As with many places, there is a huge feral cat population here in the Val de Bagnes. Sadly, this hindered by the fact that even many of the pet cats are not neutered. Having worked in a busy London veterinary practice, I was aware of how many litters of kittens a colony of unneutered cats can produce each year. Female cats as young as 16 weeks can become pregnant whilst males are sexually active at six months of age. These cats are also at risk from infection and disease – the life expectancy of unneutered strays is not long.
I decided to do something to help with the situation. I began working alongside our local vet and the SPA to catch and neuter the adults and try to find responsible homes for the kittens. This work inevitably put me in contact with a non-profit organisation called Association Les Chats du Robinson, who were amazing when I was struggling to catch several heavily pregnant cats from a local colony. It was during this time that I met another ‘cat lady’. We became good friends as we spent many hours together helping the feral cat population. In 2019, Lorraine opened Le Refuge Félin and we continue to help each other help the cats in need.
Please contact me if you have a cat or cats in your area that need help.
