In Palma de Mallorca Hundreds of people called on Sunday, 6 September 2026, for the consistent and “ethical” care of the city’s cat colonies . According to the organisers, the march set off in the morning from Plaza de España and ended at Plaça de Cort with a rally and the reading of a manifesto.
The main demand was the implementation of Spain’s Ley 7/2023 on the protection of animal rights and welfare. Participants accused local authorities of only partially fulfilling the duties set out in the law. They cited in particular the recording and identification of colonies, systematic neutering programmes, medical care, and the documentation and monitoring of the animals. Volunteer carers complained that in many places they bore the brunt of the work, without the city council providing reliable structures and budgets.
The organisers called for dedicated budget funding, reliable procedures under the CER method (capture, neuter, return) and official registers of colonies. The aim, they said, was not to change the law but to apply it locally. Media reports said similar actions took place in other Spanish cities on the same day. Animal welfare organisations such as PACMA had called for broad participation in advance.
No immediate response from the city council to the rally in Palma had been reported by press time. In the ongoing debate, local authorities often cite tight budgets and practical obstacles to implementing the measures across the board. Animal welfare representatives counter that predictable funding and clear responsibilities make the measures more efficient, reduce neighbourhood conflicts and measurably improve animal welfare.
Ley 7/2023 assigns municipalities key responsibilities for caring for feral cat populations. Experts stress that ongoing neutering and health programmes can also reduce public costs in the long term, for example by reducing emergencies and complaints. The concrete impact of the mobilisation in Palma will now depend on decisions in the coming weeks – particularly on whether the city council provides additional funding for keeping registers, coordinating neutering and veterinary care.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).