Pussy cat, pussy cat

WE are overrun. There are now four cats living in our house.

Yes, we have succumbed to Mallorca’s yearly kitten problem. Last week we adopted two little scraps of fur from an organisation called Gatos de Mallorca who posted photos of the kittens – along with many other furry babies – on Facebook. They were found on the streets apparently, abandoned. Poor things. I’ve got to say, they are sweet, and very well behaved. First thing they did was use the litter tray (meant for the older blind cat, Mitzi, that we homed a few weeks ago) and then ate everything they could get their paws on. A very good start. La Gidg decided on their names: Roger (a brown tabby) and Wayne (ginger, looks like he should be on the cover of a box of chocolates). Tallulah, the original cat we brought with us from the UK, is stoic as ever, as long as none of the interlopers try to take the prime sunbathing spot under the palm tree, she isn’t really fussed.

There are now a large amount of animal rescue organisations trying to hold back the flood of abandoned ex-family pets and new born ferals.

It would certainly seem to be a thankless task as week after week there are animals being delivered to voluntary animal shelters where they might be able to stay, and also to the council pounds where they have a small window of opportunity for an adoption before they are put down.

Ana Aranda Lindsay, who is involved with the organisation www.baldea.org is clear about who is to blame about the current problem “It is the owners, they do not get their animals castrated, they treat them badly, they let them run around out of control, and then when they do not want them anymore they abandon them. It is not the fault of the council workers at Son Reus or at the other municipal pounds, they are only doing their job.” In fact Ana, and many other dedicated volunteers can be found at Son Reus on a very regular basis, trying to help to rehome the animals. They even have a fostering system which means that if you would like to give an animal a temporary home until a permanent one can be found they can arrange for free veterinary care of the animal, and other help as well if needed.

The other thing that we currently overrun with is plums, but that’s a pretty easy problem to sort out. We’ve been bagging them up and giving them to our local jam aficionados, the amas de la casa (our version of the Women’s Institute). We’re expecting an invite to their next soiree. Would you like some jam with your jam?

www.familymattersmallorca.com
by Vicki McLeod