Spenden
- Activities
- About NetAP
- Your help
- Education
- Media
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 2025. This list is not exhaustive, as we often refrain from reporting due to time constraints. This list is not exhaustive, as we often refrain from reporting due to time constraints.
A call for help took us to Brunegg in the canton of Aargau. An feral mother with three kittens had made her home in a haystack. One of the kittens had already died after falling from the hayloft. We set off immediately and found the remaining two kittens in very poor condition, one of which died on the way to the Mittelland veterinary clinic. The other fought for its life in the clinic for several days and was finally able to move into the Strubeli animal shelter together with its mother. For a few days, the mother had great difficulty coping with the new situation. The trauma of losing two kittens, plus being caught, transported and examined, had left its mark. Fortunately, she came to terms with it over time, and when the remaining kitten is old enough, the mother will be allowed to return to the area and will be fed there.
In a garden in Zurich, a local resident suddenly discovered a skinny mother cat with two kittens. Where they came from was a mystery, as it was actually a cat-free neighbourhood. The lady reported it to STMZ and tried to get help, but no one seemed to have time. Another animal welfare organisation advised her to feed them, distribute flyers and get the pill from the vet or, if she didn’t want to, chase the animals away with a water hose. Was there a misunderstanding? We weren’t there. But the fact is that in many cantons, we are the only ones who go out to catch them. That’s why we are inundated with reports!
We only found out about it by chance. But it was clear to us that immediate action had to be taken. The little ones were at an age where they could still be tamed, and their mother could well already be pregnant again or would be soon.
So we drove there that same evening and were able to rescue the mother and one kitten. The mother was spayed the very next day. The following day, we were also able to rescue the second kitten, and the whole family moved into the Strubeli animal shelter.
In mid-June, we were informed by an employee of a veterinary practice about a case in the Grisons region. A feral cat with four or five kittens had settled on a farm. The farmer did not want them. His own cats were all neutered. He was considering how to get rid of all the cats. Would we be able to help? Unfortunately, we do not have any volunteers or partner practices in this area. It takes us two hours to get there, and then we would have to drive back again.
Apparently, however, no one locally felt truly responsible, so one of our cat catchers travelled to the Bunde region at the weekend to bring a trap and take a closer look at the situation.
Unfortunately, everything seemed to be conspiring against us: the kittens never appeared on camera and the farmer had never seen them again either. However, the local vet did not want to spay the mother while she was still lactating, which is why we hesitated to catch her. At some point, a tomcat was seen mating with the mother cat, so it was safe to assume that she would become pregnant again. The veterinary practice was also quite inflexible when it came to appointments. Sterilisation was only possible on two days a week and only if the cat was brought in early in the morning. The fact that we all worked full-time far away and couldn’t beam ourselves there spontaneously seemed to be our problem alone…
Finally, we caught the mother. At the vet’s, she was put under anaesthetic and then we got the news: she was pregnant again and therefore would not be spayed. No one knew what to do with the feral cat. The local council had agreed to pay for the neutering (in Graubünden, many local councils cover the cost of neutering stray cats, which is commendable), but not for accommodation. And because this particular council did not have a service agreement with the local animal shelter, the shelter was not prepared to take the cat in free of charge. We were told that it would cost over 4,000 Swiss francs… (with a service contract, it would have been free of charge).
The council made the brilliant suggestion of releasing the cat back into the wild. They said she could be recaptured later, along with her kittens. Hadn’t we been through this before? We also had a pretty good idea who they meant by ‘they’. So there we were, with a stray cat that they didn’t want to neuter at first because she was still lactating, then because she was pregnant again, and for which none of the parties involved had a real solution. So we took her with us and found her a home in the canton of Zurich. We named her Sava. At the animal shelter, Sava was so stressed that she tried to escape every night and scratched her paws until they bled. After several nights like this, it was clear that she would not accept the kittens under these circumstances. So we had her spayed after all, and a few days later we brought her back to her territory, where she immediately relaxed and can now look forward to a stress-free life.
We received a report of a cat population totalling nine animals on a farm in Freimettigen in the canton of Bern. Three female cats and six kittens. The farm owners took good care of the animals and showed great interest in finding a sustainable solution for the cats. Two mother cats, who were already heavily pregnant again, were temporarily placed in foster homes so that they could give birth to their future offspring in peace and safety. Fortunately, the kittens that had already been born were old enough to find new homes.
One female cat has already been examined, spayed, vaccinated, microchipped and treated for internal and external parasites before being returned to the farm. The two expectant mothers will also be spayed after raising their kittens and then returned to the farm, where they will continue to be well cared for. We are always very happy when local people help out and take good care of the cats.
