What should I do if I find an animal?

When it comes to animals there is a significant lack of knowledge about protecting them. This lack of knowledge affects local councillors, officers of the authorities, animal welfare organisations, lawyers and all of our society in general to an unexpected extent.

For a real transformation of animals’ current situation, some basic knowledge is required to know to what extent animals are, and are not, protected by laws in Spain. And above all it is required so that the good people who look after feral cats are no longer stigmatised and seen by some residents as undesirable people or even criminals, when really they are doing a job for society.

My advice for anyone who loves cats, especially feral cats, is that as well as looking after them they should train themselves because we have to do everything possible to protect ourselves legally.

How can a feral cat colony carer protect themselves legally? Very simply, by finding out their rights as a carer for these feral cats and by knowing the rights of feral cats, and also by finding out what the obligations and responsibilities of town halls are in this matter.

I always encourage people who are proactive looking after cats to write to their town halls offering their collaboration to set up a network between the town hall, the local animal welfare association (if there is one), and the individuals who look after them – especially for when a case arises of a feral cat that is injured, sick or has been run over.

They can also offer to help the town hall draw up a municipal census and map of feline colonies.

I sincerely believe it is time to come out of the darkness, which I say as a lawyer and educator by day and an active rescuer and feeder of feral cats by night. In fact, in less than 24 hours I rescued two baby kittens, one of them two months old and black, who I have named Rivi and I found while going for a bicycle ride along the river in a municipality in Murcia. Rivi has been adopted by a family who has another two-month-old kitten called Tom, and both are spending the summer in Pilar de la Horadada with this stupendous family.

The other baby kitten I rescued is ginger and I have called him Beachi (pictured). This cat is certainly very famous in Orihuela Costa, both for his size and his affectionate nature, as he is very sociable. I rescued him a few hours before Rivi, in fact the night before, because he was in a very bad way, not moving and his eyes were full of mucus.

When I rescue an animal I know the legal steps I have to take to legally protect myself and the animal. For this reason I will give you some advice about what to do, which is very simple – keep reading.

If you are an individual or an animal welfare association and you find a cat or other animal that is sick, injured or not being well looked after, I advise you to take the following steps:

-Contact the councillor responsible (for the animal or health department as appropriate) of the town hall where it has been found in order to see what protocol to follow.

-Contact the animal welfare organisation that collaborates with the town hall and carers of feline colonies in the area.

-Take the animal to your home if you can, informing the local association and town hall before or afterwards, preferably in writing, so that there is a record in case someone reports you, and you will have proof that you are doing everything legally.

In my case I contacted the local association that is responsible for the CER (in English: trap, neuter and return or TNR) programme so that they did not worry about the kitten, and also to check which steps to follow, according to the town hall’s protocol.

Beachi (pictured) is looking for a family to look after him properly forever. He is two months old and loves to play, and is healthy now having received the treatment prescribed by a veterinarian. If you adopt him, I will be his godmother and if sometime you need to go away or are ill, I will look after him. If you are interested in Beachi, contact me via my website www.deanimals.com

More information about Raquel's work is available on her website, www.deanimals.com, and Facebook page: DeAnimals.