What’s Up WhatsApp?
Where on earth would we be without technology? It’s a blessing and a curse in equal measure. In Bali, it seems that we basically sidestepped telephone landlines and eagerly rushed helter skelter toward hand phones, or cell phones or mobiles. Now, the various communication apps make it so easy to find anyone anywhere at any time that my poor tortured hair is at risk of being torn out by the roots at all hours. Why? WhatsApp! The calls and texts come day and night, night and day and they run along these lines:
Friday 12 May, 8.45am: Good morning Villa Kitty. I picked up four young kittens dumped on the side of the road in the Canggu area, I tried to look for their mother and asked some people around who said that they were dumped on the road early this morning. Unfortunately I am not able to keep as I have allergies and need some help or assistance. Thanks.
Good morning. Canggu has a real problem. You are the second caller from there this morning. If only vet clinics shared free sterilisation days to help solve this problem. We are way over our capacity and we are struggling to care for those in residence. Finances are strained. I am sorry we are not in a position to help immediately. The best place to go would be the Canggu Community. I hope you can find caring people down your way.
I apologise. We just cannot accept any more until we find adopters for the 519 cats and kittens we have here and the 43 dogs and puppies. We are here as your last resort.
And this was the second WhatsApp received before 9am on Friday. It’s relentless. On the one hand, it’s gratifying that Villa Kitty Foundation is so widely known and recognised as a refuge for those in need, on the other, we’re bursting at the seams by virtue of the fact that we are Bali's only dedicated cat foundation. If this is a numbers game, we’re losing and the losses are most keenly felt by those abandoned and vulnerable animals, and by Villa Kitty staff, who care for each and every cat, kitten and puppy who come into our care and grieve for those who do not find sanctuary.
We proudly built the new Villa Kitty for a maximum of 350 cats and kittens, plus our family of dogs. Did you see the numbers I wrote earlier? 519 of the former and 43 of the latter. What can I say? If we had rafters, we would be packed to them. Oh yes, in some rooms there are rafters and there are cats sleeping on them. It’s a new idea to create more room: tenement living. It's not just a question of space: we are feeding and caring for 170 more cats than our budget and our staffing levels allow.
Certainly in the long term our sterilisation programs will have an impact, but even though we have bumped up our free days, the reality is that locals still do not see the benefit of having their family pets and street cats sterilised. The practice of ripping newborn and tiny kittens away from their mums and throwing them on rubbish heaps or abandoning them in the street is entrenched. The lucky babies are stuffed into cardboard boxes, some with their mothers, and left at Villa Kitty’s parking lot or picked up by visitors to the island. Our hearts break for all those left to starve and cry in misery, trying to escape from the increasing roar of motor bikes and crush of people on unfriendly crowded streets.
Oh Bali, please help us end this cycle of unwanted pregnancy, kitten tossing and cruelty. We don’t want to sacrifice even one life for want of trying, but to keep piling more cats and kittens into our facility is not the answer. Overcrowding immediately increases the risk of the killer virus panleukopenia running rife and unvaccinated street cats are obvious carriers.
Short term, we must keep doing what we do. Villa Kitty has such a vision for the future and we will strive to realise it. I am saddened by the continued misery and neglect inflicted on the feline population of Bali but strengthened by the love and commitment of Villa Kitty supporters. Packed to the rafters we may be, but the level of care and nurture that our staff provides is first class and unwavering.
I hope and pray that your generosity and compassion will keep us going as we work toward a kinder world.
And now I have to run: WhatsApp is pinging.
Thank you,
Elizabeth Henzell
Founder
Villa Kitty Foundation