Cat misery in Cologne: Abandoned animals cause outrage!

Cat misery in Cologne: Abandoned animals cause outrage!

We keep receiving tragic news from the animal shelter in Cologne-Dellbrück, where the employees are confronted with the fate of homeless animals every day. A particularly heartbreaking case is currently causing a stir: two cats were simply abandoned in a parking lot on the Mülheim feeder road. Luckily they were found in a small basket and taken to the animal shelter. Thanks to the quick reactions of the finders, the two four-legged roommates were brought to safety in time, even if they are understandably frightened after the experience. However, the cats' health is stable, which gives hope that they will soon be able to settle into the animal shelter, reports derwesten.de.

There is great outrage among Facebook users. Many are calling for harsh punishments for the irresponsible actions of the former owner. And the staff at the animal shelter also show great interest in talking to this person. But what does the legal situation actually look like? Loud tierimrecht.org Abandoning animals is a punishable offence. Both active abandonment and passive abandonment are considered animal cruelty, regardless of whether the animals are in danger. The text of the law states that any person who has an animal in their care can be considered a perpetrator. This also includes pet sitters and even people who unlawfully acquire an animal.

Animal protection in focus

The case of the two cats is part of a worrying series of animal welfare scandals that repeatedly make headlines in Germany. The ANINOVA initiative, together with ARIWA and Soko Tierschutz, launched the “Map of Animal Cruelty” to draw attention to systematic abuses in animal husbandry. This online database has been documenting numerous animal welfare scandals since 2016. As of July 2024, 214 such incidents have already been recorded, including a record number of over 30 detections in the first half of 2024, according to aninova.org.

What is particularly alarming is that around 70 percent of these scandals concern cattle farming, while at the same time the discussion about tethering cattle as animal cruelty continues to be intense. Despite these worrying figures, far too little is happening at the political level: legislation is largely inactive and there are only discussions about a partial ban. In the long term, it can be said that only 4 out of 214 cases resulted in a prison sentence and 26 resulted in fines. A worrying result considering that most ads are posted without consequences.

Given these sad facts, the question arises as to what kind of signal the abandonment of animals sends. The animals have a right to a species-appropriate life and deserve protection from such reckless behavior. It remains to be hoped that the excitement over the current case will not only be expressed in outrage, but will also lead to real changes so that animals like the two cats are spared a similar fate in the future.