Allegations have surfaced that some veterinary clinics have been indiscriminately capturing and performing surgeries on pregnant cats, a practice prohibited by law, to obtain funding designated for neutering feral cats. (Image courtesy of Pixabay/CCL)
CHEONGJU, Jun. 27 (Korea Bizwire) – In a troubling development, several veterinary clinics in Cheongju, South Korea, have been accused of indiscriminately capturing and sterilizing pregnant feral cats to secure government funding, despite legal prohibitions against such practices.
According to the Korea Abandoned Animal Welfare Association (KAWA), from March to May, three out of six animal hospitals contracted by the city of Cheongju for the feral cat neutering program performed surgeries on 73 mid to late-term pregnant cats out of 318 female cats operated on, representing 23% of the total.
This data was compiled by KAWA through analysis of uterine size and shape from photos uploaded to the National Animal Protection Information System, where veterinary clinics are required to post images of the operated cats and their extracted uteruses.
Current South Korean law prohibits the sterilization of pregnant feral cats, not only for ethical reasons concerning the unborn kittens but also due to the high risk of excessive bleeding during surgery caused by expanded blood vessels.
KAWA alleges that these clinics have been indiscriminately capturing and sterilizing feral cats for years to receive government subsidies. Cheongju provides 220,000 won per female cat sterilization to contracted veterinary clinics.
Differences in the size of uteruses removed for spay/neuter of feral cats (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
In response to these allegations, a veterinarian from one of the implicated clinics stated, “It’s difficult to confirm pregnancy before anesthesia due to the cats’ fierce resistance, especially in overweight cats. The government recommends proceeding with surgery safely if pregnancy is discovered after the administration of anesthesia, as there’s a risk of harming the mother if the kittens are stillborn.”
However, veterinary experts argue that experienced veterinarians should be able to easily identify mid to late-term pregnancies due to the cats’ distinctly swollen abdomens.
KAWA’s data shows that other contracted animal hospitals performed surgeries on only 4.4% of mid to late-term pregnant cats during the same period.
KAWA plans to file police reports against the clinics involved, stating, “Performing surgeries that could potentially kill both the kittens and the mother is a clear violation of the Animal Protection Act.”
The city of Cheongju is considering not renewing contracts with these clinics for the latter half of the year.
A city official explained, “While we’ve been monitoring the uploaded photos, it’s been difficult to impose sanctions without clear evidence of intentional malpractice. Moving forward, we’ll issue warnings to clinics with unusually high rates of pregnant cat surgeries and initiate contract cancellation procedures if the practice continues.”
This issue is not isolated to Cheongju. In 2021, a similar case in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, revealed that 87 out of 325 feral cats (27%) undergoing sterilization were pregnant.
Yeon Bo-ra, director of KAWA, emphasized the need for systemic changes: “To prevent indiscriminate surgeries under the pretext of difficulty in confirming pregnancy, we need clear criteria for identifying pregnant cats before anesthesia is administered. Additionally, we need improved regulations that allow for contract cancellations and full recovery of subsidies in cases of violation.”
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
