November 5 – November 20
Veterinary Surgeons: Fiona Pinder, Juliet Smithyan
Veterinary Nurses: Emma Eagrand, Sarah Emery, Vanessa Jerrett,
Trappers: Tan Ahmet, Jackie Berryman, Angela Collins.
GENERAL
This was our 11th visit. A remarkable total of 570 cats treated, of which 558 neutered and 8 put to sleep due to incurable illnesses. Two died under the anaesthetic. In addition, since our 10th visit in February , 134 cats were neutered and or treated by Ibizan vets on our behalf, bringing the total since our first visit in January 2000 to 3,306 cats.
The vets started work on the Sunday evening and did the 10 cats that were waiting. Then on the Monday 70 arrived. Tuesday another 70 arrived. Most days from then on were very high numbers and the vets’ team didn’t really have any time off in the week. They worked right through until 7 in the evening.
We trapped many cats in San Antonio – 20 in a colony to be caught were quite common. We also trapped in Es Cana, San Miguel, San Raphael, Siesta, Portinax, St. Joan, Santa Gertrudis, San Lorenzo, El Figuerel, San Carlos, San Jordi, Sacarocca, Ibiza, and others were brought in many Ibizan residents from all over the island. Tan, Jackie and Angela trapped over 220 cats and 350 by Ibizans.
We were interviewed in the second week by the Spanish newspaper Diario de Ibiza and had a good full page article. This will be good publicity for our next trip. The Balearics TV network sought to document our day to day work, but it was not organised before we departed. They will be interested in making a film of our next visit.
THANKS
To Martina for the use of her surgery and for giving a home to one of the cats. Thanks to Bonnie for the splendid accommodation and thanks to the veterinary team who worked extremely hard. Thanks to Jackie who worked with us every day for the entire visit. Thanks to Susie, Fayriel, Yael and all the helpers who gave us their time and worked very hard for the cats. Thanks to Agnes and Jaap who always help us whenever we need it. Thanks to Tan who is so dedicated to the work. Thanks are also due to Marchig Animal Welfare Trust for their grant of £1,000 towards the cost of drugs; to SNIPS International for the donation of a trap and restrainer basket; to the Animal Defence Trust for their grant of £2,000 which was used towards drugs, traps and cages and non voluntary Ibizan vets fees and to Luke Gamble of Worldwide Veterinary Service for advertising Care 4 Cats on the WVS website.
REHOMING
Several cats were not returned as they were tame enough to re-home. Agnes, Jackie and Angeles are fostering them meanwhile. It is just amazing that such friendly cats find themselves without owners and desperately fending for themselves. Some are abandoned when people leave the island after maybe working there for a year or two. Others are born in April and are fed and petted and stroked by all the thousands of tourists in the Summer. However, November comes, the last holiday makers disappear and the cats are on their own. We came across 8 feral cats that had been living around a house for a few years but just as we arrived, the owners left the country leaving the cats in the garden to fend for themselves.
As there were no tourists, we were lucky to find them and after trapping and neutering them, one of our reception helpers, who lives nearby has agreed to feed them daily. It is a small village and hopefully they will survive this way. We were also told of 6 cats living behind a house that was empty. These 6 have been fed all summer by tourists and sit their every day patiently waiting for someone to arrive with some food. Marianne, a helper who lives in the next village and who already feeds 5 groups nearby, has agreed to feed them daily. As they are all tame, after Christmas Wendy, one of our helpers, will take them in and foster them until homes can be found either in Ibiza or Germany. Agnes took home a black and white male cat that couldn’t get enough cuddles. He will make a wonderful pet.
Each visit we have some marvelous success stories as well as some sad ones but overall we must be making headway. Our work is getting so well known and people are beginning to realize the benefits of humane control by neutering. I think that after our newspaper article and also with the T.V. program we will really be on the map in Ibiza. Of course, ultimately, we will be able to do more and more but this is only limited by lack of money. But we are optimistic!
SUMMARY
Our drugs account on this trip exceeded our usual budget by some thousands of Euros, as we were forced to pay full price plus taxes. In the future we are to make every effort to buy the drugs at discounted price and if possible try for some drugs to be donated, as on our 10th visit.
We still do not have enough cages. At least seventy cages are required for the recovery room at any one time. We took with us 6 new Queens cages for the cats to recover in, 12 new carriers and two traps but it wasn’t nearly enough. We do have to invest in 20 Queens’s cages and another 10 carriers this year for our next trip. Inevitably, some do go missing as people borrow them and forget to return them. As we are so very busy it is impossible to keep a proper check on the ebb and flow of traps and cages and rely heavily on people returning them.
FINANCES
We are still a very small charity and we really do need a lot more help to continue and even expand. The detailed costs for this trip (working out at € 21.63 per cat seen) were as follows:
Air Fares £1,200.68
Car Hire £984.62
Medical supplies £2,863.33
Ibizan Vet’s fees since Feb. £3,846.17
Cat food £524.64
Team expenses £139.86
Petrol £152.50
Traps and cages £935.28
Total £ 10,647.08 (€ 15,225.32)
DONATIONS
In Ibiza we received donations from the public of € 2001.51 including €85.00 from a collection box.
SUPPORT
If you would like to support the work of Care 4 Cats in Ibiza – please contact the WVS Office for more information.
