What's with the Cats?

Too many feral cats in Portugal...

I typically do a few hours of research online before writing a post. Today was no exception. I received the following response when I typed “feral cats Portugal” into my Google machine:

According to the National Census of Stray Animals 2023 carried out by the ICNF, it is estimated that there are 101,015 stray dogs and 830,541 stray cats in mainland Portugal. — Google siting TomorrowAlgarve.com

Taking the riverwalk to the ocean.

Street Dogs in Thailand

Please permit me to recall a related episode from 2014. In February that year, Denise and I traveled to Thailand for a month. At the time, we were young enough to carry large backpacks, stay in teak houses, and jump onto the backs of F-150s masquerading as public transportation. Our first stop was Hua Hin¹, where I was immediately shocked by the large packs of street dogs roaming the city freely. They were not aggressive toward humans … but if a female dog in heat came within 500 yards, it was carnage.

Our friend told us about an organization in Phuket, Soi Dog Foundation. We did a lot of research and found they were legit. We learned they often needed tourists to accompany dogs to another country for adoption.² When we learned they wanted us to assist in the transport of two dogs to LA, we did more research,³ and then agreed.

I tell you all this because some incredible people are trying their best to assist stray, abandoned or mistreated animals. And many exist in Algarve … however.

On a street where I live.

My Daily Walk

Most days, I take a brisk walk for 60-90 minutes. This morning, I snapped the photo above six blocks from our home. I was reminded of an encounter during an evening walk last summer. I was walking along the river, heading toward the beach. About 50 yards ahead I saw two or three cars and about eight people. As I got closer I realized these were the people who constructed the makeshift cat condos and distributed food for the dozens of feral cats that live in this part of VRSA.⁴

I stopped, and in my very poor Portuguese and their Portuguese/English we shared the following exchange:

Me: “Excuse me. Can you catch the cats and have them sterilized?

Volunteer: “We do not have money.”

Me: “I give you money to sterilize.”

Volunteer: “No. We need money for food.”

Me: “You need less money for food if you sterilized the cats.”⁵

Volunteer: “No they should be free.”

More cats...

My Point

Okay, I’ll admit it … I am a dog person. I have never had a cat…never wanted one. There is only one cat in my entire life that I liked.⁶ But she greeted you at the door, showed appreciation for food, and played fetch.

However, this cat situation in Portugal is out of control. I applaud the fact that Portugal does not euthanize animals. (If Kristi Noem lived in Portugal she would likely be in jail for two years.) But more needs to be done. When there is one feral cat for every 12 people in Portugal, more needs to be done.

I know it is not my place to criticize or try to change Portuguese culture or traditions. While Denise and I contribute to several animal rescue/shelter organizations in Algarve … we want to do more. If you can recommend an organization that sterilizes cats, please comment below. Thanks…

And Since I Can’t Help Myself

The US’s UN vote last week opposing a resolution condemning Russia and supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, on the third anniversary of the invasion, made me apoplectic. ⁷

During our recent trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, the local guides often recited the following regarding their country’s foreign affairs policies.

“In Vietnam we must be like bamboo, swaying from side to side … able to work with China, Russia and the US. In Cambodia, they are like grass. They will lay down with anyone.”

At the time, I thought about the US’s strength, its position in the world that enabled it to have “principled foreign policy”. I realize there have been many times when the US violated its principles … I am not naive.

But voting with Russia, North Korea, Hungary, Israel, Haiti, Palau and the Marshall Islands; Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Niger and Sudan; and Belarus, Syria, Eritrea, Mali and Nicaragua.

I knew it was going to be bad…but I never imagined this.

Mais bebidas por favor, ajuda!

Nanc

Happy Carnaval! If it doesn’t rain, we will be enjoying the Loulé Carnaval parade this afternoon.

1. Hua Hin would not be a city I recommend you visit in Thailand. We started there because a friend kindly invited us to stay in her condo. However, it had/has (?) too many sloppy, old, male expats disrespecting their younger Thai wives for our liking.

2. Okay, this is the part I still don’t understand. People in the US (and around the world) adopt a dog in Thailand. The adopters for the two dogs we accompanied were in LA and Denver. I am 100% certain that both cities have animal shelters with dogs waiting to be adopted or euthanized. In 2014, Soi Dog charged the adopting families $250 for the dog. 🤦‍♂️ We adopted Onix at Retrivers & Friends in 2018 for $250 … she was vaccinated, sterilized and came with a bed, sweater, collar, leash, and 1-week’s supply of food.

3. We didn’t want to be arrested for transporting drugs inside poor, helpless dogs.

4. They are also run over by automobiles driven by folks going to the beach or going to fish in the river. I recall one morning seeing four kittens hovering over a sibling who was flat as a pancake.

5. I realize there are many grammatical errors in my dialogue. I am reflecting my language skills.

6. Rest in peace Precious.

7. I wrote this before the summit in the White House on Friday. FODA-ME!!!! Editor’s Note: I received a comment from a reader explaining that I should not offer obscenities in a language I don’t speak. Please accept my apologies! My wife will tell you I have a very dirty mouth. A symptom of my lack of intelligence. Anyway, when frustrated I will explaim “Fuck Me”…not you. Thus the “-me” rather than “-se”. Oh, and it was a Portuguese friend who taught me this word. Oddly enough, unlike so many other Portuguese words I am able to pronounce it flawlessly and remember it!