The reason there are cat colonies on the streets of Calasparra is that someone, sometime threw out of their home an unsterilized cat to fend for itself.
The new Animal Well Being Law protects all domestic animals making it compulsary to sterilize them, chip them and insure them with third party liability. In theory, at least, this means if someone throws an animal out on the street the Guardia Civil can trace the owner and denounce them. It also means, in theory, that the animals don´t breed.
The new Animal Well Being Law also makes stray and abandoned animals the responsibility of the local authority, which is charged with sterilizing them, chipping them, giving them vaccinations, respecting and caring for them, ideally in an appropriate shelter.
Obviously, abiding by such a law costs money and resources but we are assured by the Calasparra Town Hall that they have plans to live up to their responsibilities.
In the meantime, dogs and cats depend on the charity, kindness and responsibility of volunteers who care for them.
We are very lucky in Calasparra to have the Association Dog´s Rescue which takes in abandoned dogs, cares for them and actively seeks «forever homes» for them.
We are also extemely fortunate that the CatFriendly pressure group is championing the cause of the cat colonies, supporting volunteers who feed them, raising funds for food and encouraging us all, including liaising with Calasparra Town Hall, to respect these animals and their makeshift homes until such a time that a permanent solution is provided.
So it is sad to report that for the second time in a week someone or some people have destroyed the makeshift home provided for the long established cat colony in the gardens of the Municipal Library by CatFriendly and local residents.. This is not only cruel and irresponsible it is also totally illegal under the new law and the culprits could face heavy fines.
Whilst it is true animals living on the street can cause inconvenience, nuisance and/or provisional homes which may be considered an eyesore, it is essential to remember that these animals are totally innocent victims of human abuses snd are simply trying to survive.
It is also important to remember that they are now protected by the law which will, in time, mean no cat will need to fight for survival on the streets as the measures required under the law are put into effect.
No animals lives on the streets through choice. They face hunger, disease, living open to all the elements including wet and freezing weather, being run over, killed or injured.
Spain should be admired for taking this important stance to solve the problem of abandoned animals in a humane manner and the association, Cat Friendly, should be supported in their important work as a champion of Calasparra´s cat colonies.
Editors Note
Nexonr makes no apologies for championing the cause of abandoned animals in Calasparra. Only the other day a six month old kitten was badly injured after being hit by a car. The solution to cat colonies is not intolerance and prejudice but rather tolerance and support for voluntary associations and national laws which aim to make cat colonies in Spain a thing off the past.
Photo: The «clean up» which left these cats without shelter and food for the second time in a week.
The new Animal Well Being Law protects all domestic animals making it compulsary to sterilize them, chip them and insure them with third party liability. In theory, at least, this means if someone throws an animal out on the street the Guardia Civil can trace the owner and denounce them. It also means, in theory, that the animals don´t breed.
The new Animal Well Being Law also makes stray and abandoned animals the responsibility of the local authority, which is charged with sterilizing them, chipping them, giving them vaccinations, respecting and caring for them, ideally in an appropriate shelter.
Obviously, abiding by such a law costs money and resources but we are assured by the Calasparra Town Hall that they have plans to live up to their responsibilities.
In the meantime, dogs and cats depend on the charity, kindness and responsibility of volunteers who care for them.
We are very lucky in Calasparra to have the Association Dog´s Rescue which takes in abandoned dogs, cares for them and actively seeks «forever homes» for them.
We are also extemely fortunate that the CatFriendly pressure group is championing the cause of the cat colonies, supporting volunteers who feed them, raising funds for food and encouraging us all, including liaising with Calasparra Town Hall, to respect these animals and their makeshift homes until such a time that a permanent solution is provided.
So it is sad to report that for the second time in a week someone or some people have destroyed the makeshift home provided for the long established cat colony in the gardens of the Municipal Library by CatFriendly and local residents.. This is not only cruel and irresponsible it is also totally illegal under the new law and the culprits could face heavy fines.
Whilst it is true animals living on the street can cause inconvenience, nuisance and/or provisional homes which may be considered an eyesore, it is essential to remember that these animals are totally innocent victims of human abuses snd are simply trying to survive.
It is also important to remember that they are now protected by the law which will, in time, mean no cat will need to fight for survival on the streets as the measures required under the law are put into effect.
No animals lives on the streets through choice. They face hunger, disease, living open to all the elements including wet and freezing weather, being run over, killed or injured.
Spain should be admired for taking this important stance to solve the problem of abandoned animals in a humane manner and the association, Cat Friendly, should be supported in their important work as a champion of Calasparra´s cat colonies.
Editors Note
Nexonr makes no apologies for championing the cause of abandoned animals in Calasparra. Only the other day a six month old kitten was badly injured after being hit by a car. The solution to cat colonies is not intolerance and prejudice but rather tolerance and support for voluntary associations and national laws which aim to make cat colonies in Spain a thing off the past.
Photo: The «clean up» which left these cats without shelter and food for the second time in a week.
