Limassol Municipality is moving ahead with its stray cat neutering programme, relying on volunteers and veterinarians to help curb the city’s growing feline population, officials announced at a press conference.

Mayor Yiannis Armeftis said the programme is supported by volunteers, animal welfare groups and four veterinarians — Andreas Epaminonda, Maria Vafeiadou, Marios Nikolaou and Panikos Stylianou. The €40,000 budget is expected to cover 690 neuterings, aiming to improve animal welfare, reduce new births and protect public health.

He noted the programme was carefully designed, approved by the Veterinary Services and will begin in heavily affected areas before expanding citywide. While the problem cannot be solved immediately, systematic neutering is expected to gradually improve the situation.

The President of the Pancyprian Veterinary Association, Dimitris Epaminonda, stressed that stray animal issues require coordinated action at central and local level. He described the municipality’s approach as comprehensive and expressed hope that other municipalities will follow.

Animal Welfare Committee Chair Stalo Stefanou said the programme aims to reduce strays and better control their health, adding that “the responsibility is ours” and that solutions depend on information, prevention and cooperation.

Health Service Head Phanos Panayis said the programme targets 450 female and 240 male cats in the historic centre, Vathkia area and Garyllis Park. Volunteers will receive vouchers for identification and record-keeping. He noted that systematic neutering is expected to reduce stray populations significantly over time.