A streetcat named Desire

Here in Mancor de la Vall, situated North of the island, there are hardly any ferals adrift in the village. Of course, there are various cats roaming the cobbles, but they belong to people, and more than likely chipped, wearing identity collars and sporting jingling bells. Cats like the freedom to roam, unchecked. They are independent, adaptable creatures, and seem to know their place, proudly own their individuality, and live within their given domains and territorial boundaries. However, there still exists in Mallorca, a small minority of heartless, insensitive individuals who think it’s perfectly acceptable, to abandon, once cherished pets, into the harsh reality of street-life to fend for themselves, without a moment’s guilt or compassion over consequence. Sadly, Mallorcan culture doesn’t generally bother itself much over the welfare of street cats.

Around three years ago, a somewhat unexpected neighbour arrived next door, accompanied by two ancient dogs and two bouncy young cats. The new neighbour was from day one, a bit of a problem all round, and lasted around six months before her family finally kicked her out. She took the dogs but sadly left the cats, abandoning one black and one ginger moggie, who were now destined to a life of survival in the shadow of the streets.

Over a period of months, black cat disappeared completely. Hopefully she found a home. Ginger cat however, remained in her now familiar territory, obviously domesticated to a great degree, and forever hopeful of some human interaction, along with any friendly, survival assistance, e.g. – food! Ginger cat quickly mastered the manipulating art of ingratiating herself to would-be-admirers and hurls herself, generously, at any passing body. Mostly, her freely given affections are reciprocated with random strokes and enthusiastic ear scratching. But it’s food that the ginger urchin really wants! And when she tires of unproductive affection, she will nip gently at naked flesh, preferably a leg or ankle, in the hope of acquiring a tasty morsel. We accordingly now call her Nipsy (not Desire as the title might suggest), and have taken it upon ourselves to keep a keen eye out for her wellbeing and welfare.

Thankfully, our other Mallorcan neighbours are extremely generous, kind, and super-compassionate people, who recognise Nipsy as a needy soul, and also regularly feed our local ‘streetcat’! Between us, we keep her going. Many people wouldn’t give a lonely street cat a second, or even a passing thought! Feral cats, along with their struggles, survival and eventual demise are all part of Spanish and Mallorcan village history. Street cats often become invisible and insignificant to the local majority. In fact, many years ago when we lived in the rural hamlet of Moscari, our beloved cat of 23 years became seriously ill. We spent an absolute fortune on vet’s bills to keep our fur baby both comfortable and alive. ‘Why don’t you just put her down and get another one!’ was a typical reaction we heard on more than one occasion. It goes without saying that not everyone shares the same emotional connection to defenseless animals in need, particularly here on the island!

Nipsy didn’t ask to be abandoned. She didn’t choose a life on the streets. She is the unfortunate victim of one selfish, heartless owner, who followed the ‘all too common’ practice of casting out an impractical pet when it’s time to move on, and a commitment no longer suits!

We have a special, elderly fur-baby of our own who unfortunately doesn’t get on with any other cats, so sadly we can’t adopt Nipsy and give her the much-needed home she craves. But at least she currently has two families who look out for her, so as a local stray she’s pretty well covered on the food front. She peers through the kitchen window when on her rounds. And she’s always there to meet and greet, following you around with little trills. So, if anyone out there feels they could give a permanent, loving home to a cheeky, affectionate, charismatic cat with oodles of personality then please get in touch. Meow!