Dasmariñas Village admin denies cruelty in ban on feeding stray cats

Gretchen Malalad posted this selfie on her Facebook account where she criticized the DVA for its ban on feeding stray cats.

MANILA, Philippines — The administration of  Dasmariñas Village in Makati denies committing cruelty to animals through its ban on the feeding of stray cats.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Dasmariñas Village Administration (DVA) said the ban was only meant to discourage residents from leaving cat food in the vacant lots and sidewalks.T

The statement was issued after a village resident — Southeast Asian Games karate gold medalist and journalist Gretchen Malalad — slammed the administration for fining her P5,000 for feeding abandoned cats on an open lot.

In a circular, the DVA cited a letter to Malalad dated Sept. 5 that “the imposition of a penalty is not an act of cruelty but an attempt to discourage people from leaving cat food in the Senior’s Park, nearby vacant lots and sidewalks.”

Leaving cat food in such areas, the DVA added, was a “health risk” as it would attract more stray cats from other areas and increase the risk of spreading the spread of feline-borne diseases. And there was also the problem of cat waste being left in the place.

The DVA also denied that it was rounding up the cats to kill them.

It also called Malalad’s pronouncement that there were “a lot of cat haters”  as an “unfair and inflammatory generalization.”

According to the DVA, it has a partnership with Compassion and Responsibility for Animals (CARA) Welfare Philippines to control the cat population in the village through the Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release (TNVR) program.

Over a thousand cats received treatment through this program, the DVA added.

The DVA also pointed out that the memorandum of agreement with Cara Welfare “expressly advised” residents that they could adopt stray cats as pets.

The adoption would also be consistent with the Makati City Animal Regulation and Control Code.

The DVA also pointed out that, under City Ordinance No. 2009-009, the city could impound stray animals.

“While DVA was hopeful that we could manage our cat population with the help of Cara, given the recent attention that our cat population has been getting in the media, there is a real possibility that the Makati City Veterinary Services Office will conduct impounding operations in the village,” the DVA said.

Finally, the DVA encouraged Malalad and other concerned residents to “signify their willingness to DVA” to adopt stray cats.

[atm]