The Brussels municipality of Evere is strengthening support for the non-profit organisation Ever’y Cat by offering it a municipal pavilion to temporarily house and care for the stray cats it catches.
Particularly aimed at helping with emergencies, the new pavilion meets a very specific need of Ever’y Cat, which is facing increasing demand for shelter. The organisation had called out a lack of solutions for the temporary care and follow-up of certain cats as part of its rescue operations.
"We had asked for a small room, with space for two emergency cages and to enable us to organise our rescue operations, vet visits and the search for foster families as effectively as possible. The room that Evere is offering us far exceeds our expectations," said Stéphanie Challe, director of Ever’y Cat.
"It will be a space where we can welcome adopters and carry out the necessary steps to ensure adoptions run smoothly. It is a valuable help in a situation where, sadly, we have to turn animals away every day because we do not have enough space," she said.
Temporary shelter
To prevent cats from being abandoned outside the pavilion, its address is not being disclosed.
The partnership between Ever’y Cat and Evere's local council has been in place for many years, and takes the form of financial support, the provision of equipment, and assistance from municipal services.
Earlier this year, the municipality also supported the organisation by helping to build shelters for stray cats. Now, this is being continued in the form of a pavilion – enabling the organisation to further strengthen its capacity to assist animals.
However, the municipal pavilion into which the organisation is now moving will eventually house other municipal activities.
"Pending this new use, it was important to us that it should still be put to good use in the meantime," said Jean-Luc Muleo, Evere councillor for Municipal Property. "I am therefore delighted that it can be used today by the Ever’y Cat charity, and can make a tangible contribution to the work of the volunteers."
Cats. Credit: handout
Ever’y Cat will celebrate its 11th anniversary in October this year. As a local organisation, it combats uncontrolled reproduction and poor living conditions among cats by catching as many stray cats as possible and having them neutered.
If the cats are socialised, the charity takes them in and then puts them up for adoption. Feral cats are released back into their natural environment after being neutered, but thanks to feeding points and cat shelters, they can continue to be monitored.
Since its founding, the non-profit organisation has helped almost 6,000 cats in this way. But despite many years of work, the organisation noted that the situation remains particularly difficult, and that the need for shelter continues to grow.
"By supporting Ever'y Cat, we are also supporting the volunteers who give their all every day for animals in need," said Evere mayor Alessandro Zappala. "With these new premises, we are allowing the organisation to expand its shelter capacity, so that it can respond more quickly to often urgent situations."
Zappala stressed that every pet owner can do their part in tackling cat overpopulation, specifically by having their pets neutered.
Ever’y Cat is currently active in Evere, Schaerbeek, Haren, Brussels and Saint-Josse.
