EU to simplify pet travel regulations among member states

EUROPE New legislation on the "non-commercial transport" of pets, already informally agreed with EU ministers, was approved by Parliament last month and press-released last week. Taking pets abroad will be easier, but pet health requirements will be stricter. Online information for pet owners will also be made clearer, though we have been unable to find exactly where as yet. Before taking their pets across borders, owners should check that their anti-rabies vaccinations are still valid. Young animals between 12 and 16 weeks that have been vaccinated against rabies - but have yet to achieve immunity - should still be allowed to travel. "There are 64 million cats and 66 million dogs in the EU. One household in four has a pet. In future, travelling across borders with pets will involve far less administrative hassle. We have eased the rules, and this should have a direct impact on citizens" said rapporteur Horst Schnellhardt (EPP, DE) after his resolution was adopted by 592 votes to 7 with 4 abstentions. The legislation will be applicable 18 months after it is published in the EU Official Journal.>>>

Cat Neutering Day to be held within next 3 weeks

JIMENA The postponed Cat Neutering Day is now to be held within the next 3 weeks - date to be confirmed, so watch this space. If you have a cat that needs castrating/spaying or know of one of the many strays in the village that we can catch and neuter, then please contact J.A.W.S. or write a comment below. We have negotiated good rates with a local vet so please do the right thing and put a stop to the numbers of cats that are roaming the village!

Fires in Spain: animals also suffer, but be careful with the appeals

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SPAIN /Marbella The fires that have raged throughout Spain this summer have impacted not only the people who have died in them, the injured and their families, and many homes, but also the animals in their vicinity. Wild or domestic, they will surely have suffered enormously. To bring this awareness closer to home, the fire that swept through the Marbella area over the weekend, caused the death of over 75 domestic pets, according to one source. Where these figures come from, we don't know, as the authorities rarely if ever give out anything related to animals in such cases. In any case, a number of Facebook and other appeals are under way. We are trying to locate the genuine ones and will publish them as soon as we can, but please be aware that scam artists are also looking for your money. (Watch this space, but if you have any information on genuine appeals, please let us know!)

Neighbours demand action on dogs on the beach

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Number of abandoned dogs increases in the summer

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) There are local laws about dogs on the beach - mostly, it is forbidden all over Spain. However, like so many rules in the country, the laws are flouted. But finances being as they are, it is noticeably how many fines are being issued for doing so. At El Rinconcillo, for instance, it was the neighbours who recently denounced the presence of dogs on the beach there, with the corresponding amount of excrement in the sand. They are also criticising the number of abandoned dogs and cats in the vicinity, something that happens every summer, when their owners want to go away for a month and just dump them.

Woman reports a colony of cats trapped inside a house

ALGECIRAS (Agencies/Photo: illustration only) A volunteer at the Prodean animal shelter in the Campo de Gibraltar, Ana Hernández, recently reported the abandonment of a 'colony' of cats that seems to have been trapped inside a home at Calle San Pedro de Alcántara, 55. She says there are about twenty felines that until last week had been taken care of by a woman who had squatted in the house but has since been evicted. As the house has been closed there is nowhere through which to feed the cats, which neighbours are willing to do. She reported the matter to the Local Police, who have yet to act on it.

Reader's Choice (My first record): 'Cats'

A complete change of pace from last Saturday's Choice, thanks to Vanessa, who says, "I was a young teen when I was taken to see this in London. I fell in love with musicals and wanted to become a singer. Didn't happen, but I'm happy anyway." Nice, that! Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot, Cats first opened in the West End in 1981. It is the second longest-running show in Broadway history, and the fourth longest-running West End musical. It has been performed around the world many times and has been translated into more than 20 languages. And it was a job to find a song that has not been done to the death by every singer since Methuselah's wife Syndrome... This one is The Song of the Jellicoes.