Feral Cats: Love them or hate them Neutering is essential

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When Liz Trafford moved here in 1999, the state of the feral cat population in Jávea was very poor. There were thousands of feral cats roaming the streets, many were not neutered, and many were sick.

Wanting to make a difference and to reduce the cat population in a humane way, Liz and June Harris set up the Jávea Feral Cat Association (JFCA) Reg. No. G54439013 - Charity No CV-01-044866-A, a legal entity in 2009.
The organisation’s aim is to lower the number of kittens born to feral and abandoned cats. Over 5000 cats have been neutered thanks to the organisation and its volunteers.
With a Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) policy the breeding cycle is broken, populations are gradually reduced and the annoying behaviours of breeding cats – fighting, yowling and spraying – stop. This ongoing care creates a better environment for both the community and the cats. Above all it is a humane and civilised way to tackle the feral cat population and one that has worked effectively all over Spain.
Liz comments “We are very grateful for all the donations we receive and our volunteers, without them we simply could not run a TNR programme. Last year we invested over 18,000€ and this year already over 10,000€, so you can see demand for funds is growing. Sadly, the pandemic had a negative impact, for which we are still catching up.
“Occasionally, the Government provides funding and vets can apply for the cost of neutering, but as we write this there has been no provision for funds since 2022 and JFCA is likely to run out of money, so we will have to suspend neutering. This will be very disappointing as it will set back the work we have achieved to date.
“Sadly we get calls from the police about newly born kittens being put in bins. This is not the solution and when we can, our volunteers step in to try and save them. This is just as distressing for the mother cat as it is for us!
“We have an amazing group of supporters, from individuals to charity shops and charity organisations. We run our own events too. But love them or hate them, feral cats are here to stay, and the population will grow unless we can get more support for TNR. If you can donate, please visit www.javeaferalcats.com or scan the QR code on this page.”