Residents and volunteers denounce the “phantom actions” of the association responsible for the campaign to sterilize stray cats in Bagnols

Des habitants, des bénévoles d’associations et deux élus de l’opposition (Olivier Wiry et Jérôme Jackel) se sont rasemblés samedi 7 décembre. Midi Libre – C.L.

Des habitants expliquent devoir faire appel à des associations extérieures pour le trappage de chats errants faute de réponse de Comme chat et chien, chargée de la campagne de stérilisation à Bagnols-sur-Cèze.

In a political expression of the opposition, published on November 15 on the Facebook account of the City of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, the municipal councilor Olivier Wiry returned on his decision “to vote against a subsidy (during the municipal council of June 26, Editor's note) to an animal association for lack of accounting documents, noise and olfactory nuisances.” “By investigating”, he explains having discovered “other damning facts”. “Certainly, if one of the executives of this association is close to the power in place, I don't care. Of course it's only 1,000 euros (several times a year all the same). Many other associations would like to benefit from it without ripping off the average Bagnolais.”

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“Big communication problems”

The association in question, Comme chat et chien, is the one in charge of the stray cat sterilization campaign in Bagnols. An agreement is signed with the town hall and the Fondation 30 millions d’amis, co-financiers of the campaign. “I had asked the director general of services for invoices and accounting documents to justify this grant allocation, indicates Olivier Wiry. I got two Excel sheets when I was hoping for at least veterinary invoices.” The document provided presents the report of the 2023 sterilization campaign with the mentions of the places and dates of trapping, the type of cat, its color and the amount of the operation but no invoice. The opposition councillor states that he has since received numerous reports from residents reporting “the inefficiency of the existing association” and “major communication problems”.

Following our article on the stray cat sterilization campaign published on November 18, where the president of the association announced that she had carried out around thirty sterilizations since September, residents gathered on Saturday December 7 to “denounce the phantom actions of the association Comme chat et chien”. “I tried to contact the person in charge several times, but she either doesn't answer, doesn't have the time, or doesn't have any money,” says Sophie, a cat feeder from Bagnols who spends “between 30 and 40 euros out of her own pocket per week” to feed the cats. I also asked her for kibble because she regularly organizes collections but I don't have any.“

Intervention of external associations

The residents then call on other external associations, C comme chat, Instinct félin, 4 pattes sans toit, for trapping stray cats, sterilizations, rescues of kittens and adults. “We are obliged to intervene even if it is not our sector because many reports and testimonies reach us from individuals and the municipal police, indicates Magali Bouillot, volunteer referent of the Gard of the association Instinct félin. We started to receive reports two years ago. Since 2022, Instinct félin has carried out 150 interventions in Bagnols (220 by combining the three associations)! The requests exploded in 2024.” “We intervene without financial compensation and we have no subsidy to do trapping in Bagnols”, adds Chrystelle Ossola, volunteer at C comme chat.

For opposition city councilor Olivier Wiry, “if there are so many stray cats in Bagnols, it is because the association in place is not doing its job properly”. “We need to move quickly because we are going to reach a point of no return and it is going to become the city of cats. It is also a question of public health.”

(*) Contacted, the president of the association Comme chat et chien, Sylvie Gluck, did not wish to react “on the spur of the moment”.