Pets or Pests? Malta’s street animals
Written by Annabel Mallia
Maltese stray cat: easy to feed, and breed.
I had a stray, or abandoned dog on my doorstep the other day. I saw it when I took my son to school, and hoped it would be gone when I returned. It wasn’t, but it had by midday. Selfishly, I felt relieved. It did cross my mind in those intervening hours though what to do with it – whether to turn a blind eye, bite the bullet and take responsibility and take it to a shelter, vet… or where?
Here, Annabel Mallia examines the issue of strays on our streets and our choices.
Have you noticed how many street cats there are under nearly every parked car, on benches, on the tops of rubble walls and lurking, ready to shred your rubbish bag as soon as you deposit it outside? And dogs too, weaving their way in and out of rush-hour traffic?
I like dogs and cats – don’t get me wrong – but Malta has a stray animal problem that seems irresolvable. Many people have dogs and cats which they look after well; others claim ownership of a pet but do not look after it as they should. The once cuddly ‘pet’ soon grows up and as an adult feline, it’s capable of producing one or two litters each year. Left to themselves, cats breed like wildfire and become a nuisance to us and, possibly, a danger to our health.
Some people leave food for cats in the street. They mean it kindly but a well-fed cat is more likely to produce healthy kittens which no one wants and which, left to themselves, will grow up to produce kittens of their own. A nationwide education programme is needed to increase public awareness about neutering animals since this is the first step in dealing with the growing number of street animals.
People who no longer want to take responsibility for a cat or dog, or who cannot afford to keep it, sometimes dump it in the countryside. At Ta Qali and Hal Far, for example, there are packs of stray dogs. Some are domesticated and friendly, but have been abandoned by their owner. They may have fleas or ticks which pose a threat to our health. They also pose a traffic hazard as all too often a car will screech to a halt or veer to avoid a stray animal. Animal shelters are full to overflowing with abandoned animals. We need to limit the stray population for their and our sakes and discourage the breeding of unwanted animals.
There must be a national programme to encourage neutering of stray animals. For males it is a minor operation and not expensive; females take a little longer to recover and the operation costs more. The SPCA and other organisations encourage the systematic neutering of animals. If people can’t afford the vet’s bill they can be assisted by charities such as Happy Paws.
This well-organised charity has two shops – in Santa Venera and at Marsascala. If you care for stray cats you can apply for a Happy Paws membership card which will entitle you to free treatment for them.
Animal lovers may object saying that it is cruel and unnatural to neuter an animal. But by feeding animals in the street and making them strong we encourage them to breed and the population to swell. There is little countryside left for the animals to find their own food and so we create a vicious circle. We do not want the population of stray animals to grow. We need to limit the number so that we can care properly for a lesser number and make homeless animals a rarity rather than the norm in Malta.
Photo: Gethin Thomas
You say don’t feed the animals, that is inhumane, it is not their fault they are fighting for survival. It is not the cats/dogs that are the problem it is the people who dump them on the streets. The only way to deal with this is neutering and education, a bit of kindness wouldn’t go a miss too! Some people actually neuter the cats they feed on the streets. If I found a stray dog/cat on my doorstep i would do the right thing not turn a blind eye and hope somebody would do it for me. Perhaps that’s the problem with some Maltese they like to turn a blind eye and just cant be bothered to get involved, apathy and laziness……..However there are some special Maaltese people who would go without themselves then see an animal suffer thank you to them I think!
Actually, the lady who wrote the piece here is an animal lover and has a lot of her own cats and takes strays to be neutered. That’s why she put the contact details in the post about organisations that can help. Education was exactly her point. I have a neighbour who has cats as semi pets – feeding lots of them but never having them neutered. With every year that passes my garden is more and more overrun and polluted by these ‘pets’. I am horrified at her lack of responsibility. Is it a religious thing – not wanting even animals safeguarded by neutering them?
Street cats for the most part are rarely without food in Malta as there is plenty to be had from ripping rubbish bags apart or scavenging around the many take-aways. Dogs are the bigger problem as they can end up as feral packs roaming wastelands and need a whole lot more food. They do need assistance though often these dogs are simply going to languish in homes a while then end up being put down if they are rounded up.
I have read the pieces, and I have a question for anybody that is able to answer me accurately: are there stray dogs even in the streets or onto the beaches, in Malta?
I am an animal lover and a volounteer for a cats/dogs shelter in Rome, but as funny as it may sound, I suffer from dog-phobia (in fact, I only deal with cats).
I am planning to have a little trip to Malta, in september, and I know for sure that my vacation would be absolutely ruined and a nightmare, if I meet dogs onto a beach or while walking in town.
I know it sounds like an absurd phobia, but it’s irrational, and there’s nothing I can do: as soon as I meet a stray dog, I immediately panic, and because dogs sense the fear, the problem can get even worse. I know I should not be afraid, and blah blah, but there’s no way to convince my inner brain that stray dogs are not a threat. So, all I can do is avoid them.
So, please, could somebody explain me exactly how is the stray-dogs situation in Malta? Are there particular areas that I should avoid, or areas where I would not meet any?
I hope somebody can give me an accurate reply about this topic.
Thank you.
Emiliano
Emiliano,
I have a son who really is very uncomfortable when a dog (on lead or not) comes his way. I can understand your worry. I wasn’t sure from reading your comment whether you just meant ‘strays’, or any dog (pet). I don’t often see dogs on the beach in summer, but did happen to have a very large (pet) one near me earlier this week. And you will have a lot of pet dogs pass you out for a walk on seafronts. So dogs will be present – and their deposits too on many pavements. I doubt you’ll see strays much if you are in tourist areas or Mdina / Valletta for instance. They tend to be in packs in rural areas, or villages. I also doubt that you can holiday anywhere without meeting a dog though!
I was in Malta in sept 2011 just back second time, lovely place, even tho there is feral cats and many, people there do feed and water them, which is nice to see and hear,I know it is a problem, but you can’t let them go with out, It would be a good idea to catch and dress these cats so they don’t breed more and more.
I saw some cats that i seen the last time i was there two yrs ago so they survived.
we did not stay in the tourist areas only we went walk about this time into the rural areas and villages and never saw any packs off dogs. We were speaking to a Maltese lady that said it was a problem and they are now making it law owner have to chip their dogs so if found wandering on street they get charged.
I would say also that some people pick up their dogs mess and some don’t just like here in scotland it’s not the dogs fault the owner dose not pick it up, and it is not the cats fault the owner throws it out when the cute little kitten grows up as they do that here too.
In Malta people tend to take thier dogs out mostly at night when it is cooler for them, there is some out thro the day.
I loved Malta and the Maltese people and would love to live there look forward to going back one day.
A lottery win and i’d move there and help out with the feral prob,(i wish lol) I got to know one cats out side our hotel lovely cat. I am a cat/ was a dog owner sadly to say he passed in Feb 2011. My logo in my web site now.