"To Receive Subsidies... Animal Hospitals Conduct Indiscriminate Neutering Surgeries"

Animal Group: "23% of Spayed Stray Cats Were Pregnant"
Hospital: "Difficult to Confirm Pregnancy Before Surgery"
Current Law Prohibits Surgery on Pregnant Cats

Cheongju City is paying animal hospitals 220,000 won per female stray cat for neutering surgery. However, there are claims that some animal hospitals have indiscriminately performed surgeries on pregnant cats to receive support funds for the stray cat neutering project. On the 26th, the Korea Stray Animal Welfare Association (hereinafter referred to as the Animal Association) claimed that among six animal hospitals contracted with Cheongju City from March to May, when the cat neutering project was underway, three hospitals operated on 73 out of 318 female stray cats (23%) that were in mid to late pregnancy.

Cheongju City is paying animal hospitals 220,000 won per female stray cat for neutering surgery. However, there are claims that some animal hospitals have indiscriminately operated on pregnant cats to receive support funds for the stray cat neutering project. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

This result was compiled by the Animal Association by checking the size and shape of the uterus from photos of the operated stray cats and the extracted uteri uploaded to the National Animal Protection Information System. When accessing the portal, unlike the typical small 'string'-shaped uterus of a cat, some cats’ uteri are noticeably swollen and several times larger. Current law prohibits neutering surgeries on pregnant stray cats. This is not only because the kittens would die, but also because the expanded blood vessels can cause excessive bleeding during surgery.

In response to the issue, a veterinarian from the concerned animal hospital explained, "It is difficult to confirm pregnancy before anesthesia in stray cats due to their strong resistance, and it is even harder to distinguish in overweight cats. The government also recommends proceeding with surgery safely if pregnancy is discovered after anesthesia is administered, as there is a risk of the mother’s life being endangered if the kittens are stillborn."

However, the veterinary community holds the opinion that experienced veterinarians can easily suspect pregnancy in mid to late stages because the abdomen of the pregnant stray cat is distinctly protruding. According to the Animal Association’s data, only 4.4% (10 out of 224) of surgeries performed by the other three contracted animal hospitals during the same period were on mid to late pregnant stray cats.

The Animal Association stated, "Performing surgeries that can cause the death of both kittens and the mother is a clear act of abuse under the Animal Protection Act," and added, "We plan to report all these hospitals to the police." Cheongju City is considering not renewing contracts with these hospitals in the second half of the year. A city official said, "Although we checked the photos uploaded to the portal regularly, there was no definite evidence that the hospitals knowingly operated on pregnant cats, so it was difficult to impose sanctions. Going forward, we will issue warnings to hospitals with a high proportion of surgeries on pregnant cats and proceed with contract cancellations if the practice continues."

Neutering Surgery Project Sometimes Exploited as a Money-Making Tool by Some Animal Hospitals

Taxes invested in the stray cat neutering project are rapidly increasing. In 2022, the cost of TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) approached 20 billion won, and it is expected that the tax input will continue to rise for the foreseeable future. According to the '2022 Pet Protection and Welfare Survey,' a total of 104,434 cats were neutered through the annual stray cat neutering support project in 2022.

The appearance of a neutered stray cat [Photo by Seoul City]

This was the first time in history that over 100,000 cats were neutered annually, and the tax expenditure at that time also reached an all-time high. The TNR project refers to capturing stray cats, neutering them, and then returning them to their original locations to control and manage the stray cat population. It is commonly called the 'stray cat neutering project.' The number of stray cats neutered nationwide in 2022 increased by 25.0% compared to 83,539 in 2021. This increase was larger than the 13.5% growth rate from 2020 to 2021.

The local government that conducted the most TNR surgeries was Gyeonggi Province. In 2022, Gyeonggi neutered 26,311 stray cats, accounting for 25.2% of the total, although this was a decrease from 31.1% the previous year. Following were Seoul (13,696 cats, 13.1%), Gyeongnam (9,940 cats, 9.5%), and Busan (8,670 cats, 8.3%).

However, cases continue to emerge where the neutering project, introduced to reduce the stray cat population, is exploited as a money-making tool by some animal hospitals. For example, in 2021 in Mokpo, Jeonnam, 87 out of 325 stray cats (27%) were found to be pregnant. This has led animal organizations to call for strengthening the management system of the project.

Yeon Bora, head of the Animal Association, said, "To prevent the reckless surgeries justified by the excuse that it is difficult to confirm pregnancy, clear criteria for identifying pregnant cats before anesthesia is administered need to be established. Additionally, system improvements are necessary to allow for contract cancellations and full recovery of support funds in case of violations."