The cat problem that nobody sees
Think stray cats are only an issue in Southern Europe? Think again. On a trip to Hamburg, I tracked down the stray cats that no one else sees. Or wants to see.
«Ten thousand stray cats in Hamburg alone? Seriously?!» I can hardly believe the figures staring me in the face at the CATS! exhibition. Although I’m three days into my stay in the North German port city, I haven’t seen a single stray. Where could they possibly be? When I’m wandering the city streets, I peep into every nook and cranny, behind every dumpster.
Nothing.
But my curiosity is piqued. I start doing some research, and come across Lea Lichtner. The 27-year-old Hamburg native has been caring for stray animals at the Hamburg Animal Welfare Association for five years (linked website in German). In 2024, she won the German Petluencer Award for her volunteer work (linked article in German).
I reach out to her and arrange to meet up.
On the trail of the invisible
We meet in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Hamburg, where one of the approximately 60 feeding stations run by the Animal Welfare Association is located. Lea, who’s pulled into the side of the road in her little blue car, gives me a cheerful wave. She’s holding a jug of hot water, a bottle of cold water and wet and dry food. She comes here once or twice a week – as often as her job as a student teacher allows.
We stroll along the edge of the forest towards the feeding station. Time and again, I peer through the rows of trees. Birds are chirping, butterflies are fluttering, but there’s no sign of cats here either. Lea laughs and says, «That’s precisely the problem.»
«This isn’t like in Spain or Greece. Here, you don’t see stray cats on the streets, so many people don’t believe the problem exists. Because of this, they don’t think it’s necessary to have their own cats neutered.»
Lea has seen this cycle play out countless times: outdoor cats mate with strays, the strays have kittens and the population grows unchecked. Many of them go hungry and get sick. Most people don’t notice any of this. They’re desperate for their house cat to have kittens, while more and more strays are struggling to survive outside.
A secret meeting point
Lea unlocks the back of a little shed with a cat flap in the door. At first, I don’t understand why it’s so hidden away. But then Lea explains:
«Every so often, people vandalise our stuff, steal food or poison the cats, so we keep the location of our feeding stations quiet.»
We come to an old rabbit hutch with cat bowls and food dispensers on two shelves inside. They’re all empty. Lea rinses them out with hot water and refills them. Cleanliness is especially important in the summer, when flies and ticks pounce on the food. In winter, it’s crucial that the food isn’t left to freeze.
While we’re making all these clattering and rustling noises, a shadow suddenly flits by. «There’s one!» I exclaim, excitedly. Lea nods with a smile. We keep watch for a couple of minutes, but the cat doesn’t come back.
This makes Lea’s job more difficult; as well as feeding the strays, she’s also tasked with checking that they’re healthy. She comes across everything from nosebleeds to eye infections to broken bones in her line of work. Lea sets traps so that sick cats can be treated, neutered and microchipped at the shelter. The traps work in the same way as mousetraps – if a cat steps on a surface with food on it, a door snaps shut behind it. As simple as this sounds, things don’t always turn out that way in reality. «It took me five years to catch one particularly crafty stray,» she says.
A silent struggle
Some stray cats, however, are very trusting. One of these kitties is Tortelloni, Lea’s favourite. We leave the feeding station and walk a few steps. As we’re passing a thicket, Lea kneels down and calls out, «Loooooni! Loni! Are you there?!» No movement. We walk a little further along the edge of the thicket and wait. Lea calls out for the cat again. Suddenly, there’s a rustling sound and a black-and-white tomcat appears: Tortelloni. He rubs gleefully against Lea’s legs, nuzzling her. She pulls out a pouch of meat paste, which he greedily licks from her hands.
My gaze falls on Tortelloni’s left ear. It’s missing its tip. Lea tells me that cropped ears are a distinguishing feature of neutered cats. «That way, even from a distance, we can tell which of the more reclusive animals we still need to catch.» Since 2021, Lea has caught countless cats and found homes for seven of them – mostly the more trusting ones. The number of strays at this feeding station, which originally numbered about 50 to 60, has been reduced by about half.
But according to Lea, the best news came at the beginning of the year, when Hamburg introduced a mandatory neutering policy (linked website in German). There are similar regulations in many other German municipalities and towns. Outdoor-cat owners need to have their pets neutered, microchipped and registered once they turn five months old. Lea says:
«Mandatory neutering is an important, positive step towards finally tackling and reducing the suffering of stray cats in Hamburg.»
The strays appear
However, the problem hasn’t been resolved yet. Neutering procedures need to be carried out consistently, in a controlled way. Not to mention the fact that there are still stray cats on the streets that need Lea’s help. Suddenly, two more strays appear behind us – cats that Lea has named after types of pasta: Maccheroni and Fiocchi. «There are just about as many of them here,» she says. Which sounds pretty serious.
Aside from the occasional cat, there’s still nothing going on around us. Then, just as I’m about to say goodbye to Lea, there’s a rustling sound to my left and a snapping sound to my right. I can hardly believe my eyes. One stray after another appears, their numbers growing with every passing minute. I count as many as ten. No one would expect them to be hiding here in the thicket. I’d love to show this place to the people who can’t – or don’t want to – see the problem. But by the time I did, the strays would be long gone.
And if you can’t see something, it can’t possibly exist, right?!
According to estimates, there are between 100,000 and 300,000 stray animals in Switzerland too. Animal welfare organisations such as NetAP advocate for them, and carry out spaying and neutering.
I love everything with four legs or roots – especially my rescue cats Jasper and Joy and my collection of succulents. I’m happiest following the scent of stories about police dogs and cat groomers – or cultivating thoughtful tales in garden flea markets and Japanese gardens.
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