ARCHIVED - The new cat boxes in Mazarron and Cartagena that are keeping cat numbers down humanely
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
With the help of cat charities, the Town Halls in Mazarrón and Cartagena are controlling feline populations without culling
The Animal Welfare Department of the Mazarrón Town Council has erected several new cat boxes to help control feline colonies in the municipality. The idea is that wild cats are attracted to the boxes and from there the authorities and participating animal charities take the animals in to sterilise them.
The installation of these new boxes falls under Mazarrón’s Capture, Spay, Neuter and Release programme which which seeks to prevent feral cat populations from getting out of hand using alternatives to animal sacrifice, such as castration. This also helps to reduce the smell of the cats’ excrement, lower their aggressiveness, silence their meowing when they’re in heat and stop the transmission of diseases.
In Cartagena, too, the Department of Health has installed five of these new cat shelters, which are added to the 11 that are already managed by animal associations and groups.
The new structures in Cartagena have been installed in the vicinity of the Faro de Navidad, in the Dársena de Santiago, in the Plaza Doctor Estrada de Alumbres, in the Calle Antonio Serrano de La Palma and in the Calle Maestra María Muñoz de Vereda de San Félix. The first two will be supervised by Cuatro Gatos, while the rest will be managed by the Federacion de Protectoras (Animur).
Mazarrón’s Councillor for Animal Welfare, Silvia García, said, “We continue with our commitment to the control of cat colonies, as it has been demonstrated that the Castration, Sterilisation and Release method is the most effective in controlling the growth of the population.”
She also highlighted the work of volunteers with local animal protection organisation APROAMA for their important contribution to the implementation of this project in Mazarrón.
Meanwhile, Cartagena’s Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Tourism, Trade, Health and Consumer Affairs, Manuel Padín, said, “These kennels allow us to maintain the colonies more exhaustively and have greater control over the birth rate of the cats, also ensuring the care that these animals deserve.”
He also took the opportunity to praise the work of animal welfare groups: “It is essential that we work hand in hand because this is how we will ensure that animals have a better quality of life.”
Patricia Noel, a volunteer with APROAMA, said that approximately 60 cats have been neutered in Mazarrón so far this year alone.
“These boxes and these actions are very necessary for the colonies so that the cats don’t keep reproducing in an uncontrolled way and that they have the best possible welfare," said Ms Noel.
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