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hissy

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Brussels - Belgium is set to embark on a radical plan to sterilise all
> cats in the country by 2016, an official said Wednesday, confirming a
> report by the Sud Press newspaper group.The measure is meant to solve the
> problem of feline overpopulation. In a country of over 10 million people,
> there are an estimated 1 million cats, a spokesman for the health ministry
> told the German Press Agency dpa.According to the "Multi Annual Cat Plan,"
> due to be rolled out in 2011, sterilisation will first be carried out on
> cats held in shelters, then extended to breeding establishments and pet
> shops.At a later stage, sterilisation will be made mandatory also for pet
> cats, which are expected to be identified and placed on a national
> registry.



and this

http://www.sfgate.com/columns/yourwholepet/
 

ldg

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Oh MA, thank you! That is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And a model to be closely monitored. I would LOVE to see the amount they save for the initial expense and how long they estimate they payback will be - in terms of money, life, costs to communities and shelters over time. Truly amazing.

I want to add - I've been in communication with Peter (Wolf) frequently, the journalist running the Vox Felina blog. For anyone interested in the MULTITUDE of research he has methodically been debunking VERY professionally, his blog is here: http://www.voxfelina.com/ I applaud his efforts, his time, and the amazing job he's been doing. It is going to help TNR organizations in their efforts and fights everywhere.
 

StefanZ

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Originally Posted by hissy

Brussels - Belgium is set to embark on a radical plan to sterilise all
> cats
in the country by 2016, .... then extended to breeding establishments .....

Are they really going to sterilize ALL cats, including breeding cats? In that case, it means they are out to extinct the cat population in Belgium!


I would hope they are going to sterilize all cats - save the breeding cats.

(and find some way for "licensed breeding" of the common moggies. If their program is enough efficient it will be necessary.)
 

Willowy

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I don't consider a population of 1 million cats to 10 million people to be a horrible overpopulation problem. That's only one cat for every 10 people, which to me indicates underpopulation, unless very few Belgians like to have pet cats. When the cats outnumber the people, then you have trouble. Unless that's a typo.

Anyway, yes, if their plan works they'll need to have a provision for the breeding of moggies. It would be terrible if the only cats were purebreds.
 
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hissy

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I personally think it is a really bad idea. Sterilize the cats and the rodent population will explode. Also, if they do go ahead with this, they will likely be bringing in the future cats from somewhere else that haven't been sterilized. That has been what has happened to other places that don't use wisdom in dealing with the stray cat population, but cave to public hysteria that "ferals" are dangerous and disease ridden.
 

sharky

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Originally Posted by Willowy

I don't consider a population of 1 million cats to 10 million people to be a horrible overpopulation problem. That's only one cat for every 10 people, which to me indicates underpopulation, unless very few Belgians like to have pet cats. When the cats outnumber the people, then you have trouble. Unless that's a typo.

Anyway, yes, if their plan works they'll need to have a provision for the breeding of moggies. It would be terrible if the only cats were purebreds.
That is what I was thinking...
 

ldg

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But they're not euthanizing the cats, the attempt is to sterilize them. Isn't that the goal of TNR? To stabilize the population, have every cat in a home?

Good question, Stefan, but I can't imagine they'd outlaw licensed breeding. Worth some research (when I have time LOL).
 
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