A community of cats has been left homeless after some trees where they used to take shelter burnt down following a ground fireworks display at Balluta Square in St Julian’s.

An animal lover who lives nearby is now urging the authorities to rehabilitate the area and provide a new shelter.

The incident happened late at night on Saturday, July 25, when the Balluta parish was celebrating the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

A cat peeps out from the shelter before it was destroyed a week ago.

St Julian’s resident Ana Maria Coatsworth told this newspaper that the fire started well after the display was over, possibly caused by burning splinters which ended up in the valley.

“On Sunday morning, a smouldering black crater was all that was left where the trees had once stood,” she said.

She pointed out that those trees had served as a shelter for the stray cats of Balluta for a number of years. “Some kind people had improvised a home for them on the tree trunks, where the animals could shelter from the elements. Water, food and even medication was and still is being provided daily by volunteers, and the place is kept tidy.”

Ms Coatsworth added that the cat community had become an attraction to the point that passersby and tourists would frequently stop to take photos.

“Now they will only be taking pictures of the devastation left, which is fast becoming a dumping site,” she remarked.

She also questioned the proximity of the ground fireworks display to nearby apartments and the valley itself, saying it might pose a hazard.

Ms Coatsworth urged the authorities to rehabilitate the area by planting new trees and to find an alternative location in the valley where the cats could take some shelter from the elements.

The area where the Balluta cats used to take shelter, which was razed to the ground following the fireworks display. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli Inset: A cat peeps out from the shelter before it was destroyed a week ago.