The other case we closed in Heitenried was anything but cheerful. Heitenried in the canton of Fribourg is a hotspot for cat misery. We have lost count of how many times we have been called out there. We have caught hundreds of cats, spent thousands of hours on site, and spent thousands upon thousands of francs to alleviate at least some of the misery. There is no help from the state. None whatsoever!
In this case, we received a report of a mother cat with kittens that had wandered onto a remote farm. The Bern team immediately set up a feeding station and installed a surveillance camera. The mother, father and four kittens were visible, along with foxes and martens. We quickly arranged veterinary appointments and were ready to go. But then, to our horror, the kittens had disappeared. Suddenly, the kittens had disappeared. A desperate search began…
Four days later, two of the kittens were spotted in a basement and finally it was possible to continue. Eventually, the mother, father and, on Wednesday, the last kitten were rescued.
Dad has a bad cold. The very wild tomcat now has to spend ten days in quarantine and undergo intensive treatment before he is allowed to return. Mum and the kittens will remain under supervision for a while until the kittens are old enough to be rehomed. However, they first have to be tamed, and that will take a lot of time and patience.
Cases involving mothers and young kittens are so complicated. Those responsible are never held accountable. It is the cats and us, the observers, who have to deal with the consequences. Seven days of intensive work for three volunteers for six cats. Because the state always looks the other way.
A mother cat and her kittens were reported in an industrial area in Sarmenstorf in the canton of Aargau. The kittens are already quite wild, and it will be a challenge to tame them.
A night-time operation from Monday to Tuesday was necessary to secure them all. Three kittens and the mother cat. On Tuesday evening, one of the kittens – the last one that could be secured – suddenly became very apathetic, so it was immediately taken to the veterinary clinic as an emergency.
This mother also has her origins in an irresponsible owner who, protected by our centre-right politicians, continues to cause misery without being held accountable.
Another organisation asked us to take on a case in Illnau in the canton of Zurich. Two cats had been left behind by an elderly couple. Although we were initially assured that the cats would be allowed to return after being neutered, this was not the case. In addition, the cats had become feral, so no animal shelter wanted to take them in. We therefore had to find a place to release them into the wild before we could begin.
The start was already difficult. We had to wait almost a week before the company that owns the site finally granted us permission and access to set up a feeding station and place the traps. Unfortunately, there was no one on site to help look after the feeding station, so we had to make the trip to Illnau every day after work. The two cats only appeared irregularly, so everything took a long time. Finally, after a week, both cats were secured. As the male cat was limping, he also had to have an X-ray. Fortunately, no operation was necessary, but his teeth had to be repaired. The female cat still had milk, even though no kittens had ever been seen. With a large search party, we therefore combed the entire area for several hours in the evening. In vain. We informed gamekeepers and hunters, but they had never seen any kittens either. However, we learned that another animal welfare organisation had already tried to catch the female cat the year before, but had given up far too quickly. We fitted her with a transmitter and released her again, but this time she was neutered. However, she did not lead us to any kittens and never stayed in the same place for long. Whatever had happened to the kittens, they remained missing.
A week later, we caught the mother again. The two were happy to be reunited and were able to move into the reintroduction kennel together. Neutered, vaccinated, treated for parasites, microchipped and with healthy teeth, they are now getting used to their new territory, where they will be welcome in future.
A nun discovered a feral cat mother with her kittens on the monastery grounds and contacted us. She was very concerned about the animals due to the persistent rainfall. We drove there immediately and were able to quickly rescue both the kittens and their mother. Fortunately, we already had a good place for the family at an animal shelter, where the mother can continue to raise her kittens in peace and safety. Cases don’t always go so smoothly. But when everyone pitches in and we have such kind people reporting them, cases like this are a real joy. And maybe a higher power brought us some extra luck in this case, who knows. It remains sad that there are so many homeless cats who have no one and are only there because irresponsible owners have not had them neutered.
Marbach in Entlebuch is not really on our way. But unfortunately, as far as we know, there is no animal welfare association in the canton of Lucerne that goes out to catch mothers and kittens. He tried various associations and was referred to us. A feral mother cat had given birth somewhere and the people who reported it were worried.
We set off on our journey. Fortunately, everyone on site was very helpful. Because the mother had already been well observed, they knew roughly where the kittens were hiding. And when it became clear that they were behind numerous hay bales, the farmer took the time to remove them all. This allowed us to quickly rescue the kittens, which were only a few days old. The highly intelligent mother kept us in suspense. She went into the trap twice, ate with appetite and avoided touching the footboard that closes the trap. It only worked on the third attempt. We took the family to a foster home. The mother will be allowed to return after being spayed if she does not become tame while raising her babies.
