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ANIMALS

Italy littered with fat cats and pudgy pooches

A diet of leftovers and snacks is fuelling obesity among Italy's pets, a report by YouGov, a UK-based market research firm has found.

Published: 5 July 2013 17:16 CEST
Italy littered with fat cats and pudgy pooches
More than a quarter of Italians say their pets are fat. Photo: Juddo/Wikicommons

Twenty-nine percent of pet owners in Italy said their dogs and cats were overweight. The report was commissioned by Hills pet food company and polled around 1,300 Italians.

The main reason is because 26 percent of Italian animal owners feed their pets leftovers and snacks, compared to eight percent in the Netherlands and 13 percent in Britain.  

Giuseppe Casillo, who has two dogs and a cat, told The Local he occasionally treats his pets to pasta, rice and biscuits. However, he believes the problem is more to do with lack of exercise.

"There are plenty of food shops especially for dogs and cats, so a lot of animals eat very healthily," he said.

"But I don't think they get taken out for walks much."

An estimate for overweight pets in Italy could be as high as 95 percent for cats and 63 percent for dogs, the poll found. 

Poor diet can lead to heart disease and diabetes, the report warned.

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PARIS

Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Efforts to relocate wild rabbits that are a common sight on the lawns of the historic Invalides memorial complex have provoked criticism from animal rights groups.

Published: 14 February 2024 13:01 CET
Fluffy nuisance: Outcry as Paris sends Invalides rabbits into exile

Tourists and Parisians have long been accustomed to the sight of wild rabbits frolicking around the lawns of Les Invalides, one of the French capital’s great landmarks.

But efforts are underway to relocate the fluffy animals, accused of damaging the gardens and drains around the giant edifice that houses Napoleon’s tomb, authorities said.

Police said that several dozen bunnies had been captured since late January and relocated to the private estate of Breau in the Seine-et-Marne region outside Paris, a move that has prompted an outcry from animal rights activists.

“Two operations have taken place since 25 January,” the police prefecture told AFP.

“Twenty-four healthy rabbits were captured on each occasion and released after vaccination” in Seine-et-Marne, the prefecture said.

Six more operations are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks.

Around 300 wild rabbits live around Les Invalides, according to estimates.

“The overpopulation on the site is leading to deteriorating living conditions and health risks,” the prefecture said.

Authorities estimate the cost of restoring the site, which has been damaged by the proliferation of underground galleries and the deterioration of gardens, pipes and flora, at €366,000.

Animal rights groups denounced the operation.

The Paris Animaux Zoopolis group said the rabbits were being subjected to “intense stress” or could be killed “under the guise of relocation”.

“A number of rabbits will die during capture and potentially during transport,” said the group, accusing authorities of being “opaque” about their methods.

The animal rights group also noted that Breau was home to the headquarters of the Seine-et-Marne hunting federation.

The police prefecture insisted that the animals would not be hunted.

In 2021, authorities classified the rabbits living in Paris as a nuisance but the order was reversed following an outcry from animal groups who have been pushing for a peaceful cohabitation with the animals.

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