Stray dogs should be neutered and microchipped and the cost footed by the government, according to an animal organisation.
An unneutered female cat could be the source of 420,000 cats over seven years
A database could then be set up to obtain a clear picture of the population, added Lino Mintoff of Happy Paws.
“The government has introduced microchipping for domestic dogs, which is great, but what about strays? We need to build a picture of the stray population to be able to tackle the problem, he said.
But Mr Mintoff stressed this would only make sense in conjunction with neutering, the only way to control growing numbers of dogs on the streets.
He wants the strays picked up, neutered and microchipped, at the government’s expense, then taken back to where they were found. Earlier this year a new law obliged dog owners to microchip their pets by June 2012. Microchipping of strays would pay off in the long run as the government’s new San Franġisk animal hospital in Ta’ Qali spends huge sums treating them.
The Sunday Times recently reported that in the first nine months of the year, 535 of the 1,977 injured strays picked up on the streets by the animal ambulance and taken to San Franġisk were put down by vets.
Animal organisations are not shocked with the figure because animals run over often had horrific injuries.
Happy Paws’ president Maike Beekman said the organisation neutered an average of 15 cats and eight dogs a day.
An unneutered female cat could be the source of 420,000 cats over seven years, she said, stressing the importance of neutering.
Happy Paws, a voluntary organisation, was founded in 2004 and started off as a charity shop that gave vouchers for neutering to be redeemed at vet clinics.
With the voucher system being abused, however, the group decided to open its own clinic in Marsa in 2008. Today, Happy Paws has some 13,000 members who pay a fee of €15 a year that entitles them to the neutering of an unlimited number of strays.
Members have to pay the cost price for any medication and pet owners are charged normal vet rates. The organisation also has an agreement with three sanctuaries – Abandoned Animals’ Association, Noah’s Ark and Island Sanctuary – to neuter strays. In 2008 Happy Paws started an adoption scheme with the sanctuaries. Anyone who adopts an animal over two years old benefits from free treatment at the clinic. The organisation manages to balance its books through membership fees, donations and the charity shops in Ħamrun and Marsascala as well as a book shop in Ħamrun.