01/08/2021, 6:00 PM
One of the great blessings of travel is that it allows us to see how people across the globe lead their daily lives. That includes how they handle the problems that rarely make the news.
Alas, we re in a no-travel time right now. But we can still scratch that travel itch by learning about contemporary cultures across the globe and the way the Portuguese are dealing with stray cats offers welcome insight into that country s decency and creativity.
Last October, a veterinarian in the southern mountain town of Monchique noticed two kittens taking shelter in a damaged washing machine sitting in her yard. Instead of throwing the machine out, she decided to use it to give those stray cats a home. She filled it with old blankets.
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Stray cats in Valongo, an area of Portugal’s second city Porto, are starting 2021 on a high. The cat colonies that call the city’s streets home are getting new shelters – in the form of old washing machines and dryers.
To give new life to broken or unused appliances, authorities in Valongo are transforming the chunky old machines into cat shelters. They are being painted and decorated – and lined with blankets – to offer the cats both comfort and protection.
‘This year, the Municipality of Valongo started sterilising colonies of stray cats, having sterilised, vaccinated and microchipped more than 100 cats and cats in 12 colonies. We now feel the need to provide them with a “home”,’ says vet Fernando Rodrigues. ‘This project stemmed from that idea, as the old washing or drying machines are a domestic waste that can be reused and are free of charge.’