Benidorm carries out a new campaign to sterilize cats in urban colonies

The Health and Environment Councils of Benidorm City Council have carried out a new campaign for the sterilization of wild cats in the municipality throughout 2021, as has been done since 2016.
The campaigns, as indicated by Councilor Mónica Gómez, apply the CES method consisting of capture, sterilization in veterinary centers and subsequent release in the same colonies from which they come, a method that "is considered the most respectful of animals."
Before this cat population control program, the field work carried out identified a total of 39 colonies distributed throughout all areas of Benidorm, with an approximate number of 900 specimens.
The field work found that the number of colonies is increasing due to the fact that some people feed the animals on roads and public areas, contrary to what the Municipal Environmental Ordinance establishes, since this attracts not only cats but rodents and are breeding grounds for some species of insects.
In the 2021 campaign, "240 expenses and cats have been captured, sterilized and reintroduced in their colonies." All of them underwent a sanitary examination, they were dewormed and the rabies vaccine was applied, being marked before being reintroduced into their colony.
The campaign has involved an expense of 18,600 euros, of which 12,000 have been contributed by Alicante Provincial Council through a grant from the program of sterilization treatments for cats in urban colonies without an owner.
The City Council considers that with these and other measures "it will be possible that in a few years the population of stray cats will stabilize and stop being a potential problem that could affect public health."