How many abandoned animals are there in Spain?
The most recent data on animal abandonment, from 2023, comes from the study "He would never do it," which is conducted annually by the Affinity Foundation. "It is the only country in Europe that has a study like this," tells SMC Spain Paula Calvo, PhD in Anthrozoology, Biochemistry graduate, and ethologist by the Autonoma University of Barcelona.
According to this report, the number of abandonments has remained relatively stable for four years. In 2023 alone, more than 286,000 animals were rescued, including 170,712 dogs and 115,970 cats. To put these figures into context, the same report estimates that there are about 6.5 million pet dogs and 4.7 million pet cats in Spain.
However, these results should be treated with caution, as there is no official control of abandoned animals in Spain. Most studies use estimates based on data provided by a series of shelters. These reports do not account for animals that do not reach the shelters, such as feral cat colonies.
María Luisa Fernández de Miguel, a clinical veterinarian for companion animals and president of the College of Veterinarians of Tenerife, highlights to SMC Spain: "With cats, there is much more uncertainty about the actual situation."
Who is affected by this?
The animal
“To be able to live a long and happy life,” explains Calvo, “domestic animals need to be with a family, not even in a shelter.” The ethologist believes that the lack of funding and personnel is common in shelters and that this affects the animals. “A dog, if lucky, gets 20 minutes a day in a yard,” she notes.
“Every animal deserves a dignified life, and abandoning an animal raised in captivity can be a sentence,” says to SMC Spain Alberto Maceda, PhD in biology and research professor in the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Barcelona,. “Pet abandonment is an ethical problem,” he adds.
Public health
As Fernández de Miguel points out, the health of these animals also affects human health. “Everything is interconnected,” explains the veterinarian, “it’s what is called one health.”
Therefore, the expert believes that controlling animals is a public health issue. “We minimize the risk of people getting infected,” she clarifies. For example, Fernández highlights diseases such as leptospirosis, leishmaniasis, dirofilariasis, toxoplasmosis, or Lyme disease.
Moreover, as Calvo points out, abandoned animals can cause accidents and bites, posing a safety problem for people.
Financial cost
“A large animal abandoned on a road and left on its own causing traffic accidents,” Maceda Veiga notes, “is also costly.” All sources agree that animal abandonment is expensive. Beyond the healthcare and administrative costs of managing stray animals, animal abandonment can affect other human interests. As an example, Maceda Veiga cites crops, which can also be affected.
Natural heritage
The abandonment of animals has an ecological impact. “If they are exotic animals, they can become invasive species (parrots, turtles, raccoons, etc.),” explains Martina Carrete, professor in the area of Ecology in the Department of Physical, Chemical, and Natural Systems at the Pablo de Olavide University, to SMC Spain.
According to Maceda, some native species could disappear if the expansion of these feral populations is not controlled, which, in the biologist’s opinion, would mean losing a natural heritage of incalculable value. “No one questions that the Barcelona Cathedral or Michelangelo’s David needs to be preserved,” says the researcher. “It’s millions of years of biological evolution that can be lost due to these feral animals.”
Has the new animal welfare law changed anything?
María González Lacabex, coordinator of the Animal Law Study Group of the Illustrious Lawyer Association of Bizkaia, believes that the new law on the protection of animal rights and welfare “does not bring much novelty” compared to what was already in force regarding abandonment. In statements to SMC Spain, the lawyer highlights that it consolidates and unifies what was already established at the regional level, but “setting minimum standards,” she clarifies. Although Fernández de Miguel believes that the law structures the issue of feral cat colonies better. “Before, they had no administrative structure behind them,” she explains.
Among these minimum standards is the definition of “abandoned animal,” which now has a broader meaning, including animals that “remain tied up or inside an enclosure or property without having their basic needs met.” Additionally, the law clarifies the conditions under which animal euthanasia is permitted and imposes sanctions throughout Spain when its use is not justified, explains González Lacabex.
What is still failing?
The National Law
The new national law does not protect animals that perform “professional or specific activities,” which can include livestock guarding or hunting, recognized sports by the Higher Sports Council, or rescue dogs.
