The snow covered that day the animal’s house in Gagny (Seine-Saint-Denis). Inside, warm, abandoned cats, street cats, kittens and their little ones have found a cozy refuge. Little Ada, a red tabby cat, purrs when the volunteer arrives. Her little one, Billy, a tiny ball placed on a large cushion, spits without impressing anyone.
“Here, they are pampered. Every morning and every evening, we clean everything, we give them food, we cuddle them, we talk to them,” smiles Vanessa Brindjonc, president of the animal protection association Gagny Pet and Co.
Two years ago, the city made this rehabilitated pavilion, unoccupied for ten years, available to them to create the first animal house in Île-de-France. It mainly provides shelter for cats “trapped” in the town of Gagny and other domestic animals such as new pets (NAC), hamsters, rabbits, etc. “After Covid, we had a multitude of stray cats », recalls Rolin Cranoly, mayor (DVD) of Gagny.
This equipment has, among other actions, enabled the municipality to win three legs of the regional “Animal Friendly City” label. “I am convinced that as mayor, you must address social issues. Without taking into account animals and biodiversity, there is no real consideration of the ecological transition », Estimates the elected official.
“Without the financial support of the city, we wouldn’t make it”
For the Gagny Pet and Co volunteer, this title is fully justified. “There are real actions behind it. And here, we are really good. At the very beginning, we had a room without water or electricity,” she recalls. The association created four years ago only functions thanks to volunteers (there are between 20 and 30) and donations. “Without the financial support of the city, we would not be able to do it. »
Since its opening, the animal house has already proven its usefulness. The volunteer no longer counts the abandonments in addition to the “trappings” which are organized every month in conjunction with the town hall services. “We are always full. The house has five rooms, we even transformed an office into a nursery,” continues the president of the association. Currently, around thirty cats are distributed in the different rooms and live freely.
The animals are, however, placed in cages at the start of their stay for a fortnight’s quarantine. A period when cats are treated for fleas, dewormed and sterilized. Installed like a quiet pasha, Angus, collected in the street, faces a very talkative little Malou. “We quickly grasp their character,” notes the volunteer. They will soon be ready to be adopted and, for the wildest ones, put back where they were caught. In great shape.