Residents say cats are “out of control” on La Graciosa

Residents of la Graciosa have launched a petition demanding action to tackle the increasing number of feral cats on the island.

The petition says “Many cats live in the streets that are unsterilised, that have no health checks and with no licences granted to feed them properly.”

The residents claim that not only does this damage the welfare of the colony of feral cats, but also threatens local birds and causes annoyance for residents.

The petition calls for Teguise Ayuntamiento to take immediate action, either via a mass catch-neuter-release scheme, and/or creating a supervised shelter on the island.

Teguise’s Animal Welfare Councillor, Gines González, claims that a previous sterilisation campaign in July 2024 was halted by a complaint from the Canarian Government’s Environmental Department and, although the Ayuntamiento wishes to continue sterilisations, the legal situation needs to be clarified.