Holbox, Quintana Roo — The Holbox animal shelter will host a free spay-neuter campaign for 400 cats on July 30 and 31, aiming to curb the island’s growing feline overpopulation, shelter director Morelia Montes Barahona announced.
The campaign is made possible by a donation from Amega, a Mexico City-based foundation, which provided 400 sterilization procedures exclusively for cats.
“This campaign is a donation from a foundation in Mexico City called Amega, and they have offered to support us with free sterilization for 400 cats. Only cats, no dogs,” Montes Barahona said.
She noted that the initiative addresses a worsening problem across the municipality, driven by rapid cat reproduction and a lack of sterilization awareness among some owners.
While such efforts help reduce the number of abandoned animals, Montes Barahona acknowledged they are not enough to solve the root issue. She called for ongoing collaboration between the community, authorities, and organizations.
“We need constant campaigns. I wish we could run small campaigns in every town to reduce the overpopulation of cats, and also dogs,” she said.
A major obstacle, she added, is the reluctance of many people to sterilize male cats, based on the mistaken belief that only females should undergo the procedure. Males often roam, mate with multiple females, and contribute to a continuous cycle of births that leads to homeless animals.
Montes Barahona also condemned acts of cruelty against newborn litters, saying some people dispose of kittens in trash bags.
“Many times they prefer to grab the babies and throw them in bags in the trash. It is a monstrous, cruel, painful, and unforgivable act,” she said.
She urged the community to share responsibility for animal welfare and support sterilization campaigns as a key tool against abandonment and uncontrolled reproduction.
“As a shelter, we cannot keep up; we are not enough, and it is not solely our responsibility. We manage and support these activities, but it is a shared commitment across all sectors. Sterilization is the solution, and we need everyone to get involved to raise awareness,” she concluded.