They were said to be wild, sick, unneutered and had to go. Around 15 cats from a death in Bern-Mittelland. The deceased had been a hoarder, the heirs had refused the inheritance and wanted nothing to do with the cats. There was no money for the animals.
The animal welfare organisations that were asked for help were unable (or unwilling) to take on the case. The police were unable to catch even one of the cats and passed the case on to the local authority. The local authority finally contacted us in desperation. We agreed to help before we had a chance to look into the situation in more detail. After all, lives were at stake.
When our Bernese coordinator visited the site, she was pleased to discover that the situation was not as dire as we had been led to believe. The deceased’s landlords – farmers – were very kind, helpful and grateful that we were taking on the case. They were already feeding the four-legged survivors and were also willing to take in a few of them, so we didn’t have to find new homes for all of them.
She counted eleven cats during her time there. She was even able to stroke a somewhat bedraggled tomcat. We assumed that the animals were not feral, but merely disturbed. No wonder, when your caregiver dies and you are suddenly no longer allowed to go home because the apartment has been sealed off.
Just one week later, our team had caught all the cats, had them examined by a vet, tested, vaccinated, microchipped and neutered. Most of the cats were in excellent health. Some were taken to animal shelters, while others were allowed to return to the farm, where the farmers will take responsibility for them in future. The community was very satisfied with our work. We asked if there might be a few francs left in a collection box that they would like to pay towards the vet’s bill. We are excited to find out.
We were called to Mamishaus in the canton of Bern due to another death. We had already neutered all the cats on four farms there in 2021. Now one of the farmers had died, leaving behind eight cats that nobody wanted.
Fortunately, the Marfeldingen animal shelter offered to help us, so we were able to catch the cats, get them veterinary care and finally temporarily house five cats at the shelter. A neighbour offered to help us with the other three, on condition that we would provide food and medicine if necessary. As places for feral cats are very scarce, we agreed to the deal. We are still looking for homes for the five feral cats at the shelter.
Originally, the person who reported the cats wanted us to pick them all up and relocate them elsewhere. Unfortunately, however, rehoming feral cats is a difficult task. And since the cats are well monitored and adequately fed on site, we were able to convince the person who reported the cats to take them back after they had been neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and treated. The three male cats and two female cats were all in good health and were allowed to return to their territory the day after the treatment.
We were made aware of the farm in Uettligen, where cats had been breeding uncontrollably for years, last year. At that time, the locals were not interested in neutering the cats. However, it became apparent that constant pressure does have an effect, and the elderly farmer finally accepted our help. At first, he didn’t want the cats back at all, but we quickly made it clear to him that semi-wild or wild cats are difficult to rehome and are best kept in their original territory. Besides, he himself was to blame for the large number of cats. Seventeen cats were caught very quickly. Only the last female led us on for a month until she was finally caught and could also undergo the neutering programme. Of the 18 cats in total, eleven were females. It doesn’t bear thinking about what would have happened if they had all had kittens in the spring.
Almost 30 cats were romping around in the yard in the district of Laufen. The farming couple had not done anything about the overpopulation for far too long. The kittens were given away, but at some point it all became too much for them. The TBB Foundation asked us for help, because at this time of year, speed is of the essence. Many female cats are in heat, some are already pregnant.
Our Basel team immediately took on the case and caught all the cats over the weekend. On Monday, all the animals were examined, treated for internal and external parasites, neutered, vaccinated and microchipped. Fifteen cats returned to the farm on Tuesday, and fortunately we found other options for the rest. The farmers would have preferred to take back only five cats, but that is unrealistic. There are so many cats looking for a new home that they should have reacted much earlier. At least now peace and quiet will definitely return to this farm.
The TBB Foundation was delighted with our swift action: ‘Wow, and wow again! Thank you so much for your highly professional and efficient commitment!’ wrote the animal welfare specialist responsible. Such wonderful praise makes us even more eager to help. ‘Together’ is the magic word that makes so much easier in animal welfare. Together for the welfare of animals!
Once again, we were on duty in Hohenrain. While walking her dog, one of NetAP’s volunteers noticed a farm with many unneutered cats. It turned out that the farm was already aware of the possibility of calling on NetAP for help with neutering the cats. However, they had not yet been able to bring themselves to do so. Our volunteer managed to convince the farmers in a direct conversation to have all the cats undergo the neutering programme. Fortunately, because they had actually wanted to reduce the cat population on site for a long time. Luckily, we found places in animal shelters for eight of the cats. New homes are being sought for them. The four feral cats went back to the farm. Another farm where the cycle of misery came to an end.
