Today is a festive day at Jaburibari 8B, where Nine Lives will host its adoption day in connection with International Animal Day, which was celebrated yesterday, October 4th.
This afternoon from 4 PM to 7 PM, everyone visiting the foundation will receive information from two clinics: Animal Care Clinic Aruba and Veterinary Specialty Hospital Aruba (VSH). Their veterinarians and specialists will be available to clarify any questions that potential adopters may have.
Ms. Zoeyn Conijn from Luna Foundation will also be present because last month, they rescued a dog, and since Luna Foundation was already full, Nine Lives took it in. Once space became available, the dog was transferred back to Luna Foundation.
“We have all kinds of cats—babies, juniors, adult cats, and a variety of colors. Our doors are open so our cats can find a home of their own,” said Ms. Geraldine Toro, vice president of Nine Lives.
At this moment, the foundation has many cats, and they are eager for them to be adopted so they can continue helping other cats from the streets. “If someone adopts a cat, we can take another cat off the streets into the foundation.”
Normally, Nine Lives holds its Adoption Day every month, but this time they decided to make it special by inviting specialists from the veterinary field and other foundations, as mentioned.
Currently, there are 47 cats at the foundation, and Colony Cats has 110. The cats at Colony Cats are those caught by hotels or restaurants that didn’t want them. They are trapped, sterilized, and taken to Colony Cats. “Every night, we have volunteers, without fail, to feed the cats. Here we are talking about feral cats, meaning they aren’t very friendly, but some are calmer. They live there, they’re safe, and they have food and water.”
Regarding the adoption process, the usual adoption fee is 100 florins ($55), but since yesterday was International Animal Day, they reduced it to 75 florins ($41). This fee includes deworming medication for baby cats. After six months, Nine Lives contacts the owner to inform them that the cat has reached six months, and they schedule a vet appointment for sterilization. Once the cat is sterilized, it receives a microchip. The fee helps cover part of the sterilization cost, which is usually 125 florins ($69) for female cats. “It helps us cover a bit of the cost,” Toro explained.
Recently, a foundation called Paws United was created, which collaborates with other foundations like Animal Welfare Alliance Aruba (AWA), Luna Foundation, and Nine Lives. Together, they go into neighborhoods to sterilize cats and dogs. In August, they went to Madiki, where they sterilized over 500 cats and dogs in nine days.
In October and November, they will visit the Dakota neighborhood again to continue sterilizing and neutering, helping combat the growth of the cat and dog population.
Regarding the situation of stray cats and dogs, Toro assured that the situation is improving, “but it could be better.” “We are seeing more reports from older people, stating that there are at least 20 or 25 cats. The problem is that when the first cat arrives, they don’t sterilize it, and within a year, that cat could have babies three times. That’s why we are now talking with retirees, asking them to please contact us when they see a new cat so we can sterilize it and not wait until it becomes too large to handle.”
There are cases where one house currently has 110 cats and another has 75. “It becomes a lot, especially for retirees who might feel lonely and enjoy the company,” she stated.
To conclude, her message for International Animal Day was: “Let’s all respect our animals because they also have feelings. They feel too, and remember, always sterilize your pets.”
