Mystery in Ceuta, Spain: cats vanishing from feral colonies
Cats are disappearing in Ceuta, Spain, and local caregivers blame migrants. With no evidence or official data, the controversy keeps growing.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The mystery of the cats disappearing in Ceuta is stirring up local politics
Ceuta, the most heavily guarded border post in Europe, has a crisis that never shows up in official reports: its feral cat colonies are running out of cats. The women who feed these animals claim that "the damage caused by migrants is great and in many cases irreparable." The quote has echoed across social media, but on-the-ground evidence remains, at the very least, elusive.
What is actually known
The first reports came from local media, which quoted the caregivers and spoke of missing cats, along with pigeons and seagulls being eaten. The direct accusation against migrants spread through forums and social networks, often in terms that help no one. But no official report has so far confirmed that the disappearance of the cats is linked to immigration. There is no feline census data, no autopsies of the remains found, and no open line of investigation.
The ghost of Haiti
The episode cannot be read without the background noise of US politics: the same narrative about immigrants eating pets was launched during an election campaign and repeated ad nauseam. In the Spanish autonomous city, that reference collides with the reality of a tense border and a migrant settlement that multiplies the pressure on public resources. The mix is explosive, even if the data does not support it.
Silence and half-truths
While the official account points only to possible natural causes or feline overpopulation, the caregivers insist that the colony has been "irreparably damaged." The controversy, as usual, moves along parallel tracks: those who want to see the worst, see it; those who prefer skepticism demand proof. The only objective fact is that the cats fed daily in Ceuta are no longer there.
The question left on the table is an uncomfortable one: if there really were a link between the arrival of migrants and the disappearance of cats, why does no administration want to open an investigation? Perhaps because the answer, whatever it is, would ignite too many things.
Ceuta, the most heavily guarded border post in Europe, has a crisis that never shows up in official reports: its feral cat colonies are running out of cats. The women who feed these animals claim that "the damage caused by migrants is great and in many cases irreparable." The quote has echoed across social media, but on-the-ground evidence remains, at the very least, elusive.
What is actually known
The first reports came from local media, which quoted the caregivers and spoke of missing cats, along with pigeons and seagulls being eaten. The direct accusation against migrants spread through forums and social networks, often in terms that help no one. But no official report has so far confirmed that the disappearance of the cats is linked to immigration. There is no feline census data, no autopsies of the remains found, and no open line of investigation.
The ghost of Haiti
The episode cannot be read without the background noise of US politics: the same narrative about immigrants eating pets was launched during an election campaign and repeated ad nauseam. In the Spanish autonomous city, that reference collides with the reality of a tense border and a migrant settlement that multiplies the pressure on public resources. The mix is explosive, even if the data does not support it.
Silence and half-truths
While the official account points only to possible natural causes or feline overpopulation, the caregivers insist that the colony has been "irreparably damaged." The controversy, as usual, moves along parallel tracks: those who want to see the worst, see it; those who prefer skepticism demand proof. The only objective fact is that the cats fed daily in Ceuta are no longer there.
The question left on the table is an uncomfortable one: if there really were a link between the arrival of migrants and the disappearance of cats, why does no administration want to open an investigation? Perhaps because the answer, whatever it is, would ignite too many things.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (71 replies).
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