Last year, a female cat strayed into the yard of a farmer in Oberrüti, Aargau, and gave birth to six kittens in the summer. One day, while chatting to the cashier at Landi about the many unneutered cats, she learned that NetAP takes care of feral cats, catching them and having them neutered. The farmer quickly got in touch with us and within a short time the six kittens plus another stray were caught. All of them have been through the NetAP neutering programme. Unfortunately, the mother cat has been missing for over a month. The farmer is keeping her eyes open and now knows where to report if the mother or a new cat turns up.
The Tierdörfli Olten animal shelter asked us for help with a case involving over 20 cats. It wasn’t easy to tell all these cats apart, as they were all either black or tabby. Fortunately, we were able to catch, examine, neuter, tag, vaccinate and treat them all for internal and external parasites in a single day. One patient had to be kept a little longer for dental treatment. But even he was able to return home to the farm a week later. The farmers were very impressed by our professional and competent work, but were unable to contribute to the costs.
For many years, the kittens were repeatedly passed on at a farm in Kirchlindach, Bern. Neutering was not an issue. However, a spontaneous visit from NetAP convinced the farmers of the importance of neutering all cats. On neutering day in Lyssach, the cats were neutered, examined, marked, vaccinated and treated for internal and external parasites. The farmers actively helped with the trapping. All the cats were healthy and well-fed and were therefore allowed to return to the farm the next day, where they are regularly fed and monitored.
What a successful neutering campaign in Lyssach. We treated 115 cats, 60 of which were female and 55 male, although one of the males had already been neutered. It is rather unusual for the gender distribution to be so balanced. We usually have many more females than males on the operating tables.
On behalf of the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV), the Veterinary Public Health Institute at VetSuisse, University of Bern, conducted a study on the number of unattended cats in Switzerland. The study was based in particular on figures collected by NetAP for the year 2023. Uncontrolled reproduction of cats leads to major animal welfare problems. In Switzerland, neither the identification nor the neutering of cats is required by law. Accordingly, there is no data on the uncontrolled cat population in Switzerland.
The aim of the study was to estimate the number of uncontrolled cats (including both feral domestic cats and farm cats that are unneutered and inadequately cared for). In addition to data from animal welfare organisations, scientific data on the population dynamics of feral cats was compiled. A population model was used to estimate the impact of neutering campaigns and the carrying capacity of the habitat on population size.
The study estimates the number to be around 225,000 unattended cats. At the same time, the study shows that the size of the cat population depends more on the available habitat and food than on the neutering rate. Voluntary neutering can therefore help to reduce the number of unattended cats, but it is not enough as long as the cats have access to sufficient food and shelter. This is one more reason to enshrine compulsory neutering in law.
The study was published on the BLV website under the title: Report Estimation of uncontrolled cat population
This was our 12th visit to the municipality of Mümliswil in the canton of Solothurn. Fourteen cats were living on the farm. Last year, the farmer did not want to have them neutered, so we were surprised and delighted when he called us to say that he now wanted all the cats to undergo the NetAP neutering programme. With the help of the farmers, the cats were caught in a record-breaking 30 minutes and then taken to the Mittelland Veterinary Clinic. There they were checked, vaccinated, neutered, treated for internal and external parasites and marked. They were all allowed to return to the farm, where a much less stressful life awaits them.
It was already the 10th neutering day that we carried out in cooperation with the Nidwalden Animal Welfare Association. We had planned to neuter 50 cats. Forty were caught in the traps, one of which had already been neutered. It was bitterly cold, and this cold snap kept the cats away from the traps. Twenty-one female cats and 18 male cats underwent the NetAP neutering programme, which took place at Schmid Parkett in Alpnach Dorf. Another cat was picked up because it had strayed onto someone’s property. It was microchipped but not registered, which of course made it impossible to find the owner. We handed it over to the animal shelter and hope that the owner will look for it via STMZ.
Another eight cats were allowed to move into the Paradiesli animal shelter. Two more will stay with us for a few days for observation. One of them had a nasty abscess on its leg and also needs dental treatment. The rest went back to their territory, where they will lead a much less stressful life. The cats that have not yet been caught will be caught later. Only when all the cats on a farm have been neutered will the cycle of cat suffering end, at least in that place. That’s why we’re sticking with it. Persistence and perseverance are in our blood.