Although the law itself clarifies that these animals will continue to be protected by “the applicable European, national, and regional regulations,” González Lacabex believes that this exclusion sets a dangerous precedent and is not justified, as these activities can put the animals’ integrity and even their lives at risk.
Exotic Animals
The reasons for abandoning exotic species vary. “Florida turtles are the most typical example,” explains Maceda, “the animals grow, and people are not always willing to take on the responsibility that comes with them.”
As the expert writes in this article from The Conversation, “one of the most serious problems of the legal trade in exotic pets is the risk of causing biological invasions.” Therefore, the national and European legislation regulates this with blacklists that prohibit the possession, commercialization, transport, and release of certain species. Maceda considers this a suitable measure, although he believes it would be better to regulate the characteristics of permitted animals to reduce the risk of abandonment
Another option being considered is an absolute ban, a measure that Maceda considers utopian. “It looks good on paper, but we can’t put a police officer behind every person,” the researcher assesses. “When a habit is well-established, what we do is promote the black market,” he adds.
Feral cat colonies
A cat colony is ethically managed by applying the TNR protocol,” says Calvo. She refers to the Trap-Neuter-Return protocol established by the new law. “We know that when colonies are ethically managed,” explains the ethologist, “the cats gradually die of old age.”
"What you can't have are uncontrolled feral cat colonies,” insists Fernández de Miguel. This management, which is the responsibility of the town councils, is sometimes carried out by feral cat colony managers. In the case of Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona), the town council opted to relocate a cat colony to avoid health issues in a children's playground. “That ecological niche is ideal for cats to live in. If you remove one group of cats, another will come,” criticizes Calvo.
On June 13, 2024, the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, and Agenda 2030 approved almost two million euros in subsidies for the management of animal abandonment. Of that amount, 1,200,000 euros are aimed at controlling feral cat colonies. “We are talking about a lot of money just to do things right,” notes Calvo. “Now it is up to the town councils and their political will,” she adds.
The feeling of impunity
In Catalonia, the identification of dogs, cats, and ferrets has been mandatory since 2008, but Calvo believes that the rule has never been effectively enforced. “The fine can be high, especially in high-risk situations,” the expert acknowledges, “but here everyone has a strong sense of impunity,” she asserts.
According to the ethologist, the problem lies in the lack of control. Therefore, Calvo thinks that more stringent deterrent measures should be considered, such as placing agents in parks to check if animals have microchips or urging veterinarians to report when they see an unidentified animal.
“The key factor is identification, because it forces you to be responsible,” explains Fernández de Miguel. “If they have a microchip, they can be returned to their owners,” she clarifies. The data supports this: according to the latest report from the Affinity Foundation, most dogs without microchips end up in shelters.
According to Calvo, the issue is worse with cats. The report estimates that only 4% of cats arriving at shelters have microchips. Fernández de Miguel believes that these differences between dogs and cats come from a cultural missconception. “The person who has a cat at home seems to assume that the cat doesn’t need to be identified because it won't go out,” she reasons.
The veterinarian believes that the measures are working. “With dogs, a lot of progress has been made thanks to identification,” she notes. “I think there is more responsibility every day,” she asserts, “we are getting better, but very slowly.”
What can be done on an individual level?
“When we find an animal in a risky situation, abandoned, the direct responsibility lies with the town council,” Calvo clarifies. “The local police are the ones who activate the protocols in a situation of mistreatment or abandonment.” Therefore, González Lacabex recommends notifying the police through 112 so that a patrol can go to the location and check the animal’s situation.
"If it is found wandering alone on public roads, the municipal animal collection service must take it to the center designated by the town council for this purpose,” she explains. There, they will try to locate the owner. “If this is not possible, they will try to put the animal up for adoption,” Fernández de Miguel clarifies.
The process is the same for cats and exotic animals, although “not in all municipalities,” the veterinarian notes, “but there are wildlife collection centers – both native and non-native – in all autonomous communities.”
When a situation of mistreatment is suspected, all evidence should be provided, and the agents must go in person to make a report. “You can also go directly to the police station to file a complaint, submit a complaint to the town council’s registry, or in more severe cases, to the duty court,” the animal law expert explains. “Depending on the severity of the case, an administrative file or a criminal procedure for alleged crime will be initiated,” she adds.
