Allegations that cats are being forcibly removed and potentially exported abroad have triggered renewed scrutiny of animal welfare enforcement in Cyprus, following claims aired on Alpha TV by an MP and an animal rescuer.
The case centres on the reported disappearance of a colony of cats from outside a supermarket in Latsia on 22 January. Environmental groups had already raised concerns in recent weeks over what they described as a wave of unexplained disappearances and delays in the handling of complaints.
Maria Kyriacou, an animal rescuer who said she had cared for the colony for more than seven years, told the programme that the animals were taken on “a rainy and very cold day”. She said she had fed the cats at around 7.30pm and that approximately an hour later a woman was seen trapping them.
“She grabbed them by force, using traps,” Kyriacou alleged, adding that the cats were placed in a vehicle and that the incident was captured on CCTV. A complaint was filed with police the following morning.
According to Kyriacou, the woman later told officers that the animals had been ill, taken to a veterinarian and returned. However, the rescuer disputed that account.
“It has now been three weeks since they were taken by force,” she said, insisting the animals had not reappeared. She also claimed to have received messages stating the cats were “in good hands and will go to Germany”. These allegations have not been independently verified.
Kyriacou further alleged that sterilised cats are targeted “to save money and time”, arguing that once vaccinated and documented, they can be transported more easily. She suggested there may be “a Cyprus-wide network” sending cats abroad, though no evidence was presented during the broadcast to substantiate that claim.
Responding on the programme, Charalambos Theopemptou, MP with the Movement of Ecologists – Citizens’ Cooperation and chair of the House environment committee, said the complaints had also reached his office.
“It is easy for someone to identify sterilised cats,” he said, referring to the ear-notching mark used to show an animal has been neutered. “You can see in the photos that the tip of the ear is cut — that is the sign that the cat is sterilised.”
Theopemptou noted that similar concerns had surfaced in the past, particularly involving Germany and research facilities in the United Kingdom. “We have had stories before, especially with Germany and research centres in England, where cats were stolen and sent abroad, mainly for experiments,” he said, adding that this was one reason “there needs to be an investigation into what is happening”.
He stressed that Cyprus’s EU membership makes cross-border transport procedurally easier once documentation is secured. “Because we are within the European Union, it is much easier for someone who captures cats to export them and transfer them to another European country,” he said.
The MP said the matter would be brought before the competent authorities. “This is one of the issues we intend to raise with the animal police and all relevant services,” he stated, adding that recent EU regulatory changes require clearer marking, registration and record-keeping for animals.
He warned that responsibility for stray cat management remains unclear. “No one seems willing to take responsibility — not for who manages the cats, not for who feeds them, not for who keeps the register,” he said. “The problem is growing, and now we have these additional issues of cats being stolen.”
While acknowledging staffing shortages within the animal police unit, Theopemptou described the response to the case as inadequate. “I understand their difficulties,” he said, “but it is disappointing to see such a reaction to such a serious issue that should have been examined.”
During the broadcast, the presenter Katia Savva said police had confirmed the complaint was under investigation and that available evidence, including CCTV footage, was being assessed. It was also stated that the woman referred to in the complaint had been called to give a statement, with translation arrangements reportedly being made.
No official authority has confirmed the existence of an organised trafficking network, nor has criminal wrongdoing been publicly established in the Latsia case.
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