Sterilisations without ear tipping in Catanzaro

On 2 July 2026, in a clinic of the Azienda Sanitaria Provinciale di Catanzaro, four cats from two cat colonies of the municipality of Catanzaro were neutered. The animals did not undergo ear tipping, that is the small cut on the tip of the ear which allows free-roaming cats that have already been neutered to be recognised at a glance. The regional law of Calabria provides for this identification.

The same day the ASP refused to neuter a fifth cat from the same colony, because she was considered pregnant, without carrying out an ultrasound scan. The cat was later neutered in a private veterinary clinic, where a pregnancy of about two weeks was found.

On 4 July 2026 Animal Law Italia sent a formal notice by PEC to the Veterinary Service of the ASP of Catanzaro. In the notice we cited Calabria Regional Law No. 45/2023, National Law No. 281/1991 and the guidelines of the Ministry of Health on the identification of cats in cat colonies.

We asked the ASP to confirm that the operated cats have been registered in the register, to remind its staff, to adopt a uniform procedure for all neutering operations and to communicate the microchip data to the caretakers. We asked for a reply within 15 days.

The case has been closed. Following our formal notice, the clinic's team has started to carry out ear tipping.