Small steps towards a great work

If everything is not approved by January 2026, we will lose the right to the land and the space where we are. We do not want to give up on the dream of moving forward with the project to build a new space for our children.

In order to continue our project, we have to change our premises, as the space where we are currently located does not have all the necessary conditions to be able to collect more animals (to comply with all ICNF standards). The Sintra City Council has given us a plot of land to build the Association's headquarters, but we have one year to present and start a project (this deadline ends in January/26)

We already have a pre-defined plan and topographical measurements, but there are still a few details missing to finish everything to present to the City Council. We are going to start another PPL to be able to advance some more funds that we will need to continue the project, it is just a drop in the ocean, but we have to start somewhere. Throughout this project, we will need a lot of your help, as this dream can only come true with everyone's contribution.

We have already given new homes to over 500 cats. We have more and more sweet cats on the streets and we want to help them and give them a better life. Join us in this dream and fill your heart with love.

About the author

The association was born from a dream. Sónia is an animal lover and her main focus is cats. Little by little, she has been creating conditions to improve the lives of nobody's cats.

She started by building shelters, and at home she would take in the sweetest cats to give them up for responsible adoption. However, as more and more sweet cats needed to be rehabilitated, she decided to rent a space to have better conditions to take them in, since she could no longer do it at home alone. In the middle of the pandemic, Sónia rented a space. It was a huge risk, but her dream of helping nobody's cats was even bigger.

5 years ago, Sónia's dream came true with the help of several friends.
The Sintra Cat Village Association was set up a few months after Sónia rented the first space. Over the years, many people have joined this project and some of them are Sónia's right-hand man. The Association has had its ups and downs; there are days when we cry a lot, but there are also days when we smile a lot.

In January 2023, we moved to a larger space with better conditions. However, at the beginning of 2024, we received an inspection from the ICNF and, although they assumed that the animals were very well cared for, we did not meet all the necessary conditions to be in that space. With the help of the Sintra City Council, we will take another step to continue our fight.

We deal with financial difficulties on a daily basis, as with more than 100 cats, expenses are not easy to bear considering that we only survive on donations.

Every month we are responsible for:

• Rent - €770
• Electricity, water and internet (so we can access the PC) - +-350€
• Cleaning - €500 Cleaning is very important and fundamental in a shelter. Unfortunately, due to a lack of volunteers, we have to resort to external services to ensure daily cleaning.
• Food - €750
• Patés - +-1,800€, As we can't control the food each one eats, with the paté we know what they are eating, the math is easy to do for 120 cats (some eat more than one paté or others eat a special paté for 1€...) at 0.50€ each paté gives 60€ per day x 31 days gives 1860€
• Veterinarians - This part is the hardest of all. We have a monthly average of €3,500.

After 5 years dedicating ourselves to this cause, after 5 years giving our boys a home and after having found permanent homes for so many who have passed through our path, we do not want to throw in the towel, we do not want to give up this fight, we want to continue to do our best for them.

Budget and due dates

The funds raised will be used to advance the project for the new home of our protégés.

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