In the coming days, regulations will come into force for people who feed stray cats – Cat Feeders Regulations 2024, these include registration of cat feeders and voucher scheme for dry food.
This was announced by Minister Anton Refalo, together with Parliamentary Secretaries Alicia Bugeja Said and Alison Zerafa Civelli.
The Government said that these regulations are a step forward to recognise and support the work of people who feed cats throughout the country,
The regulations will also establish that there will be a register for people who feed these cats which will be kept by the local councils. This register will be updated every six months and sent to the Animal Welfare Directorate.
Along with these regulations, a voucher scheme was launched in order to alleviate some of the financial burden that cat feeders have. With an allocation of €350,000 for this scheme, vouchers will be distributed to cat feeders that can be converted into dry food for cats from a list of approved suppliers.
Minister Anton Refalo said that the Regulations together with the voucher scheme continue to reflect the government’s commitment to more animal protection, in this case of stray cats.
Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said said, “This scheme for cat feeders is an important step forward to support those who dedicate their time and resources to take care of stray cats.”
Parliamentary Secretary Alison Zerafa Civelli stated that it is gratifying to see that the local councils are playing their part in the care of the cats that live in the streets and open spaces in the localities. She urged for cooperation between the cat feeders and the local councils in favour of the interest of stray cats.
The registration of cat feeders can be done in the Local Councils in Malta and Gozo until the end of July 2024.
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