– Hi little friend! Was it a little scary? Veterinarian and general manager of Animal Protection, Åshild Roaldset, helps the cat Hrakern out of the cage. The cat got a tough start in life when she was born outdoors at Nesodden last autumn. She now lives in a foster home with Roaldset. – Had we not taken care of her, she would have frozen to death this winter, she says. 50,000 homeless cats According to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, there are 800,000 cats in Norway. Around 50,000 of these are lost or homeless. Some have strayed from home, others have been dumped. It is often impossible to find the owners. Liberal politician Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik wants to put an end to that. Now she proposes that it should become compulsory to ID cats in Norway. – Then you can find out to a greater extent who the owner is, both when the cat has strayed from its home or been illegally dumped. It can prevent people leaving their cats in helpless situations, Thorsvik believes and continues: – It’s about making the cat owners responsible. These are animals that do not receive the treatment for diseases and the security they need to live good lives. Left-wing politician Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik wants mandatory ID marking of cats in Norway. Here with the cat Hrakern. Photo: Sunniva Linjord / news Mandatory in Sweden In January this year, Sweden introduced compulsory ID marking of cats. However, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority does not recommend the same in Norway. In an e-mail, section manager for animal welfare at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s head office, Nina Brogeland Laache, writes that statutory ID marking may lead to more people marking their cats. But if the owner does not care or take responsibility for their cat, it is unlikely that the owner will mark and register it anyway. – We believe that most people want to get their cat back if it goes missing. According to DyreID, many people therefore make sure to mark and register their cats, writes Laache. Previously, the authority has stated that mandatory ID marking has no effect on cats that are already homeless. – I think that is a very bad argument. This is about what we will do in the future to prevent cats from living outside and dying in the winter cold or from not receiving treatment for the injuries and illnesses they have, says the Liberal politician. Roaldset believes Venstre’s proposal for mandatory ID marking is good. – It is very, very gratifying. It is absolutely necessary for the cats to have their legal protection taken care of. We have many cats that starve and freeze to death every autumn and winter, she says. – What we allow with cats, we would never allow with, for example, dogs, she concludes. Hrakern was born outdoors at Nesodden last autumn. Now she lives in a foster home. Photo: Sunniva Linjord / news
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Will have mandatory ID marking of cats – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
