It's not cool for cats in Pilar
THE DISAGREEMENT between the Patas Unidas rescue society and Pilar de la Horadada town hall over changes to the feral cat colony policy has worsened.
According to Patas Unidas president Vasco Marqués, the council has no interest in maintaining the feral cat colonies, managing the volunteer team, increasing official feeding sites to meet the actual demand, or financing the capture-neuterrelease (CES) programme.
“No actions have been organised in the last year and recent meetings have come to nothing,” he told Costa Blanca News.
Sr Marqués said the feral cat population is growing again because the CES programme has not been carried out in the last 12 months. He added that the veterinary clinic has refused to treat injured abandoned animals because the council is not paying invoices.
He pointed out that there are around eight official feeding sites in the municipality – including Pinar de Campoverde, Pilar de la Horadada, El Mojón-Torre de la Horadada and RioMar-Mil Palmeras – but at least 30 feeding sites are needed.
“The fewer feeding sites that we have, the more cats the volunteers have to feed meaning that one volunteer cannot control the colony,” he said.
“The system should be more feeding sites, more volunteers and fewer feral cats in each colony, but the council has systematically refused.”
Councillor for environment Pedro Miguel Moya claimed the neutering programme had been out of control for two years with more than 600 neutered feral cats.
He noted that the council owed €12,000 to the vet clinic and payment will be given the go ahead in next week’s full council meeting.
“The contract was renewed in June 2019, but no feral cats have been neutered from February to June due to the debt and the state of emergency,” he said.
He stated that no additional feeding sites will be allowed and urged the volunteers to set up a legal association.
“It is not about loving or hating animals, it is about coexistence and respect to residents who don’t like feral cats getting into their gardens and sleeping on their garden furniture,” he said. “The volunteers have to set up an association to get funding for food and feral cat colony maintenance in a legal way – the council cannot pay individual volunteers.”
He pointed out that a new contract had been signed in May with the Anguimar rescue society for €76,835 a year to collect abandoned animals and maintain them until they are adopted.
Councillor Moya noted that those finding an injured or an abandoned animal on the streets should call the local police, who will report it to Anguimar workers.
“The meetings with the volunteers will start in September and I hope an agreement can be reached,” he said.