Fondazione Capellino and Almo Nature support Katopia

• August 14 2023
• 2 min reading time

• Share on:
• WhatsApp
• Deel
• X
• Pin it
• Messenger
• Email
• Share

---

A mobile operating van is the latest tool in the fight to reduce stray cat populations in the Netherlands in an animal-friendly way and Fondazione Capellino is supporting the initiative by feeding the cats and promoting kitten adoptions.

The initiative is part of the objective for a stray cat-free Netherlands. The organization that makes this possible is Stichting Zwerfkatten Nederland. Many people do not know it, but our country has a fairly large number of stray cats; the most recent research by the WUR from 2015, mentions 135,000 to 1.2 million cats. 

Stray cats can be divided into three different groups: stray or runaway domestic cats, feral domestic cats and cats born in the wild. For all three it is a matter of survival. They live in nature where they hunt for their own food or they live on campsites, farmland and bungalow parks where they are (partly) dependent on people. They often move in groups which provides both protection and risks: they are noticed more easily by people, they fight among themselves and easily transmit diseases to each other. And then there are the external dangers such as bad weather, traffic and malicious people.

The only difference between adult stray cats and domestic cats is that they are not imprinted on humans. This makes it of little to no use to put them up for adoption. With a few exceptions, it is too late for that. The best way to ensure their well-being is to leave them alone and make sure they can no longer reproduce.

Stichting Zwerfkatten Nederland does just that. They go out every day to catch and neuter stray cats. They then put the cats back where they came from or in another safe place. To ensure that the cats are traceable, they are chipped. This prevents any double operations. The cats also receive a general health treatment so that they can continue to live as healthily as possible. This process is known as TNRC: Trap, Neuter, Return or Relocate, Care. With the operating trolley, the entire process becomes more efficient and animal-friendly because the TNRC can take place directly on site.

Most cats are returned to their familiar habitat (unless it is a protected nature reserve) because they are simply not used to people and life as a house cat is no longer possible. However, kittens can be socialized and can be placed with a foster family for adoption after a short time. Fondazione Capellino wants to promote this adoption and that is why every adopter who adopts a former stray kitten via Stichting Zwerfkatten Nederland receives free Almo Nature kitten food for approximately one month.

Almo Nature is participating in this initiative because it offers an innovative solution to a complex problem: What is most important within this initiative is that animal welfare comes first. We are happy to contribute to this by providing both the cats and the kittens that are placed for adoption with high-quality food. We hope that, through our food, they can continue to live on the best possible footing.

Tags

Almo Nature