Cancún Sets October Dates for Free Dog and Cat Sterilization Clinics

Cancún, Quintana Roo — The Benito Juárez Animal Welfare Institute will begin offering free sterilization clinics for dogs and cats on Oct. 10, part of a municipal effort to cut the number of stray animals and improve public health.

Institute director Yuli Lázaro said mobile brigades will visit four sites across the city during October and urged residents to watch for announcements and bring their pets.

• Oct. 10 — Ángela Peralta de Castera primary school, Avenida Lakín, Tierra Maya subdivision
• Oct. 17 — Secundaria 37 Carlos Fuentes, Villas Otoch Paraíso
• Oct. 24 — Supermanzana 237 (venue still being confirmed)
• Oct. 31 — Villas del Mar subdivision

“The first will be on Oct. 10 at the Ángela Peralta de Castera primary school on Avenida Lakín in the Tierra Maya subdivision; on Oct. 17 we’ll be at Secundaria 37 Carlos Fuentes in Villas Otoch Paraíso; on Oct. 24 we’ll be in Supermanzana 237, where we are still looking for a venue; and on Oct. 31 in the Villas del Mar subdivision,” Lázaro said.

She said the program is part of the city’s strategy to slow the growth of abandoned animals, which she described as a public health and urban image problem in Cancún, especially in high-density neighborhoods such as Villas Otoch, Tierra Maya and Villas del Mar.

Beyond population control, sterilization brings direct health benefits to the animals themselves. Lázaro called on residents to take responsibility, noting that sterilizing dogs and cats reduces the risk of serious conditions including breast and testicular cancer, as well as uterine and sexually transmitted infections.

The clinics are free and open to the entire population. The institute advised owners to bring their pets fasting for eight hours, on a leash or in a carrier, and to present identification for the person responsible for the animal.

Lázaro stressed that each sterilization prevents the birth of dozens of puppies and kittens a year that end up on the streets, and said public participation is key to moving toward a municipality with stronger animal welfare.

The full schedule and requirements will be posted on the social media accounts of the Benito Juárez city government and the Animal Welfare Institute.