LEIDEN – The municipality of Leiden is under fire after destroying a microchipped cat without informing the owner. Foivos Manthos, along with family members and neighbors on the Oranjegracht, searched for his cat Gato for weeks starting Wednesday, February 26 — while the animal was already lying in a municipal animal remains container. His owner only learned what had happened weeks later through a neighbor. By the time Manthos discovered that his cat remains had been taken in by the municipality, Gato had already been destroyed.
On Thursday, March 20, a neighbor told Manthos that he had found Gato dead under his car on that very Wednesday morning, February 26, and had contacted the municipality to remove the body. “My mother went to the municipality the very next day. Gato was listed in their records, but he had already been destroyed,” Manthos said. “The staff member claimed another agency had been called, but that agency denied any contact.”
Municipality Acknowledges Mistake
The municipality admits the situation was due to human error. “We regret that this happened,” a spokesperson stated. “Our employees are deeply empathetic toward the grief of pet owners.” The owner received an apology and a bouquet of flowers. “But that doesn’t make up for what happened.” The procedure has since been tightened.
According to the municipality, owners are contacted if a deceased pet is microchipped and the contact details are up to date. The chip is scanned and checked against a database. However, automatic notifications to pet registration databases are not sent. Deceased animals are stored in a refrigerated unit on Admiraal Banckertweg for two to three weeks before being disposed of. In Gato’s case, that final step was unnecessary. “Anyone can make a mistake, but lying about it afterward is awful,” Manthos said.
Political Questions Raised
The municipality is now reviewing its policy regarding deceased pets, aiming for a more careful and respectful approach. Meanwhile, Kirsten Schuil, a council member for the Party for the Animals, is demanding clarity on how animals without (or with unreadable) microchips are handled and how cooperation with volunteers and platforms like Amivedi is managed.
Schuil called it distressing that a properly microchipped cat was destroyed without the owner being notified. “A chip is meant to help make contact. Mistakes are human, but this raises concerns about how often this has happened before. Animals deserve respect, even after death.”
“For Gato, it’s too late,” Manthos said. “But for other animals, it might still be just in time.”
