Feral cat-feeding guaranteed by law during lockdown

ANIMAL-LOVERS can stop worrying: The ban on leaving the house except for visits to supermarkets, pharmacies, tobacconists' or newsagents' does not extend to feral cat-feeding, and local feline colonies have not been left to starve during lockdown.

Vets, animal sanctuaries and pet-food sellers are still open to attend to furry and feathered friends' needs, whether or not they have owners.

In most towns, feral cats are fed by accredited volunteers, by their nearest neighbours, or by local shelters, meaning there is no issue with 'proving where they are going' – official feeders will be able to show documentation, and those with colonies right outside their doors only need to take a couple of seconds to put out or refill bowls.

In L'Eliana (Camp de Túria), the association Feliana is looking after the local colonies, following the criteria recommended by the General Directorate for Animal Rights, part of the Agenda 2030 and the ministry for social rights.

It sent guidelines to town halls as soon as national quarantine was imposed, expressly stating local authority obligations to 'guarantee feeding for domestic animals living in outdoor urban areas' as a 'matter of public health'.

Feral cats, by law, even though they do not have owners, are classed as 'domestic pets', meaning they are protected, and anyone causing harm to them will be prosecuted.

L'Eliana's animal welfare department has created specific personal accreditations for volunteers and Feliana members to prove they are catfeeding if stopped and questioned.

The town's 43 colonies have been gradually 'enticed' into nine specific 'feeding stations', so they are concentrated and can all be accounted for, and have wooden shelters in case it rains.

“During these exceptional times, we cannot neglect public health or the needs of animals living in the streets with whom we share town space,” says animal welfare councillor Cristina Díaz.

Domestic animals cannot pass Covid-19 to humans, and cases of humans passing it to animals are very rare, meaning feral-feeding volunteers are safer caring for the cats than they are going to the supermarket.