230 Complaints Related to Seoul Stray Cats Over 3 Years
Many Posts Expressing Dissatisfaction with 'Caretakers' Caring for Stray Cats
"Caretakers Can Actually Reduce Residents' Inconvenience"
At the end of last month, a post requesting the disbandment of a caretaker club, so-called 'Cat Mom' or 'Cat Daddy,' that feeds stray cats or installs and cares for their living spaces was uploaded on the community app 'Everytime' of a university in Gyeonggi Province. This post sparked a heated debate, resulting in over 70 comments.
This is an example of the pros and cons conflict surrounding 'caretakers' who take care of stray cats. The controversy over caring for stray cats is happening nationwide. Cheonan City in Chungnam Province initiated the first-ever revision of the stray cat ordinance last month, but the proposal was put on hold amid ongoing disputes.
According to Seoul City on the 26th, a total of 230 complaints related to stray cats were received by the city from 2020 to October 2022. There were 62 cases in 2020, 88 in 2021, and 80 from January to October 2022. These figures only account for complaints handled by the city, excluding those submitted directly to district offices or transferred from the city to district offices. Therefore, the actual number of complaints related to stray cats is estimated to be much higher.
Over the past three years, complaints related to stray cats received by Seoul City mainly involved 'feeding stations' installed and managed at the city or district office level, accounting for 79 cases. Next were 76 cases related to neutering, 41 cases concerning 'protection' such as rescuing kittens and emergency aid, and 17 cases each of complaints about 'feeding spots' arbitrarily created by caretakers and other inconveniences caused by stray cats such as noise and defecation.
Among internet posts related to stray cats, many complaints were about 'caretakers.' These included issues such as population increase, noise, and defecation causing daily life inconveniences. Such conflicts also appear in reality. An apartment management office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, posted a notice requesting solutions to the stray cat problem within the complex by the 7th of this month. The notice stated that opinions were being sought on ▲ measures to prevent recurrence of resident safety accidents ▲ measures to prevent recurrence of damage in underground parking lots (vehicle damage, defecation) ▲ measures to prevent recurrence of noise damage caused by stray cats. The management office said that if no submissions are made, options such as relocation and release would be considered. A management office official said, "We are currently collecting opinions and discussing."
Stray cats are a nationwide concern. On the 25th of last month, the Cheonan City Council in Chungnam Province proposed the nation's first 'Stray Cat Protection and Management Ordinance.' This ordinance, which requires the establishment and implementation of a stray cat protection and management plan every three years, was submitted as a council agenda on the 13th but was put on hold due to fierce opposition. Since the ordinance proposal, 1,841 posts on the topic of 'cats' have been uploaded on the Cheonan City Council's free bulletin board from the 28th of last month to the present. Cheonan City Council member Bok Ah-young said, "We are considering resubmitting the ordinance at the last session in November," adding, "It is necessary for the city hall or city council to intervene to resolve conflicts between 'caretakers' and local residents."
Animal rights protection civic groups explain that there are many misunderstandings about caretaker activities. They argue that feeding and caring for stray cats in designated areas reduces population growth and complaints about defecation and noise. Choi Min-kyung, head of policy change at KARA, said, "Without fixed places like feeding stations to supply food, it is difficult to capture cats in the area for neutering," adding, "Among noise complaints, mating calls are the most frequent, and this is a problem that can be solved through neutering." In fact, the number of stray cats in Seoul decreased from 116,019 in 2019 to 90,889 in 2021. A Seoul city official said, "The decrease in population seems to be influenced by several factors, including the neutering project."
However, animal organizations also explain that caretakers need to follow certain principles. Choi said, "Placing food under vehicles, providing human food, and feeding in non-fixed locations should be avoided," adding, "Animal organizations are also conducting campaigns to manage stray cats cleanly around fixed feeding stations to prevent inconvenience to residents."
The need for conflict resolution efforts at the local government level was also raised. Lee Won-bok, president of the Korea Animal Protection Alliance, said, "If local governments create guidelines so that caretakers not only supply cat food but also carry out population control simultaneously, it would be effective."
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