Overview

• Only 172 of roughly 1,100 municipalities in the Southwest have a cat-protection ordinance, according to the state agriculture ministry.
• Schwarzwald-Baar-Kreis now has rules in every municipality, with recent adoptions in Pforzheim and Rottweil and Mannheim expanding from registration to neutering in 2024.
• Stuttgart is drafting a proposal for a neutering requirement, with a decision expected in early 2026, the city says.
• Animal groups including Deutscher Tierschutzbund, BUND, Tasso and PETA urge a statewide or national mandate, arguing the current law leaves a counterproductive patchwork.
• Shelters report exhaustion and rising numbers of sick, unneutered strays, and experts warn warmer seasons enable year-round breeding and increase risks to native wildlife and wildcats.