A network to protect community cats in Italy
We help colony caretakers, municipalities and local health authorities apply the laws that protect free-roaming cats consistently, starting with Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata and Sardinia.
The laws that protect cats already exist, but every municipality applies them in its own way
In many municipalities, information and forms are missing, services aren’t active, and it’s unclear who should do what. So for anyone who wants to help free-roaming cats, taking action remains far too complicated.
Ten years of work in Puglia
The results of the pilot project
Rete Felina grew out of “I Felini di Puglia”, the pilot project launched in 2016 by Mariagrazia Distante to make local health authorities (ASL) fulfil their obligations: neutering programmes started, forms and traceability, and shelters such as GattoFioriera and GattaPanca. Now Animal Law Italia is bringing it to four regions, with the goal of extending it nationwide.
10
years of work
Since 2016 in the provinces of Puglia, then in Calabria.
33
citizen groups
Groups of citizens active in the network.
8
council resolutions
Municipalities that have formally joined the project.
4
active regions
Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata and Sardinia.
Some of our cases
Noicattaro’s ordinance and the cat colonies
A temporary ban on feeding animals threatened to stop the people who care for cat colonies. At our request, the mayor confirmed in writing that cat colonies are exempt.
Cats shut inside a building site in Lamezia Terme
The municipality closed every gap in the fence, leaving a colony shut inside a building site with no food or water. After Animal Law Italia's complaint and formal notice, a…
A cat colony in a shared building in Mola di Bari
The ASL Bari refused to recognise a colony because it lived in the grounds of a shared building. After Animal Law Italia's formal notice, the Puglia Region agreed with us:…
Blog
News, rulings and practical guides.
How to feed a cat colony: bowls, timing and cleanliness to avoid problems
Never food on the ground, bowls removed after meals, a clean area at all times: practical rules for feeding a…
Community cats and cold weather: how to build a shelter for the colony and protect it in winter
Straw instead of blankets, a small entrance, water that doesn't freeze: good practices to help the cat colony get through…
Problems with your cat colony? Now you can report them to Rete Felina’s legal team
In Puglia, Calabria, Basilicata and Sardinia, colony caretakers can report problems with municipalities, local health authorities (ASL) and private individuals…