We meet a new cat association, Gatos Huellas Solidarias. They define themselves as a helping hand for the community (stray) cats in Mijas. They already have almost 100 members who work to offer these animals comprehensive care and protection, which includes feeding programmes, health control and sterilisation, with the aim "to reduce the number of homeless cats and improve their quality of life". This is what its president, María Selva, told us on Monday, from the gardens of the San Manuel González church (Las Lagunas), she stressed that they are a "non-profit association", which aims to promote the welfare of the colonies in Mijas and Fuengirola, among which they attend, she said, to 500 felines, "cats that are mistreated, cats that are abandoned, cats that need to be cared for. For example, today I have brought one that I am going to take to the vet now for a check-up because she has spikes of fever, she is ill and needs to be treated urgently. All of this is being paid with our own money and we don't have the resources".
- Ella es Princesa, una gatita de solo tres meses que necesita atención sanitaria y un hogar.
- BEATRIZ MARTÍN
Princesa is a three-month-old kitten in need of health care and a home, which is why this collective also works to encourage responsible adoption. In addition to feeding and caring for the cats, the members of this collective are also dedicated to controlling the growth of the cat population in the area with sterilisation programmes. "We practise TRN, Trap-Neuter-Return, which includes returning them to the colony; we capture them, sterilise them, obviously with the treatments they need at the time, take care of them and return them to the colony. Those that are more friendly, are put up for adoption", Selva said.
Raising awareness
The members also aim to raise public awareness on the importance of respecting and protecting community cats. They are calling on the community to join the cause. "They can become members, volunteers and make food donations; anything they can", added the president of the group, who also asked the Mijas Town Hall for help and urged them to organise a working group with the other cat associations in the area "because Mijas has an impressive number of cats and not one, not two, not three associations on their own can cope with that, especially if they don't have help like us and don't have subsidies".
Collaboration
Gatos Huellas Solidarias is also open to collaborations with other organisations and companies that share the commitment to improve the lives of the cats. You can contact the organisation on gatoshuellassolidarias@gmail.com and via Facebook and Instagram
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