Ibiza Cat Welfare Associations Recognise Volunteer Overload but Highlight Progress in Managing Feral Cat Colonies

October 30, 2026

Animal welfare organisations in Ibiza have acknowledged the growing pressure on volunteers caring for community cats across the island, while also highlighting improvements in sterilisation programmes and public awareness.

The Associació de Colònies Felines d’Eivissa (ACFE) and Casita de Michu have issued a joint statement calling for a balanced assessment of the situation. While recognising that volunteers are overwhelmed and that significant needs remain unmet, the organisations argue that an increase in reported cases does not necessarily mean the situation is worse than it was several years ago.

According to the associations, greater public awareness and increased willingness to report abandoned, injured and vulnerable animals have made problems that were previously largely invisible more visible.

They believe this represents an important social improvement, as animals that might previously have suffered without anyone noticing are now more likely to receive attention and assistance.

Some Cat Colonies Have Gone Years Without New Litters

Both organisations defend the CER method, known in Spanish as Captura, Esterilización y Retorno, which involves capturing community cats, sterilising them and returning them to their original territory.

They report that some colonies managed through this approach have gone years without new births.

The associations also explain that, in certain colonies monitored by their volunteers, newly appearing cats are believed to be the result of abandonment rather than reproduction among the animals already living there.

For this reason, they stress the importance of maintaining continuous sterilisation programmes while strengthening measures to prevent abandonment.

They also caution against using the number of public reports alone to determine whether the island's cat population is increasing or whether the overall situation is deteriorating.

In their view, reliable population censuses, identification and ongoing monitoring are necessary to understand how individual colonies are evolving.

Volunteers Still Face a Serious Shortage of Resources

Despite highlighting progress, ACFE and Casita de Michu emphasise that considerable work remains.

The organisations identify several ongoing problems:

  • A shortage of volunteers and people available to help.

  • Insufficient financial and practical resources.

  • Limited veterinary capacity.

  • The need for greater public involvement.

  • Delays in establishing and implementing municipal management programmes.

They stress that volunteers cannot be expected to manage the situation alone and that local councils have a responsibility to establish and maintain the community-cat management programmes required in their respective municipalities.

The associations say they have noticed that public administrations are increasingly willing to listen, request their collaboration and establish opportunities for dialogue.

However, they are calling for faster action. While management programmes are being organised, unwanted litters continue to appear in colonies that have not yet received adequate attention, alongside new cases involving animals requiring assistance.

Six Priorities Proposed for Ibiza's Municipal Councils

ACFE and Casita de Michu are proposing agreements with each municipality to establish clear priorities, responsibilities and implementation schedules.

Their proposals cover six main areas:

1. Continuous sterilisation programmes

Maintain regular sterilisation work and complete the management of colonies that have not yet been adequately addressed.

2. Updated population censuses

Improve records of community cats, introduce identification where appropriate and monitor population changes over time.

3. Veterinary assistance

Ensure that sick and injured animals receive appropriate veterinary attention.

4. Support for volunteers

Provide practical support to colony caregivers and improve coordination between volunteers, veterinary clinics and animal welfare organisations.

5. Prevention of abandonment

Strengthen measures to prevent and investigate animal abandonment while promoting responsible pet ownership.

6. Monitoring and transparency

Share results and information to identify what is working, measure progress and understand which needs remain unresolved.

The organisations emphasise that every municipality has different circumstances and that management strategies should reflect the specific needs of individual colonies.

They also offer their practical experience and local knowledge to help ensure that available resources reach the areas where they are most needed.

A Call for Progress Without Overlooking the Remaining Challenges

The joint statement seeks to recognise the work already carried out by volunteers and organisations while making clear that current efforts are not sufficient to resolve every problem.

ACFE and Casita de Michu believe that presenting the situation exclusively as a failure or a lack of control risks overlooking improvements achieved through years of work and discouraging the people who continue to care for community cats.

At the same time, they insist that greater public awareness must be accompanied by more effective administration, consistent sterilisation, veterinary resources and action against abandonment.

Their message is that progress should be recognised, but the remaining problems require a faster and more coordinated response from all the island's municipalities.

POSTED BY IBIZA ONE STOP

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