In cooperation with the association Lošinj Animal Help Point, volunteers from Lošinj, Krk, and Rijeka, the association Lunjo i Maza, and the Krk/Rijeka Veterinary Station, a large-scale cat neutering campaign  was launched on the island of Krk at the end of 2025. Cats living in larger colonies were humanely trapped, transported to Krk/Rijeka for sterilization, and then returned to their original locations on the island.

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During the first phase of the campaign, a total of 376 cats were neutered. If we estimate that around 190 of them were females, and consider that each female can have up to three litters per year, with up to eight kittens per litter, this leads to a potential number of 4,560 kittens in just one year. The number would continue to grow exponentially: 2,280 young females in the first year could produce up to 54,720 kittens; 27,360 new young females in the following year could produce up to 656,640 kittens; and the cycle would continue to expand further.

 

In addition to the neutering itself, one of the key goals of this project was the establishment of regulated feeding stations. What would that mean in practice? It would include installing small shelters for the cats that aesthetically fit into the environment, appointing a responsible person (a volunteer) to handle feeding and cleaning, and setting up cameras. Feeding by anyone other than the responsible volunteers would be prohibited, as would abandoning new cats at the location or destroying the feeding stations, since they would be considered public property (all monitored by cameras). If a new cat appeared, it would be isolated, neutered, treated if necessary, and then returned to the feeding station. This is the only way to keep the population, health, and cleanliness under control. Unfortunately, this goal was not achieved because none of the municipal mayors responded to the invitation for a meeting where this project was meant to be presented. Despite this, cooperation with the municipality of Krk continues through ongoing neutering efforts and care for the cats, including treatment, feeding, and further sterilizations.

 

Regarding the neutering itself, local government units are legally obligated to fund spay and neuter procedures to prevent uncontrolled reproduction. Some municipalities fulfill this obligation only formally, by signing contracts with the lowest bidder without considering quality — and unfortunately the cats suffer the consequences. In such arrangements, the costs of sterilization and parasite treatments are covered, but vaccinations are not. Vaccination, however, is one of the basic requirements for maintaining healthy cats at regulated feeding stations and ensuring that these colonies reflect positively on the municipality.

For this reason, most of the vaccines used in this campaign, as well as the food, were funded through voluntary donations. We would like to sincerely thank all the kind-hearted people who have donated even a small amount to help the cats of Krk.

So far, 172 vaccines have been paid for, while we are still waiting for invoices for the remaining 204 vaccines, as well as for other veterinary expenses: 1 hernia surgery, 1 pyometra surgery, 2 eye removals, 1 ear amputation (Tin, due to a tumor), and treatment for a cat who unfortunately passed away due to kidney disease and old age (Uška). The highest veterinary expense was for a cat from Dobrinj who suffered from a severe ear infection that had spread to the cerebellum. A CT scan was required, along with surgical removal of the infection, drains, and hospitalization. Thankfully, the cat recovered and was returned to her location.

For all of the listed expenses for which invoices are still pending, we invite anyone who is willing to contribute with a donation — even a small contribution means a great deal to both us and the cats.

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This campaign also resulted in several cats being permanently removed from the streets and given a safer future: three white brothers (Tin, who is still undergoing therapy, and Saša and Kedžo), five kittens (Leposlava, Snješka, Domaćica, and Karlo and Jelena — the latter two Felv+), one elderly black FIV+ cat (Jacko), a cat with a tracheal injury (Maša), a tortoiseshell cat missing one eye (EnEn), and four additional kittens (Shadow, Snowflake, Cinnamon and Oreo — the last one is currently in Zagreb awaiting a complex surgery to resolve breathing problems).

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The campaign will be temporarily paused on March 1, as this is the period when many cats are heavily pregnant or already caring for kittens, and neutering is therefore not performed. The campaign is planned to resume on October 1, 2026.​

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Previous posts about this initiative can be found on our Facebook page. We have highlighted one video here and attached a few photos below.