Bucharest kicks off campaign for neutering stray cats

Bucharest City Hall has started a campaign to neuter stray cats in the capital free of charge.

The initiative, which began as a partnership between the City Hall, Romania’s Authority for the Supervision and Protection of Animals (ASPA), and the Sache Vet veterinary clinic, will see stray cats sterilized safely in a mobile veterinary clinic. The mobile clinic can currently be found near the Bucharest Metropolitan Circus, but it will be moved to other areas of the city so as to be accessible to people in all sectors of the capital.

The stray cats that will be neutered will be captured by personnel from the veterinary clinic, but they can also be brought by anyone who wishes to do so. An appointment has to be made beforehand by calling the number 0751.596.199, Monday to Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM. Sterilizations are done Monday through Thursday, 10 AM to 3 PM.

Over 30 cats were neutered on the first day of the campaign. Many of them were captured by citizens and brought over to the mobile clinic. Once received, the cats were checked for age and general health. The people who brought them filled in forms regarding identification and contact details, as well as information regarding the capture of the cat.

After neutering, which involves a 1 cm incision done through the keyhole method, the cats were placed under supervision in a tent near the mobile clinic. They were then returned to the people who had brought them over on the same day, with the recommendation that they be held indoors and fed for at least a day before being released. Cats that were captured by the veterinary clinic’s staff spend up to 24 hours in their care.

The campaign will take place between October 20-23 and October 27-30. Those who want to help but do not have a cat carrier can borrow one from the clinic.

(Photo source: ASPA Bucuresti on Facebook)