Members of the House Environment Committee have called for immediate police intervention to protect animal welfare organisations, after recent public reports and social media posts about missing cats led to volunteers and individuals who care for stray animals receiving mass threats to their physical safety, including threats to their lives.
The issue was discussed during a committee meeting on Wednesday, where animal welfare groups accused the Police of failing to respond promptly to initial complaints, allowing tensions to spiral.
Blame directed at police
Dinos Agiomamitis, president of the Cat Protection and Welfare Association and a member of the Pancyprian Coordinating Committee for Animal Welfare, said public unrest over reports of missing cats escalated because there was no immediate police response after the first complaint was filed in late January.
He explained that, in the absence of action by the authorities, he and another committee member carried out a surprise inspection on Tuesday at the home of a woman accused of removing cats from a supermarket in Latsia. According to him, they found 50 to 60 cats living in excellent conditions.
“If the Police had investigated the initial complaint about the cat at the Latsia supermarket from the outset, this vulgar tsunami of attacks against responsible volunteers, because not everyone is responsible, would not have happened,” said volunteer Konstantina Constantinou.
She added that around 30 people gathered outside the woman’s home earlier that day, prompting police intervention.
Assault and unfounded accusations
Mary Chrysochou Anastasi, speaking on behalf of the organisation Voice for the Animals of Cyprus, said delays by the Police had created serious problems for volunteers caring for animals.
“Right now, if you look online, people are threatening others’ lives. Not only are they threatening them, but someone has also been assaulted. They are organising themselves. This is unacceptable. The matter should have been closed,” she said.
She rejected allegations circulating online that volunteers send cats abroad for their fur, describing them as baseless. She explained that exporting an animal requires complex procedures, significant costs and strict documentation. In her view, some of the cats reported missing may have wandered off or been removed by a public authority or private entity.
Constantinou added that disappearances can have many explanations, including road accidents, poisoning or shooting, stressing that cats cannot be fully controlled unless confined in enclosed spaces.
EU directive on microchipping
Green MP Charalambos Theopemptou reminded the committee that an EU directive, due to be implemented by 2028, will require mandatory identification and registration of cats through microchipping, similar to existing obligations for dogs.
Anastasi expressed scepticism about Cyprus’ ability to comply. “When not all dogs are microchipped despite legislation being in place since 2002, do you believe it will be implemented for both dogs and cats by 2028?” she asked.
Volunteers afraid to feed animals
Christos Karoulas, representing the Larnaca District Animal Welfare Committee, said the online discourse had reached extreme levels.
“If you see what they are writing, the insults, the scenarios they are inventing, you would say enough. Let the competent authorities handle it. Many are animal lovers only behind a keyboard,” he said, adding that individuals are being named and threatened.
He described as unacceptable the fact that volunteers now fear feeding cats at night because they are being threatened with violence.
Threats after video posted online
A representative of another organisation described an incident in which a group of female volunteers went to collect a sick cat and were filmed by another individual. The video was later posted online, after which the women began receiving death threats.
She warned that the climate of fear may halt key activities such as sterilisation campaigns in the coming weeks.
MPs demand clear police action
Police representatives told the committee that all cases are being investigated with due seriousness and that action was taken once complaints were received. Their response failed to satisfy MPs, who urged the Police to issue a public statement offering protection to volunteers in order to calm tensions.
DIKO MP Christos Orfanides called on the Police to convene a meeting with animal welfare organisations and issue a formal announcement.
“To restore calm, you must send the right messages. This has turned into madness. Fights are brewing. If anything happens, you will bear significant responsibility,” warned Theopemptou.