GOTHENBURG, Sweden—Swedish police are spending increasingly more time and resources taking care of stray cats. In the western county of Varmland, there are so many cat cases that they impact crime-fighting activities.
When animals are abandoned or mistreated, it is the responsibility of the police to take care of them. Christer Loof of the Varmland police explained the many steps involved.
First, the cat often needs to be caught. Next, the police officer has to assess if the animal needs medical care, and, if so, take it to the hospital. The cat is then placed in an animal shelter. After that, the police must try to find the owner. If the owner cannot be found, a decision is made whether the cat, which may have gone feral, can be adapted to domestic life again.
Sometimes, the cat is in such a bad condition that it has to be put down. Finally, a report needs to be written and filed with the County Administrative Board.
“A typical cat case takes about half a day for two people, but not all cases are that smooth. Some take several days,” Loof said.
Taking care of cats does not require any police training, and it takes up so much time that the core police activity—fighting crime—is suffering. Naturally, the cat cases do not infringe on high-priority activities. It is low-priority activities, such as foot patrol and traffic control that suffer.
