On June 11, while he was on a business trip and his cat breeder was set up at his mother’s house, Philippe (not his real name) learned that his 12 cats had been seized by the Flemish authorities. Since then, he has been facing justice to try to get his cats back. But what are the rules surrounding the seizure of animals?
Philippe (not his real name) has had a cat breeder in Dilbeek, at his mother’s house, for several years. Recently, he moved to the Brussels region. In order to be in legal order, he cancels his Flemish approval number, obligatory for having a breeding farm, and requests a new one in the Brussels region. Unfortunately, just a few months after his move, he was forced to travel for several weeks on business. “All the shelters were full to capacity and some cats were waiting for litters. So as not to leave them alone, I returned them to my mother.” He then thinks he is doing what is best for his cats.
But, while he is on the other side of the world, he receives a call to tell him that his cats are going to be seized: “The Flemish authorities carried out a check to verify that my breeding was no longer in Dilbeek and they found the cats.” The Flemish authorities accuse the owner of several offenses: the cats are not sterilized and placed in a cellar without natural light or ventilation. “The temperatures were very high, the cellar was the coolest place for them at that time.”justifies the owner.
“I know that conditions are less good at my mother’s house, but I wasn’t going to leave the cats alone while I was traveling. At home, in Brussels, I put everything in place for them and despite that, they don’t want to give them back to me.”
Since then, Philippe has hired a lawyer and launched an extreme emergency procedure before the Council of State, but he has still not been able to recover his cats: “I don’t understand, there are situations in which animals are treated much worse and the Flemish authorities do nothing.” From the office of the Flemish Minister of Animal Welfare, Ben Weyts, we assure that animals are never seized for nothing: “The rules are written in laws and decrees, they apply to everyone.”
The final decision:
The judge considered that this was not a situation of extreme emergency: “They told me that I didn’t have an emotional bond with my cats and that I was only doing this for money, it’s crazy.” Today, T. could again undertake a classic procedure in the hope of getting his cats back, but the length of it scares him: “I fear that my animals will end up being euthanized because of the lack of space in shelters when I could take them back to Brussels”concludes the owner.
What rules apply?
The seizure of animals and, more broadly, animal welfare are regional responsibilities, even if certain responsibilities remain the responsibility of the municipalities. The main offenses are neglect and illegal keeping of animals. In general, offenders receive a first warning, but there are certain cases in which animals are directly seized: imminent danger for the animal, serious negligence or non-compliance with the measures imposed. The people competent to report an infraction vary depending on the region. Whatever the reason for the seizure, the animal is placed in an appropriate shelter while awaiting the final decision. This is given within a maximum of 60 days.
breeding regulations alert us
