Town Turns Washing Machines into Cat Homes
The small Portuguese town of Monchique has found a creative way to look after – and control – its stray cats.
Local veterinarian Ana Silva came up with the idea after she treated two stray kittens and saw them run into a broken washing machine in her yard when she let them go. “So I put in some blankets, and they've never left,” she says.
Silva was worried about Monchique’s large number of stray cats and their poor living conditions, so she started the “Here Is a Cat” project to provide homes for them.
“We couldn’t just place old washing machines around, so we asked a graffiti artist to paint and decorate them with the help of schoolchildren,” Silva says. With support from the local council, Silva has now put five decorated washing machines around Monchique, including one at a local school.
“It serves a useful teaching purpose, so children can see that cats aren't harmful, and parents have even joined in decorating the machine,” she says.
Stray cats can be a nuisance, and can carry diseases and fleas that can spread to people or pets. But the new homes keep them away from houses, protect them from the town’s cold winters and hot summers, and make it easier for Silva to look after and sterilize them to control their numbers.
Silva hopes to grow her program, and says all old washing machines will get a warm welcome in Monchique.
