The inhabitants of the residence at 4 rue Jules-Hetzel in Chartres have surely noticed it. A small red hut, dedicated to stray cats in the town of Chartes, made of wood and concrete slabs, has been in the experimental phase since December.
The hut acts as a refuge for homeless cats but must also allow, in the long term, to protect them, identify them, feed them and sterilize them. “It was the ideal place to do a test,” says Sophie Beurel, municipal councilor responsible for Animals in the city, who initiated the installation of this cabin. Residents have noticed the presence of many stray cats in this area.
Meeting with Sophie Beurel, municipal councilor in charge of animal welfare, in Chartres
“It was essential to have a shelter where the cats can shelter during the winter. »
Sophie Beurel (Municipal councilor responsible for Animals in town)
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When stray cats want to warm up, they often lodge under car engines. “The consequences can be disastrous. The cabin also helps regulate access to food. “The La Madeleine district was becoming unsanitary and difficult to clean. Local residents put food for the cats on the ground, which attracted vermin and rats. »
Many volunteers, very active on the territory according to the municipal councilor, help to supervise and regulate the phenomenon. The shelter, built on three levels, makes it possible to put the food on the intermediate level. “It also allows all the cats to find their way around, there can’t be a dominant one. »
The cattery of the Refuge des Acacias, in Amilly, needs volunteers
Other huts should see the light of day
Since the installation of the cabin, at the beginning of December, by the municipal services of the City, a dozen cats have been identified. “We have also put up a sign with the rules of use, to prevent certain residents, with malicious intentions, from putting poison there. Nowadays, we see a bit of everything. »
The objective of this hut is also to be able to sterilize stray cats, so that they become “free cats in the name of the city of Chartres”.
The operation will be supported by the municipality. The felines will, after 48 hours at the veterinarian, be returned to their environment.
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Sophie Beurel creates a pass for dogs in shops, in Chartres
The elected official recalls the importance of sterilization, which prevents the proliferation of stray cats, and avoids “nasty surprises from new litters, diseases and annoying behavior of cats during the period of fertility”.
“The majority cannot be adopted, since the cats have developed wild behaviors. »
Sophie Beurel (Municipal councilor responsible for Animals in town)
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For a unit cost of €150, other shelters of this type should see the light of day in the coming months, at the request of residents and volunteers. The sectors concerned are “mainly the social districts. Stray cats are cats abandoned during the move, or kittens from repeated litters.
The sectors of rue du Clos-du-Four, rue Georges-Guynemer, the residence Les Chênes, will be affected by these installations before the end of the year.
The municipality will change partners.
A new agreement is being signed and will take effect during the first quarter, “with a new association which fights for animal welfare”, declares Sophie Beurel, municipal councilor responsible for animals in the city. Engaged with the SPA for eight years, for the sterilization campaign, the City is trying another approach. In Chartres, in 2021, the SPA sterilized and identified forty-five stray cats and captured twenty feral kittens. “The balance sheet with the SPA was not bad” but, with the new association, which is not yet known, the males and not only the females will be sterilized, to “avoid reproduction and stop births”. As a reminder, a litter can range from four to eight kittens, and a female can have three to four litters per year.
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Jade Saved
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