Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/685992
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 1 JUNE 2016 News Cats to make way for Portomaso expansion JAMES DEBONO AN application for the develop- ment of a block of apartments, with underlying shops, could spell the end of the colourful open-air cat village in Spinola Road, but the developers are "committed" to allocate a fur- nished room for the stray cats. Speaking to MaltaToday, Por- tomaso director Ray Fenech said that discussions are underway with those running the village to find an alternative for the stray cats living in the area. Fenech insisted that the alter- native – for which his company will contribute financially – would be an improvement over the existing village, which he claims causes an inconvenience to residents who complain of smells and noise. "Our intention is to find a clean finished room in the vi- cinity of the existing cat village which will include facilities, in- cluding sinks and storage space for food. The only condition I want to impose is that the cats are neutered." The application set on two strips of land between Vjal Por- tomaso and Triq Spinola has been presented by Spinola De- velopments Co Limited, which owns Portomaso. Cat lovers who talked to Mal- taToday are objecting, insisting that the cats are highly territo- rial animals and cannot be eas- ily relocated to somewhere else. Residents have also warned that if removed from the village the cats will end sheltering under cars or will even try to enter the hotel. The cat village has coexisted with hotels in the area since the early 1990s. It may even be de- scribed as a tourist attraction in its own right, having fans living far away as Japan and the USA. Rosa Sammut, the founder of the village, was given the 'Senior of the Year' award in 2000 for her volountary work with stray cats. "Having such a place makes the area look more Maltese as the area has too much concrete and barely any colour… it makes people smile and it gives the positive image that people like animals," a resident said. PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAPHAEL FARRUGIA The cats who currently live in the open air cat village will have to make do with a room provided by Portomaso