German science reporter calls for tax on pet cats

Dog-owners in Germany are taxed for their pets while cat-owners currently aren't. However, Jorg Albrecht, a German science reporter, proposed to impose a tax on cat-owners last week, which has triggered discussion in the country.

There are estimated 13 million domestic and more than two million stray cats in Germany. Cats can't be trained and they are dangerous killers.

A cat kills everything that moves that is smaller than them and if it were a little bigger, you would have to lock it behind bars and keep it strictly guarded, Albrecht wrote.

The National Animal Protection League estimates that German cats kill some 100 million birds every year, which has endangered the ecological balance.

In order to control the number of cats and protect biodiversity, Albrecht suggests that the animal should be registered and cat owners should have to pay a tax like dog-owners. His proposal is supported by many bird-watchers. ( Hartwig Fischer, president of the German Hunting Association, told Bild newspaper that he is in favor of the proposed tax. "We call on cat owners to take more responsibility because there are two and a half million stray cats that endanger biodiversity," he said.

However, some warned that the introduction of a cat tax may prompt some cat-owners to abandon their cats, which will have an opposite effect.

source: Xinhua