https://www.oipa.org/italia/fai-la-differenza-cambia-la-tendenza-aiuta-i-gatti-randagi/
WHAT HAPPENS
In many European countries, cats breed in various places due to lack of sterilization and unwanted kittens are abandoned in front of restaurants or behind hotels, all due to the idea that “cats can take care of themselves anyway”, which is unfortunately still anchored in the minds of many people.
And so many streets are full of animals left to fend for themselves, inevitably wandering hungry, sick or injured by the sea or in the historic center of cities, along the busiest promenades or next to famous coffee bars. They are injured, hungry and pregnant cats seeking help from anyone who is available. And so the tourists, touched by deep compassion, try to come to their aid by taking them to the vet or opening a few cans they have bought in a local store, gestures that no local does.
THE FACT
In Croatia, for example, in Dubrovnik, the old cat Anastasia, a tourist attraction and symbol of Dubrovnik, was deprived of her home in front of the Duke’s Palace before the summer of 2022. Why? Because, according to the local authorities, it “disturbed tourists”. For most citizens, this situation is “normal” as they think there is “nothing to do”, but there are many solutions, including sterilization campaigns.
WHAT HAPPENS BEFORE THE TOURIST SEASON
Unfortunately, many countries see stray dogs as a problem that needs to be eradicated, especially before the summer, as in their opinion they would “scare off tourists”. Instead of opting for sterilization, the worst way is chosen, the drastic extermination of the animals through mass poisoning. This tragic initiative is more common than we can imagine in many European cities, including Croatia. A terrible decision made in the name of tourism (i.e. in your name), in the mistaken belief that stray cats would “bother you”. But we know for a fact that this is not the case.
When such eradication campaigns are launched (because that is the only way we can call them), all cats are affected, both stray and private cats, but also those sterilized with the effort and financial commitment of volunteers and local associations. Cases of mass poisoning are so common that they are becoming part of the daily lives of local authorities and citizens who, accustomed and used to it, are no longer able to understand the atrocity and therefore ask for an alternative.
Learn more about the One Light Campagin for Animals
WHAT DO THEY REALLY NOT WANT TO SEE?
The problem of sick and exhausted cats suffering from thirst, hunger and pain cannot be solved by eliminating the animals. We are sure that you, like many other guests, are not happy to see all this suffering on your way. We are sure you are not happy to see kittens abandoned in front of restaurants or behind hotels begging for some food and help.
There is a solution to all this: STERILIZATION
After a vacation with these assumptions, many tourists return home with a bitter feeling in their hearts, caused by the memory of the pain of innocent creatures. It even happened that after saving a cat by taking it to the vet, the tourist had to watch it die from a poisoned bite.
Don’t be fooled by empty streets without stray cats. A quiet situation does not mean they are being looked after in a special park.
YOU ARE THE KEY
Tourists who ethically feed cats during their stay can change the world. They are the key to a new world in which humans and animals can live in perfect harmony.
Prove yourself as a modern tourist: take care of stray cats by funding sterilization projects and animal shelters. Every hotel, tourist establishment, business or private structure is concerned with the ethical relationship between humans and animals and the proper care of stray cats by funding sterilization projects and homes for stray cats.
Send hotel receptions and tourist offices positive impressions and reactions to the proper human-animal bond and make them aware of what you want to do. For example, saying that you would never want to return to a city where animals are treated violently has a huge impact on their economy.
Unfortunately, hotels, tourism businesses and venues that find cats a nuisance usually use them as an excuse to get rid of them, claiming they are eliminating them as a favor to you.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Make it clear to them that cats do not bother you. Make them understand that what bothers you is exactly the opposite, namely the pain and suffering of a living being that can be avoided thanks to sterilization projects such as those already being carried out in many countries around the world. Make them realize that these projects make you feel good, safe, satisfied and happy and that thanks to them you would return to your structure. Make them understand that sterilized cats and special homes are an attraction and an added value for tourism. Make them realize that you will feel bad if you find that the place you have chosen for your vacation does not treat them ethically, but that it has actually chosen to eliminate them.
WHAT EXACTLY NEEDS TO BE DONE?
In any country, place or city you choose for your vacation, if you see evidence of sterilization projects (homes for cats living in colonies cared for by volunteers) or if you discover scenes of endangered animals that shock you, notify the reception or tourist information office.Share a positive or negative experience with the hotel reception or tourist board.Write on social media what you think and feel.Give positive or negative reviews.
WHAT SHOULD I WRITE?
Write that you want socially responsible destinations and accommodation, show them that you find the destination that treats humane cats attractive and of high quality, and that you also feel safer when they are treated humanely. You write that you are entitled to a pleasant experience for the money you pay. He harshly criticizes tourism that sells the experience of suffering and pain of stray cats. Show your fear of having to walk through streets littered with poison because it would make you feel unsafe, participate in creating a story and a pleasant experience. Demand safety, luxury, appeal and quality based on ethical and humane practices. This way you show the locals who live from tourism that they need to be aware of the importance of ethical treatment of street cats and that you as a tourist want to see evidence of projects that take care of street cats.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
Don’t think that you are in the minority and that your contribution is useless. Remember that you are the key and that your word carries enormous weight. A modern, discerning and polite guest asks and acts: “Change the trend, make the difference.”
