Animal welfare NGO needs volunteers

I read with interest the editorial on the ill-treatment of animals, It Is Not Just Curiosity That Could Kill A Cat (July 15), and felt it was well timed for supporting the need for the charity Happy Paws.

After visiting Malta four times a year for the last 16 years, we moved to Marsascala just two years ago. We immediately became feeders of all the abandoned kittens in and around our complex. I went into the website, to see if we get any help with the neutering, and found the Happy Paws website. Happy Paws kindly provided us with neutering vouchers, in order for us to take these forsaken kittens to the vet, where they could be neutered professionally. Obviously, our first thought was to get the cats neutered, as one was female, otherwise our problem would have grown out of all proportion.

Sadly, two of the cats developed tumours and had to be euthanised but the tiniest black and white kitten, with four white paws, aptly named Sox, who could fit into your hand, survived and was neutered by a vet in Żabbar. Although we have had to visit the UK more frequently this year, owing to my elderly father's illness, Sox is still taken care of by our close neighbours, also animal lovers and regular cat feeders, and someone, somewhere on Malta has missed the opportunity of having a very lovely affectionate unique feline character. Sox loves people, sitting by the swimming pool in the evenings watching the children at play. Everyone knows him, and he visits all of the residents who are cat lovers. He is quite a personality in his own right!

We asked Happy Paws if we could help in any way, as we know they now have their own clinic in Marsa, where the animals can be neutered and treated by professionals. It costs a great deal to run and service the clinic and it is the funds raised from their charity shops which support the Happy Paws clinic financially . So, we began to search for suitable premises almost two years ago, but to no avail.

Eventually, suitable premises have now been found, the old Value Direct shop, which is a few doors away from the St Thomas Supermarket in Marsascala. Happy Paws charity shop is due to open today but needs volunteers to help run the shop.

First of all, as the shop has been closed for some years, and the owner of the supermarket has completely emptied the shop, Happy Paws needs some cleaning volunteers. Once cleaned and fitted out with merchandise, we will then need shop volunteers to run it.

Happy Paws would like to be able to open the shop at the same time as the supermarket, in the mornings, then reopen in the afternoon until the early evening, as Marsascala is very popular in the cooler evenings with the Maltese and visitors alike.

So please contact us, especially if you can spare some time to volunteer. Tel: 2701 2393.