“Kitten season.” It sounds adorable, but these warm summer months in any given region when stray cats breed almost exponentially — a pregnant cat’s gestation period is only two months — often leads to a population boom of the roaming felines. When there are too many strays for a community to handle, there is no way to ensure welfare for each and every poor cat. They go hungry. They go without veterinary care. They are vulnerable to attacks, accidents, and abuse. In Greece, which has one of the largest stray populations of cats, this suffering is everywhere.
Luckily, the country has a solution, and it’s already been written into a piece of legislation! The proposed bill would require every pet owner to neuter or spay their family animal, which would greatly reduce accidental cat pregnancies that inevitably contribute to the stray population — without the time and money to take care of more cats, many people end up dumping kittens out on the street or on the doorsteps of shelters. This would also crack down on amateur breeding which is riddled with cruelty; a lack of regulation allows “backyard” breeders who are just after a buck to keep their animals in tight, filthy cages, deny them proper nutrition or veterinary care, and treat them like products instead of living, breathing, feeling creatures.
The bill is a slam dunk for animal welfare across the board. It would also outlaw pet stores from selling dogs and cats, which often come from abusive pet mills; thus, the only options for getting a pet in Greece would be from licensed, responsible breeders or adopting a homeless pet. And if it became law, this bill would also create stricter animal abuse laws and punishments, and even outlaw adoption fees so that adopting a pet instead of shopping for one would be highly encouraged! Join us in asking the Hellenic Parliament to vote yes on this proposed bill that is a sweeping win for animal welfare!