Arrecife Takes to the Streets as Lanzarote Cat Colony Volunteers Demand More Support
Residents, animal welfare campaigners and cat colony volunteers will gather in Arrecife this Sunday to call for greater support and proper implementation of Spain’s animal welfare legislation.
Arrecife will be part of a nationwide demonstration this Sunday, 6 September 2026, as campaigners across Spain call for stronger support for people who care for community cat colonies.
The Lanzarote demonstration is part of a coordinated national campaign being held in 38 locations around Spain, organised under the banner Los Gatos Tienen Ley – Cats Have Rights. The campaign is calling on local authorities to ensure that the requirements of Spain’s animal welfare legislation are properly implemented for community cats.
For people living in Lanzarote, and for visitors who regularly see cats around the island, the issue highlights a subject that has become increasingly important in Arrecife and across Lanzarote: how feral and community cat colonies are managed.
Arrecife demonstration on Sunday
The Arrecife event will begin at 11am, the time scheduled for the Canary Islands, at Plaza del Cabildo. Participants will then make their way along the capital’s seafront towards Puente de las Bolas.
The organisers say the demonstration is not aimed at a particular political party. Instead, their focus is on what they say is the need for councils to meet their responsibilities under Spain’s Law 7/2023 on the protection of animal rights and welfare.
Among the campaign’s demands are adequate funding for cat colony management, consistent sterilisation programmes, veterinary care and better monitoring of community cat populations.
They also want greater recognition and protection for the volunteers who currently spend their own time and, in some cases, money caring for cats living in colonies.
What does Spanish law say about community cats?
The issue has a legal basis.
Under Law 7/2023, local authorities are responsible for developing programmes for the management of community cat colonies. The legislation includes measures such as population control, mapping and census of colonies, sterilisation, identification, veterinary care and protocols for dealing with neighbourhood conflicts.
The legislation also establishes that community cats are to remain protected as companion animals while their populations are progressively controlled through non-lethal methods.
One of the central tools is CER – Captura, Esterilización y Retorno, or Capture, Sterilisation and Return. Rather than simply removing cats from an area, the objective is to control reproduction while allowing suitable community cats to remain within their established territory.
Arrecife has already introduced its own cat colony regulations
The issue is particularly relevant in the capital because Arrecife already has a specific municipal framework for the ethical management of urban cat colonies.
The city’s ordinance received definitive approval in June 2024. It establishes procedures concerning the registration of colonies, authorised feeding and population control, among other measures.
Arrecife has also provided training for people involved in looking after colonies, covering subjects including feeding, hygiene, legal responsibilities, dealing with neighbours and the CER method.
That means the current debate isn’t simply about whether cat colonies should be managed. There is already legislation and local regulation in place. The argument from campaigners is that the available framework needs to be properly resourced and consistently implemented.
Lanzarote councils looking at a more coordinated approach
There are also signs that the management of cat colonies is becoming a wider island issue rather than something each municipality deals with entirely on its own.
In May, representatives from several Lanzarote municipalities met through the island’s joint Animal Welfare working group. One of the subjects discussed was the possibility of developing an island-wide approach to managing uncontrolled feline colonies, alongside the CER programmes already operating in different municipalities.
Plans under discussion include greater coordination over sterilisation, health monitoring and population management, as well as the potential use of technology to maintain more comprehensive information about colonies, feeding points, veterinary issues and sterilisation.
For an island such as Lanzarote, where cats can be found in urban areas, residential communities and tourist locations, better coordination could potentially make it easier to monitor colonies and respond when problems arise.
Why cat colonies matter to residents and visitors
Community cats are a familiar sight in many parts of Lanzarote. Visitors may encounter them around residential areas, promenades, car parks and quieter corners of towns and resorts.
For residents, however, managing a colony can involve considerably more than putting out food.
Uncontrolled populations can create concerns involving hygiene, noise, rubbish and conflicts between neighbours, while unmanaged feeding can attract other animals and leave food waste in public areas. Arrecife’s own documentation has highlighted these kinds of challenges alongside concerns about animal welfare.
This is why organised colony management is important. Properly managed feeding, sterilisation, identification, veterinary treatment and monitoring can address animal welfare while also taking the concerns of local communities into account.
Volunteers say they need more support
One of the strongest messages behind Sunday’s demonstration is that volunteers should not be expected to replace public services.
People who manage feral cat colonies in Lanzarote can spend substantial amounts of time identifying cats, arranging sterilisation, monitoring new arrivals, providing food and dealing with sick or injured animals.
The campaign says that responsibility needs to be shared with the public authorities that have legal responsibilities for community cat management. Its demands include resources for stable CER programmes, veterinary attention, proper colony censuses and protection for volunteers who face disputes or hostility while carrying out their work.
A growing issue for Lanzarote
The debate over community cats in Lanzarote is unlikely to disappear.
With Arrecife already having its own regulations and the island’s municipalities discussing greater cooperation, there is increasing emphasis on creating a system that balances animal welfare, public health, neighbourhood concerns and responsible population control.
For visitors, the message is also a useful reminder that feeding or approaching cats encountered while exploring Lanzarote should be done responsibly. Well-intentioned feeding without proper management can contribute to problems within an established colony.
For residents and the volunteers who care for the animals, meanwhile, Sunday’s demonstration is an opportunity to put the spotlight firmly on what campaigners say is the need for properly funded, consistent and effective management of Lanzarote’s cat colonies.
The Arrecife demonstration begins at 11am on Sunday, 6 September, at Plaza del Cabildo, with participants heading towards Puente de las Bolas.
