Sunday 20 May 2007

The sad plight of Bogota's street cats

Bogota- Amid the car horns, smog and back streets of Columbia's largest city, a silent and tragic tale is quietly unfolding.
It has been estimated by independent charities that there are almost two hundred thousand homeless cats on the capital's streets and with the vast majority of them turning to crime and prostitution in a desperate attempt to survive, it has become a major problem for the city's under funded social programs.
The problem has become so bad that certain areas of the capital have become virtual no go areas, places into which even Columbia's heavily armed cocaine fueled police fear to tread.

Father Jose en el Gato, a local Jesuit priest who runs a mission offering support to the strays told me of their problems and of his selfless work with South America's forgotten felines.
"It's very tragic, I first came here as a young priest in the sixties and as I stepped off the bus from the airport I was immediately approached by a young cat, no more than a kitten really, she offered me dirty evil things I had never even heard of and all for the price of a pot noodle."

Father en el Gato was so shocked by his first encounter with the sexually available street cats that he decided there and then to devote his life to helping save "Los gatos perdidas"
"I would go out every night and just talk to some of these cats. I felt if I was to really help them I had to gain their trust and show them I was not there to use and abuse them like most people were. Some of the stories I heard were very shocking to a young priest fresh out of the seminary school, I remember one young cat, she had been on the streets since she fled from terrible abuse at home and had turned to offering "water sports" to drunken punters in an effort to feed her massive catnip habit. She is dead now of course, her bladder just gave in, they don't last long on the streets."

The Colombian Government has virtually ignored the problem and as a consequence Father en el Gato says the problem has become chronic "We need outside help, if we can turn just one of these poor wretches into a decent law abiding house cat then it is a good thing in the eyes of our lord, tell your readers we need help senor!"

Following Father en el Gato's desperate plea we here at News direct have decided to launch our "Save some street pussy" campaign to try to raise funds, so Father en el Gato can continue his much needed work among Columbia's forgotten cats.
If you feel you'd like to help please send any available money you have to us here at News direct and we will happily add it to our appeal total.

Because as Father en el Gato said to me "Imagine if that was your pussy trying to survive out there, wouldn't you want someone to help?"

1 comment:

Unknown said...

LOL!! MY god!! I thought I would cry my eyes out at the thought of those poor "meow mixless" animals!! But, then the tears turned to laughter when I realized that God is there watching them in the form of wonderful priest you interview. Thanks for bringing this to the attention of the public, New Direct!