The Sterycat project is a scientific study financed by the Federal Public Service of Public Health,Food Chain Safety and Environment, in which the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine collaborated withseventeen Flemish animal shelters, to investigate the effect of prepubertal gonadectomy on the healthand behavior of cats. To be able to efficiently integrate prepubertal gonadectomy of shelter cats ingovernmental policy, it is important to know the opinion on this topic of people in the field. For thispurpose, at the end of the Sterycat project, a survey (16 questions, 70 copies in total) was distributedamong shelter veterinarians and staff workers of the participating shelters.Thirty-five individuals completed the survey (10 shelter veterinarians, 25 staff workers). The majorityof them (85%) were in favor of continuing prepubertal gonadectomy in shelter cats after theSterycat project had ended. However, some respondents were concerned about potential complicationsdue to the procedure (58%) and about viral disease outbreaks (72%). Whether prepubertal gonadectomycould be implemented successfully seemed to be dependent upon the financial feasibility andthe development of a framework to prevent income loss for non-shelter veterinarians.Rest of the abstract:cf. full text