Save A Gato Questions

[PurrSusan]

Does anyone know if it is illegal to feed the cats in Old San Juan? I was going to bring some cat treats when we travel there but I ran across a post that stated that it is illegal. Is this correct? Also, does anyone know which stores in OSJ carry Save A Gato logo merchandise?

Thanks!

[PurrSusan]

Anybody?? There must be some cat lovers out there.......

[Aviator of the Seas]

I have not heard of such rules here. There might be some restrictions in the federal parts of Old San Juan (like the walk along the base of El Morro), but just follow the posted signs.

[pghsteelerfan]

I just read a good review of Carnival Breeze that was recently posted. They had a stop in San Juan and visited Save a Gato while they were there and described their visit in detail and also included a lot of pictures. I took great interest in this since we have four cats of our own. I'm attaching a link to her review and the link should take you directly to the page that starts the visit to Save A Gato starts on (it will conclude on the next page). If the link takes you to the very beginning of the review, Save A Gato section is on pages 17 and 18. Hope this helps.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2131180&highlight=breeze&page=17

[Aviator of the Seas]

Thanks for that. Perfect!

[PurrSusan]

Thanks so much! I'll definitely be packing some treats :)

[Aviator of the Seas]

I'm not exactly a cat lover, but at least I do feed the feral cats that live around my office in San Juan on a daily basis. I just hate to see hungry stray animals. At work, we're trying to catch the females for sterilization and release, but otherwise leave them alone.

 

Having said that, a problem with the Old San Juan stray cats is the odor they leave behind in some areas. Needless to say that's not agreeable to many visitors who aren't exactly fans of cats. Any ideas out there on how to best handle that? The city managers aren't much fond of them but at least they recognize that they are becoming an attraction in and of themselves, and they help with the rats and what not, but the stench is a turn off to many the visitor. So, again, any ideas to keep the cats and at the same time deal with their left-behinds?

[pghsteelerfan]

I'm not exactly a cat lover, but at least I do feed the feral cats that live around my office in San Juan on a daily basis. I just hate to see hungry stray animals. At work, we're trying to catch the females for sterilization and release, but otherwise leave them alone.

 

Having said that, a problem with the Old San Juan stray cats is the odor they leave behind in some areas. Needless to say that's not agreeable to many visitors who aren't exactly fans of cats. Any ideas out there on how to best handle that? The city managers aren't much fond of them but at least they recognize that they are becoming an attraction in and of themselves, and they help with the rats and what not, but the stench is a turn off to many the visitor. So, again, any ideas to keep the cats and at the same time deal with their left-behinds?

 

Usually the odor left behind is from un-neutered male cats "marking" their territory. We've got four house cats that are not allowed outside since we had a beloved cat when I was growing up who was killed when he was hit by a car. All four of ours are males and were neutered as kittens and none of them has ever "sprayed" inside our home. Having them neutered cuts down on their natural desire to "mark" (or "spray" as some call it). There are programs, run mainly by volunteers and cat/kitten rescues, funded by donations/fundraisers for "TNR", which is "trap, neuter, release" and there are several veterinary offices that work with the volunteers/rescues in offering discounts. Females are also spayed. If any kittens, the volunteers do their best to get them to a no kill rescue so they can be adopted, but that has to be done fairly soon so they can be socialized enough with humans to become adoptable. Many rescues will provide spaying/neutering before they are adopted out.

Edited March 18, 2015 by pghsteelerfan

[lah66]

On our second trip to OSJ, we bought a Hardcover book, "Cobblestone Cats". Proceeds benefitted the Save a Gato's program. It was filled with photos of beautiful cats in their local hangouts and a great bit of OSJ history. We bought it in a store on Fortaleza not too far from Barrachinas on the opposite side of he street. The store also had local art. We just love the book and recognized some of the Gato's in our adventures! As cat lovers, DD had a ball seeing all the kitties and I took so many photos of them!

Have fun! Lauri

[kassimer1]

i got this off an artical, it mentions a couple of stores

There are T-shirts and Christmas ornaments, calendars and other things.

 

These items can sometimes be found at some local stores and gift shops in Old San Juan like Spicey Caribe (154 Cristo Street), Wet Boutique (150 Cruz Street) or the Pampered Pet Boutique (203 San Justo Street).

[kassimer1]

sorry duplicate post

Edited April 14, 2015 by kassimer1