At the beginning of February, the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture decided that it wanted to make the registration and vaccination of dogs, cats and ferrets compulsory from June 2027.

However, in June, the ministry announced that the obligation would only apply to dogs, and that the vaccination of cats would not be included in the draft bill.

At the time, the ministry said it would be costly to vaccinate cats.

However, at Wednesday's meeting, Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture Hendrik Johannes Terras (Eesti 200) and representatives of the Estonian Veterinary Association agreed to begin discussions on the inclusion of the requirement to vaccinate cats in the Animal Welfare Act.

Terras explained that the ministry's hesitation on introducing the requirement to vaccinate and microchip cats was due to the need for political consensus.

"The key has been where there is a political consensus. There is a political consensus on dogs," Terras said, adding that he hoped a political consensus would also be reached on the chipping of cats.

Previously, animal rights activists voiced their opposition to the removal of the requirement to chip cats from the law as there are far more issues related to stray cats than dogs in Estonia.

According to the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, cats account for as many as 90 percent of the animals currently in shelters in Estonia.

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