A 55-year-old man in Thessaloniki has been fined 270,000 euros after allegedly abandoning nine kittens in a remote area in the Kalamaria district, in a case highlighting Greece’s increasingly strict penalties for animal abandonment.
The administrative fine amounts to 30,000 euros for each animal. The man told local media he can in no way afford to pay the penalty, saying the amount exceeded what he has earned during his lifetime.
The incident unfolded late Saturday when two women spotted the man arriving at an isolated location on a scooter while loaded with pet carriers containing the animals. Suspecting he intended to leave the kittens behind, they alerted police.
According to police, the man transported the nine kittens to the site in two separate trips. Officers who responded to the scene recovered the animals and identified the suspect later the same night.
The man reportedly told police and local media that he could no longer afford to care for the animals, citing the rising costs of food and cat litter. He said the kittens came from two unsterilized female cats that had been brought to him by his son and that he lacked the financial resources to continue supporting them.
The women who reported the incident said the man told them he was looking for a place to leave a mother cat and her offspring. According to their testimony, he acknowledged being unable to care for the growing number of animals and believed abandoning them was his only option.
The suspect also claimed he was unaware that abandoning animals constitutes a specific offense under a revised law. He said he knew about legislation concerning animal abuse but not the penalties associated with abandonment.
The kittens are currently being cared for by a neighbor and are expected to be transferred to an animal welfare organization in the coming weeks.
Prosecutors have intervened in the case and are examining the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The case comes amid a wider government effort to address Greece’s long-standing stray animal problem through mandatory pet registration, sterilization requirements, stricter enforcement measures and substantial fines for abandonment and abuse.
