Signposting cat colonies
Two successful CNR campaigns have been carried out in the last year in the municipality
VILLAJOYOSA’S department for animal welfare is continuing to collaborate with local associations, the town’s veterinarians and volunteers from animal welfare groups to capture and neuter feral street cats.
In addition to the capture, neuter and release (CNR) campaigns, this year the town hall is carrying out work to locate and signpost the cat colonies authorised by the town hall in the areas of Río Amadorio I, Calle Pal, Calle Terral, Calle La Pau, Avenida de Altea, Escalonades
Mediterrània, and Pasaje Marinada.
This signposting will be later extended to include other authorised colonies in the municipality.
Mayor Andreu Verdú stated that animal protection was a ‘necessary activity’ due to the fact that in spite of all the campaigns against abandoning pets, many animals continue to be abandoned and mistreated, and this includes feral cats who have to fend for themselves on the street.
The council’s actions aim to improve the health and quality of life of these street cats, and at the same time inform the town’s citizens of the municipal regulations regarding animal welfare and the benefits that arise from having controlled cat colonies.
Animal welfare councillor, José Carlos Gil said that the main purpose of this action is ‘to preserve the lives of stray cats’.
He hoped that the informative signs would encourage town residents to respect the colonies.
2022 CNR campaign results
During 2022, the council’s animal welfare department carried out two campaigns to capture, neuter and release street cats in the municipality.
In total, a total of 168 felines from 33 different locations were neutered.
The first campaign was subsidised by Alicante provincial government with €3,711 and the operations were carried out at various veterinary clinics in the town.
The animals were captured with the help of volunteers from the local association Huellas Gatunas. During this first action, during an eightday period, 55 cats were captured at 13 different locations and then returned to their corresponding colonies.
The second campaign was paid from the town hall coffers
and had a budget of €7,982.
On this occasion, priority was given to action in the colonies where there were still animals to be neutered in order to ‘complete colonies’.
However, the campaign was extended to 33 different locations and thus cover a greater number of animals.
In total, over 29 days, 113 cats were neutered.
Councillor Gil thanked all the citizens who provided information on where the cats were located and also the volunteers of Huellas Gatunas association who collaborated in the capture and release of cats in their respective colonies, as well as vets who carried out the neutering, ‘as without their collaboration the campaign would not have been possible’.