Our advocacy for cats extends even further: this time to Portugal! Grupo Gatos Urbanos (GGU) reached out to Alley Cat Allies for our expert advice on implementing positive change for community cats. We connected with local officials, caregivers, and activists in Coimbra, Portugal via Skype at GGU’s Portugal Carers Meeting on April 9. The theme of the meeting was “the right of the animal to live in its habitat”and we had a lot to say about community cats and their right to stay in their outdoor homes.
Alley Cat Allies’ Senior Attorney and Associate Director of Humane Law & Policy, Rebekah DeHaven, spoke with over 50 Portugal officials and advocates about outdoor cats and encouraged them to adopt humane policies like Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) instead of trapping and removing. She explained that community cats are best left in their outdoor environment, where they can continue to live happy, healthy lives through TNR.
“It was fantastic to talk with so many Portuguese advocates and compare notes on how our two countries approach community cats,” said Rebekah. “It showed just how universal the movement to protect cats really is.”
We hope to see more communities in Portugal adopt humane policies, and we’ll continue working all around the world to protect cats.