Anima opens new facility and calls for regulation over microchipping

Cat’s Paradise in Coloane

Animal welfare group Anima (Macau) launched its Cat’s Paradise in Coloane Village on Saturday to help resolve the ongoing challenge of rescuing and effectively caring for stray cats in the region.

The reconditioned sanctuary, where approximately 180 rescued cats are currently sheltered, has three rooms that accommodate cats that have infectious diseases or are under recovery.

Anima (Macau) president Albano Martins told the Times that the cats would have adequate space in Coloane Village, saying that the shelter could house up to 500 cats.

“I’m very happy because at last we have cats that can happily play and have a lot of space. Some diseases will not transmit so fast [due to secluded rooms],” he explained.

Martins said that the challenge has always been finding funding for this non-government association.

This year, the Macau Foundation provided MOP3.5 million for the association’s operational expenses. Martins said their budget for 2017 is MOP8 million, and expressed his hope that the financial support would rise.

He shared that the group spends MOP350,000 a month to pay Anima’s 36 employees.  “Volunteers can come and help. But you know we have to have professional people,” he said. “Volunteers come when they want and we need to give food everyday. We are happy they come [but] it does not solve every problem,” he continued.

Carla Flores poses in the new facility

According to Martins, Anima delivers sustenance to over 30 sites in the region to help feed strayed dogs and cats in the territory.

Another major matter he mentioned was the lack of regulation in regards to the micro-chipping of the stray animals. Martins stressed that there are more stray cats than dogs, and therefore the region should make it compulsory for cats to hold a microchip.

“Many of them are abandoned animals [and] others are just lost animals. But as the law do not ask them to have a microchip, we [will] never know if the cat is abandoned or lost,” he reiterated.

Martins’ contention is that this law should be amended. Although the group has suggested the necessary amendments to the government, he said the government’s response was apathetic.

With Anima’s latest statistics  showing that they have rescued 229 cats in the region, compared with 164 cats in the comparative period last year, he hoped that the government would “wake up and see that [the group] is right.”

“Otherwise we cannot rescue them,” he lamented, when asked what could occur if the MSAR fails to revise the law.

Carla Flores, a Macau resident who volunteered with the “Cat’s Paradise” project, said that she believes that the matter of strayed animals is important not only in Macau but around the world. She praised Anima (Macau) for the group’s initiative on establishing an adequate space for the abandoned cats.

“I do believe that we need more entities like this. Macau is rather small but the problem with stray animals is really big,” she explained.

The recently launched Cat’s Paradise, which also houses rabbits, turtles and security dogs, is open to the public. Flores noted that the new center would help raise awareness of stray animals, particularly in children.

“Bringing the children here really helps to convey the idea that cats, dogs, rabbits and turtles are worth protection and that they are not toys.”

Flores, who has adopted two cats from Anima a few years ago, also noted that sufficient and proper space is problematic in the territory.

“To be able to find the place [Cat’s Paradise] where we are now it’s a miracle to be honest. Let’s hope there are more miracles [to come],” she concluded.