The stray cat found in Mosta.

Animal lovers who would have called the Animal Welfare Department to rescue a stray off the streets want to know what happened to the animal to ensure it was in good hands.

The issue came to light after a long-haired cat was picked up by the department on Monday after a woman reported finding the cat, filthy and weak on the side of a road in Mosta. The cat was underweight and its fur was in knots.

Animal activist Moira Delia, who was approached by the woman to help, said the department did not want to provide any information on the cat and its whereabouts.

“The woman simply wanted to know what happened to the cat, as she had already informed the department that if not claimed she would take it back. But she was given no information,” Ms Delia said.

After contacting the department herself, Ms Delia was told that the cat had been adopted by someone who had been waiting to adopt a long-haired cat for some time.

The department is obliged by law to keep a dog for a week before giving it up for adoption, a department spokesman said, giving owners time to contact the department.

This, however, was not the case with all other animals, which could be adopted the moment the department picked them up, he said.

“When a dog is rescued, we give a week’s time before allowing anyone to adopt, giving the owners time to come forward.”

Before any animal is handed back, he said, the department carried out all the checks to make sure the animal was back with the right owner.

“When the animal is a dog, we also look into why the animal did not have a microchip, which would have allowed us to call the owners within minutes.”

The spokesman insisted that he could not give out any information as this went against Data Protection law.

Ms Delia said the department would only give information on the cat’s whereabouts after being pressed and insisted this was not an isolated case and many people had approached her with similar cases.

She said she could not understand why the department would not give information on the animals’ situation, especially after people went out of their way to report such cases.

“Why all this secrecy? Many people care for the animal, even if it isn’t theirs. All we want to know is what happens to the animals,” she said.