Torrevieja City Council is introducing tighter controls on community cat colonies after the municipality’s recorded feline population exceeded 2,000.
Under a new Ethical Management Programme for Feline Colonies, cats may only be fed at officially authorised locations, while the establishment, relocation or expansion of colonies will require municipal approval.
The programme is based on a census updated in April 2026, which identified approximately 2,000 cats across 57 registered colonies and more than 200 feeding points.
However, the council acknowledges that the true population is probably higher. Complaints and reports from residents suggest that additional groups of cats are being fed outside the official management system and are therefore not included in current figures.
The scale of the problem is also reflected in admissions to the municipal animal shelter. A total of 493 cats entered the facility in 2024, of which only 13 per cent were microchipped. In 2025, another 460 cats were admitted, but just two per cent had identification chips.
Mayor Eduardo Dolón initially approved the programme by decree on August 27. The document has now entered a 20-day public consultation period, during which residents and organisations can submit comments before it is formally adopted.
Feeding Restricted to Authorised Areas
One of the programme’s most significant measures is a ban on feeding community cats outside locations included in the official municipal network.
Approved feeding areas cannot be moved, altered or expanded without permission from the Animal Protection Department. Food must be placed in suitable containers rather than directly on the ground, while leftovers must be removed and the surrounding area kept clean.
Residents will be able to report unregistered groups of cats or request the creation of a new colony. However, municipal officers must first inspect the proposed location and issue a report recommending whether registration should be approved or rejected.
Once a colony is accepted, authorised carers and volunteers will be assigned to manage it.
Insurance and Training Required
Regular work within colonies will be coordinated through specialist animal welfare organisations responsible for feline colony management.
Volunteers will require appropriate training, municipal accreditation and insurance. Those working through an approved organisation will be covered by its policy, while the council will provide insurance for people taking part in exceptional operations organised directly by the municipality.
Feeding, monitoring and capture procedures will all be governed by council protocols.
Captured community cats without microchips will be identified and registered in the name of Torrevieja City Council, with their records linked to their original colony. Cats treated through the trap-neuter-return programme will also be marked on the ear before being returned.
The council estimates that around 80 per cent of registered community cats have already been sterilised. However, rates vary significantly between colonies, particularly those formed more recently. The new programme aims to achieve a sterilisation rate of at least 80 per cent in every colony wherever possible.
Environmental Concerns
Relocation will be considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as risks to public safety, threats to the animals’ welfare or damage to protected habitats and wildlife. Any move will require a technical assessment and, where necessary, a report from the Generalitat Valenciana.
Molino del Agua Park has been identified as one area of particular concern because of its environmental sensitivity. The programme proposes an intensive census, sterilisation and monitoring campaign there, together with an assessment of the cats’ possible impact on local biodiversity.
The initiative comes amid growing concern about the effect free-roaming cats can have on wildlife, particularly in environmentally sensitive and enclosed areas. The council’s stated aim is to reduce colony numbers gradually through controlled, non-lethal management.
