Animal Party calls for update on cat sterilisation scheme

The Animal Party has called on the government to provide immediate clarification over delays in implementing a nationwide cat sterilisation programme announced last October.

On October 4, 2025, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou announced that funding for cat sterilisations would be increased from €100,000 to €300,000, alongside the launch of a government sterilisation scheme covering the period January 1, 2026 to 2029.

Likewise, the minister said that the government will allocate €100,000 for the spaying and neutering of dogs, commenting that this would be “the first time a separate amount has been given exclusively for this purpose,”

However, according to the party, no practical steps towards implementation have been made public, nor has there been any official update on the progress of the programme.

The same applies to other previously announced measures, including the creation of a regional dog shelter in Paliometocho, with a budget of €150,000.

The party said it has already received a large number of calls from animal welfare organisations and volunteers seeking clear information about the sterilisation scheme, as the uncontrolled reproduction of stray cats continues and the problem of overpopulation worsens.

It raised a series of questions, asking which authority is responsible for the delay, what stage the process has reached and at what administrative level implementation has stalled.

The Animal Party urged the competent ministry and all involved bodies to issue an immediate and official response, providing clear answers and a timetable for action.

In September 2025, Animal welfare commissioner Antonia Theodosiou added that her office had drawn up an action plan, created in collaboration with animal welfare organisations, according to whose calculations a period of seven years was needed to carry out comprehensive sterilisation efforts to control the island’s cat population.