Tragedy on ‘cat island’

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, hundreds of cats have been left on the island of Ilha Furtada, Brazil. They become a headache for local authorities.

There is an island off the southeastern coast of Brazil, seemingly deserted, but it is not. Nestled among those dense trees are hundreds of abandoned cats. That is the island of Ilha Furtada, commonly known as Ilha dos Gatos: Island of the Cats. The owner died from Covid-19, the pet was helpless Many stories spread about the danger of this island. There are cats that are said to overgrow and become feral. They attack the people who come to the island. One Brazilian reporter said there were about 750 cats roaming the forest, while others said the number could be more. The number seems to increase with each narration. Mayhe, a municipal veterinarian in Mangaratiba, traveled to the island to see this firsthand. Before this trip, he had never set foot on the island. But he certainly has one truth: Over the past year, as the Covid-19 pandemic swept Brazil, the number of cats on the island has increased dramatically. Every day there seem to be more cats here, causing great damage to the island’s ecosystem, but no measures have been taken to deal with the problem. Location of the “cat island” Ilha Furtada in Brazil. Photo: Washington Post. The Covid-19 crisis has left millions of pet owners dead or unable to keep them. In rich countries like the US, animal stations and individuals have had to support large numbers of these animals. But in developing countries, where animal station systems are weak, wandering animals are common, and pets are being abandoned more and more. Brazil is in crisis, the Covid-19 epidemic has killed more than 465,000 people, causing a housing crisis and widespread famine. The dog and cat station managers in this country are really overwhelmed. The animal station near “cat island” also did not escape this nightmare. Animal station director Andrea Rizzi Cafasso said they brought here a truck full of cats. When Cafasso refuses, they will say: “If you don’t accept, we will take them all to “cat island”. A cat “resident” lies on a tree branch on the island of Ilha Furtada. Photo: AP. After being abandoned on “cat island”, the poor animals have learned to survive. The city government wants people to stop feeding cats on the island. However, animal lovers call it barbaric. The cats will die without care. “I can’t leave the cats behind” No one knows how the first cats appeared. Officials in Mangaratiba say a family tried to live here many years ago, but failed, leaving a pair of cats on the island and they began to multiply. Local boaters say that there is a restaurant on the island that has closed and the owners abandoned their cats and left. According to a veterinarian, an old man confessed to being the first to bring the cat here, but when asked to share, he vehemently refused. Unconfirmed answers gradually become legends here. Normally, there are very few people who want to visit the remote and unattractive island of Ilha Furtada. However, when it becomes “cat island”, it has a strange attraction. Ilha Furtada has become a stopover for tourists. Some people will take a motorboat to the island just to see the cats. Although the island lacks many living conditions, such as food or water, many people believe that the cats on the island have a better life than the city cats. Signs on the island of Ilha dos Gatos carry the message: Animal abuse and neglect is a crime. Photo: Washington Post. “They have what it takes, they can hunt birds, insects, snakes for food,” explains Miguel Campos, a 61-year-old boater. But Amélia Oliveira, an American veterinarian who travels to Brazil to take care of animals, considers reality altogether. In 2012, a friend sent her a video shot on the island. It’s not a cat’s paradise. There is no fresh water source on the island. “I couldn’t have left the cats out there under such circumstances,” she said. Ms. Oliveira described the number of cats on the island as overwhelming. Some animals approached her friendly, others more wild. They are born on the island, know nothing about humans, and will not be able to integrate into society. She brought back a few cats to adopt and began training and getting to know the others. Over the years, she said, 380 cats on the island have been treated by Veterinarians on the Road. Animal organizations and a retired couple volunteered, prepared food and water for the cats, and built small shelters for them. Meanwhile, many fishermen also share a portion of the fish they catch with the cats. However, as the pandemic hits, those food and care resources also shrink. The number of cats on the island rapidly increased. People are restricted from traveling on the mainland due to social distancing, unable to provide food and water to the island. More reports of cats eating cannibals began to circulate. This tourist attraction suddenly became strange, becoming the concern of many residents about ecological issues. A divided community When someone arrives, some cats approach the visitor, rubbing their paw gently. Other cats paced the shore, attracting attention. Others watched cautiously from afar. The island is no different from a slum for cats. Cat houses built by volunteers are scattered, next to rainwater catchers and cat feeding machines. Brightly colored spiders, each the size of an infant’s palm, cling to the webs strung between furniture. The beach is littered with trash. No one knows the exact number of cats that live on the deserted island in Brazil, but it is estimated to be in the hundreds. Photo: The Washington Post. “Bringing a cat out here is cruelty to animals,” Mr Mayhe said. Conversely, when the animal stations are full and many cats are incapable of socializing, bringing them back to the mainland will be equally complicated. Mangaratiba officials were unsure if they could carry out the plan. They wanted to send research teams to explore the island and conduct a cat census. Then, they installed surveillance cameras to classify the cats. Next, the authorities want to start neutering cats. Well-behaved cats will be adopted. Others will stay on the island for the rest of their lives, until they die. This plan has been hotly contested. The city’s public health leader Sandra Castelo Branco opposes feeding cats on the island, saying it may encourage more people to abandon cats on the island. “I’m under intense attack on Facebook, but I really want to change this situation,” Sandra told reporters.