Berlin Cat Protection Ordinance enters into force

A new cat protection ordinance will come into force on 8 June 2022. In future, Berlin pet owners will only be allowed to let their cats roam outdoors if they have been neutered, fitted with a chip and registered, as the Senate Department for the Environment and Consumers announced on Thursday.

Those who only keep their cat in the flat or in the house do not need to do anything else. The Cat Protection Ordinance is intended to reduce the uncontrolled spread of free-roaming cats, so-called strays. Last year, the Animal Protection Association for Berlin (TVB) advocated the new ordinance, saying that the castration requirement could reduce the suffering of street cats. According to estimates by the animal welfare activists, there are about 10,000 stray cats in Berlin.