This was not what Catherine Dussart had imagined, who is home to the association Félin pour l’Autre and the approximately four thousand found, stray, wild, abandoned or sick cats and kittens that the non-profit association has taken care of. in order to look after them and find them an adoptive family. It made its building available free of charge, excluding participation in energy costs.
But, here we are, at the dawn of the fifth anniversary of the ASBL, the vagaries of life force the president of the ASBL to have to part with her home on the Chaussée de Lille… “Barring an unexpected outcome, the building should be put up for sale within a few months, she regrets. Unfortunately, and even if the administrative and financial management is sound and in balance, the ASBL does not have the reserves to consider the purchase of a building, or the payment of an excessive rental…”
In a few months, the association risks finding itself without a building, its survival is at stake! The City of Tournai cannot help them. But the hundred volunteers don’t want to let go and are mobilizing to try to find an accommodation solution for the refuge.
“We are appealing for help to generous donors, whether individuals, companies, or institutions who would be interested in supporting the shelter and its actions to rescue cats and kittens, explains the president surrounded by other volunteers. The solutions can be a building with a very low rent, a real estate or financial donation, sufficient monthly support to meet our needs… On Facebook, we are followed by more than 15,000 people. Imagine if 1/10th of the followers donated to us. of €3.50 per month because from a donation of €40 over the year, we can obtain a tax deduction, we could easily assume rent or even a loan repayment!”
Since the beginning of 2022, volunteers have taken care of 80 abandoned cats (including 20 kittens… while the “season” has only just begun) and 30 stray cats (half cats and kittens. “The main reasons for abandonment are owners who return to a nursing home or who die, allergies or even financial worries, notes Catherine Dussart. Stray cats are cats that have been left behind during a move, whose owners separate because of the nuisance of non-sterilization but also cats that are lost and not sterilized.
The association currently has 270 cats and kittens. “We have a network of 25 to 40 foster families, depending on the kitten season, and for the moment, they are all occupied and welcome nearly 200 kittens. The other cats live in the shelter’s cattery or are cared for at the infirmary and in our isolation room.”
To accommodate the felines in good conditions, the association is looking for a building of approximately 150 m2 comprising at least: five rooms for the cats, a few additional rooms (office and storage) and an outdoor area. “It’s really an SOS that we send to cat lovers and we hope that we can find a solution to save our refuge and above all, our little ones protected. »
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