5 minute read
Caring for Cats
BY TRACY BURTON
When animal lover Corinna Janiec arrived in the Algarve, she didn’t expect to be looking after hundreds of abandoned cats and kittens.
Corinna had brought just one feline friend with her from Germany; however, it wasn’t long before she recognised the plight of the many street cats in and around Carvoeiro.
"I started having cat food in my car and that’s how it started … with me feeding the cat colonies," she explains. "Word got around in cat circles and the numbers turning up to be fed grew steadily."
In November 2013, Corinna set up the Carvoeiro Cat Charity Association to rescue cats at risk and to find them loving homes. Within months, the sanctuary had moved to a bigger plot and has continued to grow year on year. She is rightly proud of the cat paradise she has created at Quinta dos Gatos. Despite a reputation for being solitary creatures, the cats here get on remarkably well. "This is a place where you have a lot of harmony and it comes over straightaway. The cats turn the bad energies to good energies. That’s why there is so much good energy here – because there are a lot of cats."
‘A lot of cats’ is an understatement – there are currently around 240 cats living in various purpose-built shelters dotted around the site, the majority of whom are healthy, affectionate and ready for adoption. There are black cats, white cats, tabbies, gingers and tortoiseshells. There are cats of all ages, sizes and temperaments, all of whom need a loving home, although Corinna accepts that some of the older cats will live out their days at the sanctuary.
Younger cats are easier to rehome; however, mature, calmer cats make great companions too, especially for older cat lovers. "A potential owner must understand the cat chooses them," says Corinna. "You can choose a cat but if that cat doesn’t like you, you will never have a good relationship. I say to people, come here and sit down, let the cat come and choose you. Even if it takes three or four visits."
Corinna is constantly striving to improve the cats’ living conditions and, with the help of volunteer Pestana, is gradually replacing older shelters with new and more spacious accommodation.
Currently, the largest shelter is Grande Marmelada, decorated with tiles painted by local schoolchildren. This large space is home to over 50 healthy cats and is full of trees, sofas, perches, hammocks and wooden dens. The heartfelt effort which has gone into making this shelter a proper home for its four-legged residents speaks volumes for the team’s commitment to animal welfare.
Nearby Lesley House was built in memory of an English lady who gave the sanctuary a lot of help and money. Her ashes are buried here.
Most of the animals Corinna and her team care for – there are dogs here too – have been found on the street and some were dumped in bins. Often they are injured or ill. If an animal is chipped, its owner will be contacted. When it is clear a cat is moving in, an appropriate name is chosen, like Stormy who was found during a thunderstorm.
Unsurprisingly, the sanctuary’s running costs are high. With so many mouths to feed, the food costs alone amount to around 2,500€ a month and there are ongoing veterinary fees.
Listening to Corinna talking about her animals, you sense there is a blur between her pets – four dogs, three horses, three chickens, one cockerel, a duck ("I have to find it a friend") and 26 cats – and those she loves and cares for in the sanctuary.
In August 2016, tragedy struck and Corinna lost over 80 cats to feline panleukopenia (FP), a highly contagious disease specific to cats.
"I was afraid to get up in the morning because I only found them dead. From then on we learned not to take in any cats without vaccination. The virus is still in the air and it’s always a risk." The heartache of losing so many cats and the highly contagious nature of the virus means Corinna is now meticulous in keeping unvaccinated newcomers away from the healthy resident groups. Every new arrival remains in quarantine until all tests, including AIDS tests, come back clear. Three-month-old Kitty was found in a ditch in Albufeira when just a few weeks’ old. She has been vaccinated and tested but cannot mingle with other cats until her final results return clear.
Maine Coon breeders Rose-Anne Burgunder and husband Andreas Wolfsteller have been involved with the charity since 2015 and are now secretary/public relations officer and treasurer. They have donated many items of cat furniture to the sanctuary. "If you come here regularly you are less sad because it’s better for the cats to be here than living on the streets," says Rose-Anne.
Andreas agrees. "It’s okay for them on the street in the summer, but in the winter when they don’t have anything to eat then it gets horrible. That’s when they climb into the dustbins. It’s better for them here with all this care and something to eat."
+INFO: Carvoeiro Cat Charity carvoeirocatcharity.com
Adopting a cat
Once they have been given the all-clear by a vet, vaccinated and spayed, cats are available for adoption. New owners must pay for chipping (a legal requirement) and further vaccinations.
How to help
Even if you cannot adopt a cat, you can help in other ways.
- Donate cash (see website), give food and/or support charity events.
- Volunteers to feed, clean and socialise with the cats (four-hour minimum).
- Anyone with building and practical skills to help with various building and refurbishment projects, e.g. a bricklayer is needed to finish building a new shelter.
- Holidaymakers are very welcome, even if they can only spare a few hours. Contact Corinna via the Carvoeiro Cat Charity’s Facebook page.
