Number of street cats in Varna in 2016*
2008
Number of street cats in Varna in 2024*
23 053
*according to official estimates by Varna Municipality
WE NEED A MUNICIPAL MASS NEUTERING PROGRAMME FOR STREET CATS IN VARNA
There are 23 053 street cats in Varna, and the municipality estimates that the street cat population has been growing by 85% every two years. There are not enough care-takers and resources for so many cats. There are cats dying of viruses, poisoning, and traffic accidents every day.
Legally, the responsibility for the street cats lies with the municipality of Varna. The municipal council needs to vote on and pass a by-law for a mass neutering programme, and the executive branch (the mayor and the municipal staff) need to implement it. This has not happened.
All our work is aimed at sending a LOUD AND CLEAR message to Varna Municipality and the Municipal Council that we need a
MUNICIPAL MASS NEUTERING PROGRAMME for street cats in Varna.
If you believe, like us, that cats should not be suffering on the streets of Varna, please do something yourself! Here is what you can do:
- Tell a councillor in Varna that you want a mass neutering programme
- Sign our petition
- Volunteer to get a street cat neutered yourself! Use our detailed TNR (trap-neuter-return) guide that has step-by-step instructions
- Donate to our summer campaign to help us run pedestrian street events to make more people aware of this issue
- Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages
- Talk to your friends and family about the street cat crisis
- MOST IMPORTANTLY: Be a responsible pet owner: adopt don’t shop, get your pet neutered and chipped, never abandon a pet

Article 56 of the Animal Protection Law states that in cases of "increased population of street cats" the municipality MUST implement a mass neutering programme for street cats. Varna Municipality has done NOTHING to control the population.
The vets of Varna agree with the law: we asked 24 veterinary clinics to fill in a survey. In this survey, EVERY SINGLE VET stated that they support a municipal mass neutering programme in Varna. Read more about our survey here.
TNR (trap-neuter-return) is an internationally recognized method for reducing populations of street cats. Several studies (for example Nutter, 2005) have shown that neutered cats live significantly longer than intact cats. It is absolutely crucial that every single pet parent in Varna takes measures to become a responsible pet owner right now, meaning: adopt don’t shop, get your pet neutered, get your pet chipped, never abandon a pet. However, even if no further pets were abandoned and all pets were neutered right now, the population of street cats in Varna will continue growing at extremely fast rates. There are only two ways to tackle this problem: mass euthenasia (illegal, inhumane) or mass neutering (legal and humane). That's why we are fighting for a mass neutering programme for street cats in Varna!