More than 38,000 cats were sterilised in the Wallonia/Brussels Federation in 2024, according to official data from Brussels Environment and the Public Service of Wallonia, SPW.
Last year, 5,812 cats were sterilised in Brussels-Capital Region, including 1,329 kittens, Brussels Environment told Belga News Agency. In 2023, 6,268 cats - including 1,476 kittens - had been neutered in the region.
According to Brussels Environment, the number of sterilisations seems to fluctuate according to the number of cats registered.
Since 1 March 2023, all cats in Brussels-Capital Region must be identified before they are 12 weeks old.
Since the mandatory sterilisation of these animals came into force in 2018 in Brussels Region, 41,744 felines have gone under the knife, including 10,217 kittens less than 180 days old. The aim is to prevent their proliferation, which often leads to a life of wandering and abandonment, the Brussels administration explains on its website.
To encourage the unwilling, some municipalities, including Auderghem, Etterbeek, Schaerbeek and Uccle, are offering incentives to sterilise domestic cats. Owners of small cats that have not been sterilised risk a fine of at least €200.
In Wallonia, all cats must also be sterilised. In 2024, a total of 32,691 were neutered, including 9,625 kittens, according to the SPW. In 2023, a total of 34,217 felines had been operated on, 10,119 of them kittens.
//This article updates and corrects a similar one published on 7 January 2025//
