Management of sterilization programs in feline registered colonies of Gran Canaria involving control of population and welfare

Abstract

The situation of stray cats in Gran Canaria has been a focus of attention for a long time. The lack of data verifiable when it comes to managing cat colonies can cause the problem to be minimized or increased. Although popular companion animals, domestic cats pose numerous problems when free roaming, including predation of wildlife, hazards to humans, impaired sanitation, and a decrease in their welfare. Thus, managing their populations is essential. The trap–neuter–return method (TNR; capturing, sterilizing, returning/releasing) is widely employed for managing cat populations. The aim of this study was to show the effectiveness of the animal approach and scheduled surgical management in the neutering of feline registered colonies in the island of Gran Canaria in order to applied the TNR method to enhance management of reduction feline population with special interest of animal welfare. This study was carried out in Gran Canaria through the routine activity developed by Arycan during year 2022 in neutering feline colonies in Gran Canaria with a specific agreement for control reproduction with 21 Municipalities. All the animals were previously physically assessed to the surgical procedure and properly registered. Surgical technique minimally invasive was performed following step by step of the stablished protocol by the surgical team of the Insular Shelter of Gran Canaria. Results: A total of 2137 feline individuals were neutered, 1169 females and 968 males. The pregnancy rate was 15,2 % and significantly higher between February, March and April and casualty loss was only a 0.27% basically due to poor physical condition. We conclude that the surgical procedure performed in any case of this study it is the most accurate and less time consuming in order to achieve surgical neutering success and welfare best standards. Further studies and cooperative work between political organisms, veterinarians, volunteers and animal associations are required in order to unify human and economic resources.