{
  "id": 8504773,
  "title": "Spain’s street cats: Scientists say colonies should go as 180 million wild animals killed a year",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/spains-street-cats-scientists-say-colonies-should-go-as-180-million",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-19T17:13:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euro Weekly News",
    "slug": "euro-weekly-news",
    "url": "https://euroweeklynews.com/2026/09/19/spains-street-cats-scientists-say-colonies-should-go-as-180-million-wild-animals-killed-a-year/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Spain's street cat colonies spark controversy, with scientists arguing they cause harm to wildlife, people, and the cats themselves. Miguel Clavero, a CSIC scientist, believes colonies should not exist, citing the increased disease risk, shorter lifespans, and painful deaths of colony cats compared to house cats. Toxoplasmosis, a parasite commonly found in cats, poses a significant health threat, with studies linking it to a higher risk of schizophrenia in humans. Fernando Ojeda, a botany professor, recalls a nursery in Puerto Real where cats caused havoc in a sandpit, leading to its closure for children's safety. Clavero criticizes the city versus countryside dichotomy, arguing that urban environments are also ecosystems where cats negatively impact wildlife, hunting birds like Kentish plover and green woodpecker. Despite the welfare law requiring neutering of community cats, adoption campaigns and shelters are seen as more effective solutions, with Alejandro Ojeda comparing the approach to dog pounds. The issue remains a heated debate, with councils, volunteers, and neighbours divided over how to handle street cat colonies in Spanish cities.",
  "summary": "Scientists say that colonies of street cats should be eliminated, as they harm wildlife, people, and the cats themselves. According to Miguel Clavero, a CSIC scientist at Donana and an expert on invasive species, packs of domestic cats outdoors are a poor bargain.\n\nThe issue of street-cat colonies is divisive, with differing opinions among neighbours, friends, councils, and rescue groups. This comes as 180 million wild animals are killed by cats each year.\n\nIn other news, a new species of wild cat, Leopardus tilcayo, was recently discovered in the cloud forests of Bolivia's Yungas. This is the first new living wild cat species identified in over a century, according to Colombia One and France 24.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Colombia One",
        "title": "Scientists Discover a New Wild Cat Species in the Forests of Bolivia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/scientists-discover-a-new-wild-cat-species-in-the-forests-of-bolivia",
        "published": "2026-09-18T19:17:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "Scientists discover first new wild cat in more than 100 years",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/19/scientists-discover-first-new-wild-cat-in-more-than-100-years",
        "published": "2026-09-19T08:44:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}