Date Published: 11/11/2020
ARCHIVED - Los Alcázares Council promotes plan to manage feral cat colonies
ARCHIVED ARTICLE The capture, sterilization and return policy is the key axis of the plan
The animal welfare department currently has more than 50 volunteers working with feral cat colonies in the municipality.
Stray cats are a problem in many urban areas, their populations growing through a number of factors including availability of food, abandonment of domestic animals and lack of neutering which permits the population to expand rapidly. This can lead to increased road accidents and can be unpleasant for neighbours, the feeding of feral cats a frequent cause of arguments amongst residents as some people are unhappy that the cats are being encouraged, whilst others can´t bear to see a starving or injured cat and want to “help.”
Although cats are generally highly independent and are happy left to their own devices, feral colonies can also be a health hazard for the cats themselves, creating a focal point for feline diseases and illnesses, if left uncontrolled.
Los Alcázares Council is working to implement and refine a municipal plan for the management and control of feline colonies, run by the Department of Animal Welfare.
This plan consists of the application of the CER method (Capture, sterilization and return).
Along with this initiative, the Department is also working on the approval in the coming months of a new Animal Welfare Ordinance that, in the words of the Area's Delegate Councilor, Antonio López Campoy, "has the consensus and participation of volunteers, associations for the protection and defense of animals and other political groups ”. In addition, he adds, “it was a priority for this Government Team to implement actions aimed at improving animal welfare in our municipality and I believe that we are doing so in record time. We are even distributing more than 500 kilos of feed per month so that the bulk of the economic expense does not have to fall on the protectors and volunteers ”.
The Department already has a group of more than 50 volunteers who are taking care of the care, feeding and cleaning of the first colonies that are being cared for through the Council.
The mayor, Mario Cervera, wanted to emphasize that, "we have allocated a significant investment to the care of animals for the first time in the history of Los Alcázares and as far as possible we will increase that amount in future exercises to carry out the correct control and management of the neighborhoods, and thus, in the same way, have satisfied volunteers and neighbors ”.