Benidorm allocates 20,000 euros for the sterilization campaign for urban cat colonies

Benidorm City Council will allocate €20,000 to carry out the sterilisation campaign for urban colonies of stray cats. This time, the campaign will receive a €12,032.08 grant from Alicante Provincial Council, according to the Official Gazette of the Province of August 7.

The campaign, which is being carried out in collaboration with the Alicante Official College of Veterinarians, began shortly before summer, although it was suspended during July and August and will resume in September to complete it by October 31. This year's campaign will treat approximately 250 cats, according to the Councillor for Health, Ana Pellicer.

Pellicer explained that "as always, the well-known CES method will be applied for this campaign, which is considered the most effective method for controlling the stray cat population, as well as the most respectful to the animals." Specifically, "this method consists of capturing the animals, which are then taken to veterinary centers where they are sterilized and subsequently reintroduced into the same colonies." In addition to sterilization, "all animals undergo a health examination, are dewormed, vaccinated against rabies, and marked for subsequent release."

The councillor explained that the entire process of capturing and transporting the animals to the clinics, as well as their subsequent release, is carried out by a specialised company contracted by the City Council. She also specified that, as is customary every year, "the eight veterinary clinics in Benidorm actively participate in the campaign, which are key to the development and success of this sterilisation effort."

The councillor explained that before implementing this cat population control program, fieldwork was conducted to identify existing colonies in the municipality, and around 42 colonies were counted throughout Benidorm, with an approximate population of 1,200 cats.

"With this sterilisation campaign and other measures, we are confident that the population of stray cats that form urban colonies will stabilise in a few years," she concluded.