«Microchips for cats too». Here is the proposal that comes from Foligno

FOLIGNO – Propose the application of chips to cats too, targeted sterilization campaigns, meetings with those who care for pets and with citizens and a course on taking care of abandoned kittens, including breastfeeding. These are the points on which the volunteers of the feline oasis “La piccolo Corte dei Miracoli” are working. Paolo Vetturini, from the Una (Man, Nature, Animals) association which manages the oasis, explains what this is about. “We are getting ever closer – explains Vetturini – to the summer phase which, as far as abandonments are concerned, is the most complex. In this part of the year people stay at home less, go on holiday or are absent for various reasons, even for short periods. The phenomena of abandonment linked to these absences are not rare, in fact it is the opposite, which become, for those who practice it, the reason for abandonment. We need – Vetturini reiterates – a substantial intervention on this serious phenomenon. We must intervene through the necessary amplification of the feline sterilization campaign. We are at saturation levels of our structures and for this very reason an overall action with a strong commitment from everyone is so necessary so that this situation which risks becoming an emergency again this year can be contained”. “To give a substantial signal – continues Paolo Vetturini –, in addition to the sterilization campaign, the chipping proposal for cats must also be given substance. A proposal that starts from Foligno and which should become a regional choice. At a national level it is already law in only two regions: in Lombardy since 2020 and in Puglia since 2022. This important element of identification would allow various possibilities. Meanwhile, there would be monitoring of presences in the area, it would be possible to understand if a cat, for example, comes from a municipality other than the one where it is identified and there would be the certainty of being able to reunite it with its owner. It must be kept in mind – he adds – that the abandonment of animals is a very serious phenomenon which, in addition to criminally relevant consequences, can also cause risks regarding, for example, road safety”. “To make these issues understood – the president of Una continues – we are organizing meetings with the tutors of the cat colonies, with those who own a colony, with the municipal administrations themselves and above all with the citizens, involving various municipalities in the area. We will leave in the next few days with Trevi and then, subsequently, it will be our turn to Foligno. It must be understood that an animal, and in this case we are talking about cats, is not a toy. And it needs respect and care. When a cat gives birth, the kittens should not be thrown in the bin. If someone who has a cat doesn’t want kittens, he can have the cat sterilized. To understand how to manage and look after an abandoned kitten, one of our volunteers has launched the idea of ​​a course that we will hold on Sunday 28th at 4pm in Corso Cavour 39 with the aim of saving these little lives. Anyone wishing to join can find the contacts on our Facebook page “Oasi Felina La Piccola Corte dei Miracoli”. A veterinarian will also be present. This is an important commitment which, together with the discussion with citizens and municipal administrations, the sterilization campaigns, the chip project for felines constitutes – concludes Vetturini – the right approach to look to the future”.