Shropshire woman adopted stray cats she fell in love with on holiday

Harry Eckman, a global advisor on cat population management for the charity, said he understood why animal lovers felt compelled to act when they struck up a relationship with a stray.

“There’s a lot of work to be done to help these animals and the need is great,” he said.

However, he emphasised the need to consider the best interests of the cat above all else, suggesting people should ask, “are you doing it for yourself or are you doing it for the cat? “

“A cat that’s happy to sit on your balcony and be given food and stroked is not necessarily a cat that is happy to be living in someone’s house or apartment.

“Taking it out of familiar environment, especially if it’s not used to living inside, can be incredibly distressing.”

In places with well-managed local colonies, visitors will see cats with their ears clipped, signalling they have been neutered, and designated places for food.

In Lisbon, for instance, more than 1,300 managed colonies of cats are registered on a database, with local people keeping an eye on their care.

Eckman suggested concerned travellers could make the most impact by reaching out to teams on the ground.

“In every country that you go to there are going to be people who live there who are trying to help these cats as best they can,” he said.

“Look for a local organisation, see if you can support them. That’s going to make a massive difference to the cat you saw, and hundreds and thousands of cats over the coming months and years.”