The Local Germany

Should Germans have to pay tax on pet cats?

Thu, 26 Jan 2017 16:09:03 +0100

Identifying as either a 'cat person' or a 'dog person' supposedly reveals a lot about your personality, but in Germany there's a legal difference between pet owners. Dog-owners are taxed for their pet, while cat-owners currently aren't - though some say that should change.

Berlin family's cat returns after seven years

Sat, 26 Dec 2015 18:44:32 +0100

Forget the return of Star Wars. For a family in Berlin, this Christmas saw the return of Miko -- their cherished black and white cat which went missing in the German capital in 2008.

Cat hungover after seven week boozing session

Tue, 20 Oct 2015 18:06:37 +0200

When pet cat Aljosha disappeared from his home in North Rhine-Westphalia for seven weeks, his owner feared the worst. But Aljosha hadn't gone far – he'd been holed up in a neighbour's wine cellar lapping up €40 worth of Riesling.

Wacky animal phrases to goose your German

Wed, 14 Oct 2015 17:44:48 +0200

Are you suffering from a raging tomcat after a heavy night out? Or are people saying you've got a bird and you just don't understand what they mean? Germany certainly doesn't hold back when it comes to animal-based idioms. We take a look at a few of the funniest.

Breeding Sphynx cats is animal cruelty: court

Thu, 24 Sep 2015 13:18:25 +0200

A Berlin court has ordered a cat owner to have her hairless Sphynx cat castrated – because it would be animal cruelty to let the naked pet breed.

Is this expat cat the world's oldest?

Thu, 17 Jul 2014 14:22:00 +0200

Two British expats in Germany hope to claim the title of having the world’s oldest cat following the death of the previous holder, 24-year-old Poppy. They believe their pet has one important advantage over other contenders.

Cat checks himself into animal home

Thu, 19 Jun 2014 13:03:00 +0200

A homeless cat has checked himself in to an animal shelter in Berlin. The ginger stray found his way to the home and decided to stay, but the shelter is now looking for a new owner for him.

Brotherhood ordered Williamson to skip Holocaust trial

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:32:00 +0200

English Catholic Bishop Richard Williamson wanted to appear in court to fight Holocaust denial charges in Bavaria this week, but was ordered to stay away by his ultra-conservative Saint Pius X Society, his lawyer told The Local Thursday.

Dead couple's cat emerges two weeks after landslide tragedy

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:14:00 +0200

Two weeks after tragedy struck, a spark of good news has emerged from the Nachterstedt landslide: a cat belonging to the couple killed in the accident has survived, Bild newspaper reported on Friday.

Cat shipped across Germany in box survives

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:49:00 +0200

A house cat that climbed unnoticed into an open box took a trip he wasn’t expecting. He was shipped 700 kilometers in the parcel across Germany but emerged from the journey unscathed.