Showing posts with label cyprus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cyprus. Show all posts

Tuesday 7 March 2023

Why are there so many cats on Cyprus?

Community cats of Cyprus
Community cats of Cyprus. Some of the estimated 1.5m on the island where there are 1.2m humans. Picture in the public domain.

There are several reasons why there are so many cats on Cyprus:

  1. Historical background: Cats have been living on the island of Cyprus for thousands of years, dating back to ancient times. They were brought over by early settlers to help control rodent populations.
  2. Climate: The warm Mediterranean climate of Cyprus provides an ideal environment for cats to thrive. They are able to survive and reproduce year-round without the threat of harsh winters.
  3. Cultural significance: Cats hold a special place in Cypriot culture and are often viewed as good luck symbols. Many locals believe that feeding and caring for cats brings blessings and positive energy into their homes.
  4. Lack of spaying/neutering: Many cats on Cyprus are not spayed or neutered, which leads to an overpopulation of cats. Without proper population control, the cat population can quickly grow out of control.
  5. Tourism: The island's popularity as a tourist destination has also contributed to the cat population. Tourists often feed and interact with stray cats, leading to their continued presence in urban areas.
  6. Overall, the combination of historical factors, climate, cultural significance, lack of spaying/neutering, and tourism has resulted in a high population of cats on Cyprus.
Community cat of Cyprus
Community cat of Cyprus. Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay 


Thursday 15 July 2021

Cyprus had one domestic cat 10,000 years ago and now there are 1 million

I have discovered that some welfare organisation believe that there are 1.5 million cats in Cyprus. There are 1.2 million humans. It's ironic that Cyprus now has a cat problem because the first known or recorded domestic cat was dug up with their owner in Cyprus at an archaeological dig and they dated the remains to about 10,000 years ago. 

This gives Cyprus a status. It is thought that a wildcat was semi-domesticated and brought to the island from the mainland, perhaps from Syria which is essentially the home of the domestic cat. That, too, is ironic because that country has been blown up by civil war and the cats living there have also been blown up except for some cats protected by one or two cat rescuers who heroically look after the strays and ferals.

Community cats of Cyprus
Community cats of Cyprus are too numerous for some. Picture: Oman Observer.

But the point of this article is that over 10,000 years or so the number of cats on Cyprus has increased from 1 to around a million. The authorities say they have a cat problem. They do. These are community cats. They are semi-feral. They are cared for by the community. One such person is Dinos Ayiomamitis. He is one of a number of volunteers feeding the island's community cats.

He admits that there is no official count but the assessment is that the population of cats on the island equals the population of the people on the island which is 1.2 million.

He feeds 200 cats daily at various locations around Nicosia the capital. The problem? Nowhere near enough cats are being sterilised and the weather is kind to the cats. There are volunteers and some cats are being sterilised but there has to be a massive renewed investment in TNR. It's manageable because 1.2 million cats is not a massive number. It depends upon the commitment of the government. If they want to do something about the cats, they've got to put money into it.

I would suggest that they work with volunteers to expand TNR dramatically. They should help fund volunteers and work with animal rescue organisations as well to create a network and a unified approach. But I don't want to lecture. Although the solution is obvious. The cats are procreating when they shouldn't be. 

SOME PAGES ON COMMUNITY CATS

Clearly, at the moment, there is an acceptance of these cats. Perhaps they are a feature of the island. Perhaps some people love them and some people hate them. Perhaps some are poisoned and abused in the off-season. That's what happens in Greece. Tourists might like them but they aren't always there. What do the residents think about the community cats? 

If they really want to do something about them, there is only one acceptable way which is to sterilize them and leave them where they are. If you do that consistently with commitment over a long enough period of time they will disappear.

And there's got to be an improvement in cat ownership on the island as well because obviously some irresponsible cat owners are letting their cats procreate and wander around becoming feral. Not a good idea. The cure there is education. Education is fundamental to cat welfare.

Sunday 17 January 2021

Cat owners in Cyprus are abandoning their cats because of the Covid-19 pandemic

This is what I would describe as a behind-the-scenes story. It doesn't hit the headlines because it concerns Cyprus, in the Mediterranean, a small island and not for example America which leads the way on domestic cat news. 

But it is a very telling and a sad story. It's reported that there has been a 30% increase in the abandonment of domestic cats on the island. They are sometimes left behind as people leave the island. I'm referring to expatriates possibly possibly British people who feel they haven't got the money to afford to take their cat back home with them.

Spotted street cats of Cyprus. Read about them by clicking here.

These people may have dual residency. I know that a lot of British people have second homes in Cyprus or they moved to Cyprus in retirement. But they've been squeezed economically by the Covid-19 pandemic. Dawn Foote who runs a rescue centre where there are 800 rescue cats, all of which are neutered, said that, "People, at the moment, have just got no money, and it's expensive to get a cat to another country. You've got passports to pay for, you've got transport carriers to pay. It's heartbreaking."

If it's not people going home is local residents who feel that they can no longer afford to look after a domestic cat. Once again is about money. The poignancy of this problem is that, currently, Cyprus is famous in the cat world for being the place where archaeologists discovered what is believed to be the first domestic cat in a grave with their owner. The grave is dated to about 9,500 years ago. So the island had a significance in the cat world. The cat would have been a domesticated Far Eastern wildcat. They look like rangy tabby cats.

There appears to be criticism of people who feed stray cats on the island without ensuring that they are spayed or neutered. I don't know how prevalent this is but simply feeding a stray cat is not enough sadly. You have to ensure that they are spayed and neuter otherwise you simply promote and increase in the number of unwanted cats that should be living in homes. There should be government-sponsored TNR programs which includes spaying and neutering at least as part of the process.

There is criticism of the government strategy with claims that it is not working that well.

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