Mumbai News: BMC Sterilised 24,500 Cats In 6 Years, Struggles To Match Dog Sterilisation Pace

Mumbai: In the last six years, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has sterilised a total of 24,504 cats, compared to more than 1.18 lakh stray dogs. Despite efforts to control the stray population, the pace of cat sterilisation has remained much slower than that of dogs.

The civic body launched the cat sterilization and vaccination drive in 2019 after rising cases of cat bites and scratches. To implement the programme, the BMC has engaged eight NGOs.

Kaleem Pasha Pathan, General Manager of the Deonar Abattoir, said that Mumbai is the only city in India carrying out cat sterilisation. He added that the numbers appear low because cats are harder to catch than dogs.

The programme has also become more expensive over time. Between 2020 and 2022, the BMC allocated Rs 3 crore for sterilization, which increased to Rs 6.40 crore for the 2023–2025 period.

According to BMC’s health department, a cat gives birth 2–3 times a year, with each litter producing 4–5 kittens. Without population control, the number of strays can rise quickly, creating health and safety issues across the city.

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Since 1994, the BMC has sterilized 4,30,594 stray dogs. This long-term effort has significantly reduced their population. An HSI/India survey found that the number of stray dogs fell from 95,172 in 2014 to 90,757 in 2024. Density too dropped from 10.54 dogs per km to 8.01 per km over the decade.