El Campello launches plan to manage 1,800 stray cats

The El Campello City Council has launched a new contract to manage and control the municipality's stray cat population, which is estimated at approximately 1,800 animals. The initiative aims to reduce the population through the 'CER' method—capture, sterilization, and return—while ensuring the animals' health and welfare.

The contract includes sterilization, identification, vaccination, deworming, and veterinary care, as well as the provision of food. The plan targets the sterilization of about 440 cats per year. Over the course of the contract, which spans up to four years, the goal is to reach nearly 1,760 sterilizations, addressing the bulk of the current estimated population.

This move follows a period where management relied on volunteers and animal shelters. Previous attempts to tender the service in 2024 for 15,000 euros went unsuccessful. The new budget is significantly higher, with estimates ranging between approximately 165,000 and 200,000 euros to ensure specialized clinical and sanitary services.