death sentence because hardly anyone cares about them.
Once again this year, many kittens were placed in good homes with the support of NetAP. However, countless kittens were also killed this year by farmers or private individuals because they were unwanted. There are probably well over 100,000 kittens that are killed, shot, drowned or otherwise disposed of in Switzerland every year.
Once again, a NetAP team is on the road in the Zurich Oberland. In the hamlet of Hischwil, our volunteers Angi and Claudia were able to convince a farmer of the importance of neutering. As soon as they arrived, the team managed to catch the female cats, which already had kittens, together with the litter. We were very lucky that an experienced foster home agreed to provide temporary accommodation for both the mothers and the kittens. As the mothers were not quite as wild as initially assumed, the kittens can stay with their mothers until they are 12 weeks old.
The mothers have already been neutered, chipped and vaccinated and will be brought back to Hischwil when the kittens have fledged, where they will be fed by the farmer. In the meantime, our team is looking around for more cats on site to catch all the unneutered animals and bring them to us for neutering. The seven kittens will be placed in good homes.
For the past few days, volunteers have been working in Churwalden to catch feral cats on a farm and have them neutered. The kittens are rehomed whenever possible. The first cats have already been neutered, the next ones are in the trap and on their way to the clinic.
For several weeks now, NetAP has been receiving several calls a day from people who see feral cats in urgent need of help. It gives the impression that the misery of cats in Switzerland has reached a sad climax. A battle against windmills? We won’t give up, because every neutering prevents further suffering!
Feral cats were caught on a campsite in Ottenbach today and brought to the practice of our Aargau partner Vetstation. The animals were neutered, treated for internal and external parasites and ear-tagged. They were also given a health check and, if necessary, individualised care. The mother cat, who had a kitten with her, was very thin. Fortunately, this will now change when she can finally concentrate on herself and no longer have the stress of mating and rearing. The cats are allowed back and will be fed there in future.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
On 25 and 26 August, a neutering operation took us to Maienfeld. A farmer had bragged to customers that he would kill or shoot unwanted kittens. Thanks to the diplomatic skills of one of our volunteers, the farmer was finally persuaded to allow us to trap and neuter all the cats. Cats were lured and trapped for two days. Finally, the animals were neutered at the small animal clinic in Dübendorf on Saturday and released on Sunday. Several kittens were placed.
Finally, we realised that a helper from the big Jura operation in February of this year lives nearby. We equipped her with traps and boxes so that she can keep an eye on the groups of cats in future and catch any unneutered animals immediately.
Another successful neutering day in western Switzerland. The NetAP team stood in the temporary surgery from morning until late in the evening, neutering one feral cat after another.
All the cats were also treated for internal and external parasites, had their teeth and ears checked, were vaccinated and received further individualised care if necessary.
Many thanks to the wonderful and highly committed team. You are great!
The fact that there are also feral cats in the city of Zurich is nothing new to us. Every year we organise numerous smaller and larger campaigns in and around Zurich. The cats are usually semi-feral and can be found in allotment gardens or residential neighbourhoods. If they are lucky, they are fed by residents who hopefully also think about neutering them. With traps and nets and sometimes simply with a special treat, we regularly succeed in attracting and catching the cats. We neuter them at the small animal clinic in Dübendorf and release them back into their territory after comprehensive treatment, including parasite control. We have recently been able to catch and operate on cats from Schwamendingen.
As always, we agree with the residents that the cats will continue to be fed and that we will be informed if a new arrival is sighted or an illness or injury is detected.
For the second time, a NetAP team neutered 200 feral cats in Porrentruy in the canton of Jura.
The city once again made the former motorway pavilion available to us. The premises are ideal for the large-scale event.
A total of 203 cats, mostly females, were neutered, treated against internal and external parasites, vaccinated, marked and, if necessary, other individual measures were taken on the weekend of 22/23 February. These included giving infusions, pulling teeth, splitting abscesses, treating wounds, removing bullets and much more.
Three cats were so wormed that tapeworms and roundworms seemed to be everywhere. The animals were so weak and malnourished that they needed intensive treatment, which we were fortunately able to organise.
The 26-strong team was accompanied by a journalist and a photographer from the magazine ‘Beobachter’. A report on cat suffering in Switzerland and the NetAP mission will be published in April.
We received a distinguished visitor on Saturday. The Jura cantonal vet and the president of the Society of Jura Veterinarians observed our work with interest and were full of praise for our professionalism and commitment. Together, we will be planning further missions for the Jura’s velvet paws in the future. President Gerber assured us that the vets in the Jura were very interested in taking responsibility for the feral cats and also volunteering to take part in animal welfare campaigns. We were naturally delighted about this. Cooperation with the local vets is very important to us. Only if all parties take responsibility and pull together can the suffering be ended in the long term and sustainably.
The Jura animal welfare organisation AJPA did an excellent job of organising the trapping of the cats. With Hermine Dörig, Roland Hermann, Vreni Loosli and Henri Steinlin, the Jura has ‘four angels for the cats’, so to speak.
With the additional traps financed by NetAP, new animals could be brought in without interruption so that our surgical teams were always working to capacity. We worked 12 hours on Saturday and 7 hours on Sunday for the cats.
Dead tired, the NetAP team was finally allowed to travel home late on Sunday afternoon. The AJPA took over the cleaning of the pavilion and, on Monday, the repatriation of the cats operated on on Sunday.
This effort has prevented the birth of around 1000 Jura kittens this year alone. The animals are also less stressed, less susceptible to disease and accidents and can concentrate on what is most important for feral cats: survival.
Neutering means life! Neutering saves lives! Neutering prevents suffering before it occurs. We would like to thank everyone who helped make this campaign such a great success!
The first neutering campaign in Switzerland took place at the beginning of January.
Cats from the Zurich Oberland for which nobody felt responsible were caught, given medical treatment, neutered, chipped, vaccinated and finally handed over to two nice local people who will take care of the animals in the future. Two kittens found a temporary home at the Strubeli animal shelter, where they are waiting for loving owners.
The animal welfare organisation ‘Einsatz für Tiere’ from the Zurich Oberland played a key role in the campaign.
Last weekend, the NetAP team neutered 181 cats in the Jura. Around 70% female and 30% male animals, mostly semi-feral, received treatment against internal and external parasites as well as a health check and, if necessary, other individual treatments in addition to being neutered. The campaign can be described as a complete success, not least thanks to the highly motivated team. They deserve a huge thank you. In just one year, these animals would have given birth to around 800 additional kittens in an environment that is not very cat-friendly. Neutering prevents so much suffering.