Danish holiday for cats

One of the striking sights in Mediterranean countries is the sight of skinny stray cats.

Malta is no exception and for this reason a cat policy was adopted at the Mellieha Holiday Centre, popularly known as the Danish Village.

Cat cafés and shelters, designed by the internationally renowned Danish architect Hans Munk Hansen have been built in strategic places. The cats are regularly fed and cared for. Visits by a veterinary surgeon ensure they stay in good health.

The Danish Village launched an innovative project on its grounds 15 years ago to control what then seemed to be an ever-increasing number of stray cats. What started out as an apparently never ending struggle turned out to be a furry tale for this colony of about 80 feral cats. As you walk past these cat cafés you cannot help but be fascinated by the playful antics of the felines.

The management works hard at maintaining a healthy balance, where "holidaymakers" and nature enjoy the same space in harmony.

The Danish Cat Protection Society in cooperation with the management and a Maltese veterinary surgeon has produced a cat information leaflet printed in Danish and in English. All the information that guests need to know, in order to voluntarily help care for the colony, is included in this leaflet.

"Cat rules" for the in-house guests are aimed primarily at protecting the cats. It is quite natural that within a holiday village, which may at one time house up to 600 guests, one finds cat lovers, people who are allergic to cats and others who simply do not want any contact at all with them.

In their enthusiasm to feed the cats, some guests give them what they have, or believe, the cats should eat. It may seem amazing but some people just do not know what cats like to eat.

Guests are informed quite clearly, in the supermarket what kind of food the cats prefer... no, not melons; no, not butter and yes, believe it or not, real cat food!

The cats have a constant supply of fresh water and are fed quality branded food. A team of veterinarians from the Cats Protection Society headed by the veterinary surgeon have neutered and spayed all the cats at the village.

Cats are tested for viral diseases, vaccinated against contagious disease and regularly wormed and treated against parasites.

Cats fight for their territory. No cat from one cat café dares pussy-footy around another. The territory ranges about a radius of 70 metres.

What is still, however, so sad is that some people dump their unwanted cats within the grounds of the village. What these people seem not to understand is that with strict cat policies, as well as the territorial nature of the resident cats, it is extremely difficult for domesticated cats to survive.

If Hans Christian Andersen were around today, he would, most probably be writing a fairy-tale about these cats.

So, if you're thinking of coming back as a stray in your next life, stray into the Danish Village, where you can enjoy life basking in the sun, eating well, having a good stretch and idling the time away people - and cat - watching.

Ms Micallef is operations manager at the Mellieha Holiday Centre.