An estimated 1 million cats prowl Cyprus as officials scramble to check their numbers

NICOSIA, Cyprus — The island of cats has a cat problem.

Officials in Cyprus, the small island nation in the eastern corner of the Mediterranean, estimate there is roughly one feral cat for every one of its 1 million inhabitants — though activists contend the actual population is hundreds of thousands higher.

In late September, the island’s parliamentary committee on the environment was told that an existing sterilization program is too limited to contain the burgeoning cat population.

“It’s a good program, but it needs to expand,” said Environment Commissioner Antonia Theodosiou, noting that the program conducts only about 2,000 sterilizations annually on a budget of just $117,000.

While there is no official comparative data, Cyprus has gained a reputation for having a cat population that is exceptionally large relative to its human inhabitants.

Change might be on the way, but funding alone won’t solve the problem.

Appearing to heed calls for more funding, Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou announced on Oct. 4 — World Animal Day — that the government would raise cat sterilization funding to $348,000 annually. The decision was hailed as a significant step forward.

However, Charalambos Theopemptou, chairman of the Parliamentary Environment Committee, warned against relying on money alone. “There has to be a plan,” he said. “We can’t just go ahead with sterilizations without having a plan,” he said.

Given cats’ predatory nature, a large population not only has the potential to wreak havoc with the island’s ecosystem, but it could cause undue suffering for feral felines roaming car-choked streets in search of food and shelter.

Cyprus has a long history as a cat-loving nation where cat food dispensaries and clusters of tiny houses are a regular sight along popular footpaths.

Two decades ago, French archaeologists unearthed what they believed to be the earliest evidence of a domesticated cat in a 9,500-year-old neolithic village. They found the bones of a cat close to the skeletal remains of a human, suggesting that they were buried together.

Adding to this long history of human-feline connection is the 4th century legend of Saint Helen who, after finding the True Cross in the Holy Lands, brought over a couple of boatloads of cats to deal with a snake infestation. A monastery that serves as a feline safe haven, St. Nicholas of the Cats, still exists today.

With tourism a key economic driver for Cyprus, the island’s cats have become a major attraction for the millions of vacationers who descend on the island every year.

Demetris Epaminondas, president of the Veterinary Association, attributes the exploding population to unchecked breeding, particularly in high-concentration urban areas, and to more kittens surviving birth, thanks to ordinary folks offering care.

Mr. Epaminondas said Cyprus’ cat population can be brought under control in as few as four years. This would be possible, he said, if authorities cobble together a unified sterilization plan that would put private clinics at the forefront of the effort by offering free-of-charge neutering without all the red tape that complicates the process.

“People will be more motivated to get cats neutered if we make it easier for them to do so,” he said.