900,000 cats are illegal – owners face fines

900000 cats are illegal owners face fines

In 2023, a law was introduced which means that all cats born from 1 January 2008 and later must be tagged and registered with the Swedish Agency for Agriculture.

The law also applies to cats that have been registered in voluntary registers with, among others, the Swedish Kennel Club and the National Association of Swedish Cat Clubs. And that a new registration is required in the event of a change of ownership.

“People Abandon Cats”

The advantage of registering your cat with the Swedish Agency for Agriculture is that the authority can see which cats have owners and which need to be taken care of.

– In this way, stray cats can be reunited with their owners, but in this way it also becomes clear which cats do not have owners and need to be taken care of by the authorities, says Milan Mirosavljevićadministrator at the Swedish Agricultural Agency, to News24.

The law also allows the authority to see which people abandon their cats.

– As there are cases where people abandon cats, you can also link a cat that is marked and registered with the one who abandoned it. Abandoning your animals is against the Animal Protection Act, only those who can afford and have the conditions to provide adequate supervision, food and care are allowed to have a cat, says Mirosavljević.

Cat sits in the window. Photo: Gorm Kallestad

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900,000 unregistered cats

Before the law was introduced, the authority estimated that there are approximately 1.4 million cats in Sweden. Now, a year and a half later, 492,852 cats have been registered.

If you’re not sure if your cat is registered, it’s best to check, otherwise you risk a fine.

– Anyone who does not comply with the requirement to tag and register their cats risks being fined for this lack of compliance. It is the county administrative board that handles penalties.

Here’s how you can find out if your cat is registered:

  • Have you registered the cat after 1 January 2023? If not, it is not registered.
  • Check if the cat is registered in the Swedish Agency for Agriculture’s e-service “Search cat”.
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