On official platforms, Ombudsman Laurentina Pedroso stated that this approach is already in use in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil and called for its adaptation to the national situation around five main pillars.
The proposal states that the service must remain strictly public and should aim at stray dogs and cats or at those owned by economically disadvantaged families, thus allowing the mobile units to operate throughout the country and strengthening the work of the official animal collection centres.
The operational plan also demands that these mobile units satisfy rigorous criteria concerning licensing, biosafety, and post-operative care, in order that the surgical operations may be carried out with complete medical accountability.
As Laurentina Pedroso stated in a position statement, which was reported by the Notícias ao Minuto magazine, mass sterilisation is the most effective preventive measure for stopping the birth of unwanted litters and for reducing pressure on the animal protection system.














This is a great initiative.
I also think that 23% IVA on top of vet’s already high charges is truly WRONG!
By Lauree Lennon from Lisbon on 23 Sep 2026, 10:57
I applaud this initiative- low cost, accessible cat and dog sterilization programs are urgently needed throughout Portugal and the most effective method of reducing the vast cat and dog overpopulation that currently results in massive amounts of preventable suffering. This approach has been wildly successful in other countries. It’s a long-overdue service and I hope it is broadly supported.
By Diane Bassett from Other on 23 Sep 2026, 11:03
Indeed. Steralizing cats and dogs is the only way to deal with the over population. It would be great to help the cats and dogs this way and as a result, give them a better life.
By Carina Croes from Other on 23 Sep 2026, 11:11
We feed 8 stray cats around our property. They occasionally thank us by leaving a fat juicy rat at our door. If all stray cats disappear from Portugal, won't the rodent population just explode ? Just saying, stray cats also have their positives...
By Bas from Algarve on 24 Sep 2026, 07:07