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Málaga's street cats get a Christmas boost from the Ayuntamiento
Ayuntamiento supports more than 300 feline colonies with food, vet care and long term monitoring
Cat lovers in Málaga will be pleased to hear that the city’s street felines are getting some extra help this winter. The Ayuntamiento has handed over 3,200 kilos of cat food to the groups that look after more than 300 registered feline colonies across the city.
The food has gone to AMAN (Asociación Amigo Animal) and Ciriana, the two main associations that manage colonies in the eleven districts, as well as to Gatos de Málaga, which cares for several independent colonies. The councillor for Environmental Sustainability, Penélope Gómez, was present at the distribution and underlined that the aim is to “guarantee the well-being of the cats that live in freedom or semi-freedom, control their population and prevent the transmission of diseases.”You might also be interested in: Granada's pet population passes 260,000
Financial backing is also in place. AMAN currently receives 8,750 euros a year from the Ayuntamiento to manage colonies throughout Málaga, while Ciriana is responsible for those in the Churriana district under a similar agreement worth 1,250 euros. On top of this, 69,000 euros has been set aside this year for identification, sterilisation, deworming and vaccination, carried out through various veterinary clinics. Staff from the Municipal Animal Protection Centre (CEPAM) work alongside colony carers to monitor the condition of the cats.
Málaga has been formally maintaining these colonies since 2017, although the legal status of feline colonies was only recognised nationally last year in Spain’s animal welfare law. The day to day care, feeding and supervision is carried out by AMAN, Ciriana and authorised volunteers, with the support of the Ayuntamiento.
At the heart of the programme is the CER method, known elsewhere as TNR, which stands for capture, sterilisation and return. Over the last two years, around 700 cats have gone through this system. First they are trapped and identified with a microchip and added to an official census. They are then taken to veterinary clinics, where they are surgically sterilised and receive vaccinations and deworming to improve their health and prevent uncontrolled breeding.
To make sure cats are not caught twice, each sterilised animal has a small notch made in one ear, on the right for females and on the left for males. Once they have recovered, the cats are released back into their original colony following a strict protocol that takes into account local activity and any possible risks. Alongside this, the Ayuntamiento and the associations work on cleaning and maintaining the areas, helping the colonies integrate into their surroundings and keeping an eye on any new arrivals that might join.
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Images: rotbart94/Pixabay and Ayuntamiento de Málaga
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