Officials in Cyprus, the small island nation in the eastern corner of the Mediterranean, estimate that there’s roughly one feral cat for each one of its one million residents, though activists contend that the actual population is hundreds of thousands higher. Last month, the island’s parliamentary committee on the environment was told that an existing sterilization program is too limited to contain the burgeoning cat population. The program conducts about 2,000 sterilizations a year on a budget of just €100,000 ($117,000). Appearing to heed the call for more funding, Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou announced on World Animal Day (Oct. 4) that the government would raise cat sterilization funding to €300,000 ($348,755) annually. The cost of sterilizing a cat is €55 ($64). Cyprus has a long history as a cat-loving nation, where cat food dispensaries and clusters of tiny houses are a regular sight along popular footpaths. With tourism a key economic driver for Cyprus, the island’s cats have become a major attraction for the millions of vacationers who descend on the island every year, and the government wants to protect that tourism draw.
