Hundreds of furry felines call Furtada Island off the coast of Brazil home. Known as the “Island of the Cats,” for twenty years it’s been a popular destination for former pet owners who want to abandon their house cats. But the island isn’t a safe place for these animals to be. Poisonous pit vipers and lizards that attack and bite cover the land. On top of that, there are no natural sources of freshwater, meaning that the animals there are often at risk of dehydration and kidney diseases. It was only due to the kindness of fishermen and other animal lovers that these cats survived so long.
But now, during the pandemic that’s raging through Brazil, humans are confined to their homes and fishermen can’t afford trips past the island to throw scraps of food. Some brave volunteers are stepping up to help these little furry creatures, including searching for adoptive pet-families, but they can’t be expected to do everything on their own. Brazilian lawmakers have passed laws increasing penalties for cruelly dumping pets, but now they need to do more — especially since mating and breeding on the island is causing the stray cat population to explode. Sign the petition to demand that the government fund efforts to feed and care for these animals, and set up catch-and-release spay and neuter programs!