Councilor for Hulhumale', Ibrahim Shujau has said that the proposed cat shelter in Male' will be completed with a minimal budget, and that previous deliberations with HDC on establishing such a facility involved considerably bigger budget.
Earlier, at the Male' City Council's 99th weekly sitting, Councilors had decided deliberated on the urgency of finding a tangible solution to the rapid rise in the city's stray cat population. Last week, the City Council unanimously decided to establish a facility that could neuter and house up to 1000 stray cats. Furthermore, led by the Mayor, the Council had decided on allocating an MVR 1.9 million budget for a temporary facility in Fishermen's Park in the capital, and announced that the facility would be completed in four months.
Speaking on the issue, Shujau noted that the government had failed to address this issue over the past four years, and that residents of Hulhumale' had also urged the City Council to find an urgent, concrete solution to the rapid increase in stray cats and its related problems.
The planned temporary facility would have the necessary equipment and manpower to neuter cats, fit a microchip and/or collar them, as well as housing them in the facility without releasing them back to the streets. To make the venture viable, the plan also involved opening it for pet owners to avail of the inhouse medical facility and vets at a reasonable price. The facility will have xray imaging and other important equipment that are used for veterinary services.