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Care 4 Cats comes to the rescue
By Jinny Throup
The volunteers at Care 4 Cats work tirelessly the whole year round to help the abandoned and feral cats of Ibiza. Whilst their work can be difficult - and at times heartbreaking - it’s stories like this that make it all worthwhile. This past summer a kitten turned up in the engine of local resident Kath Berry’s car. She could hear it, but could not find it, so she called Care 4 Cats who arrived at her house within the hour. The plan was to capture, rehabilitate and domesticate the cat so that a home could be found for her. The volunteer stayed for half a day hoping the cat would come out… but it did not. More volunteers came over the next five days, and finally the feral kitten emerged from the engine and made a home in Kath’s garden.
With guidance from Care 4 Cats, Kath and her children slowly domesticated the kitten, and at six months old had her neutered by volunteer vet Dr Stephen Oetjen. The story has a happy ending as the kitten has found a permanent home in Santa Eulalia with Caroline Sharp. To date Care 4 Cats have neutered more than 17,500 cats on Ibiza which keeps the population smaller and healthier. They have also placed many kittens with happy owners. It is a valuable accomplishment on the part of the selfless volunteers of this admirable charity.