Cospicua cat shelter says it can barely keep the lights on
300 cats at risk as Cospicua shelter struggles with soaring bills
An animal shelter has appealed for donations to help it meet water and electricity bills totalling almost €600.
In a Facebook post, the Cospicua-based Carers for Stray and Abandoned Felines (CSAF) shelter said it was “drowning” in costs, struggling to meet its water and electricity bills.
The shelter said it cares for over 300 cats, “including many who are sick, injured, blind or disabled. Souls that would be euthanised anywhere else”, adding it also cared for around 30 kittens, “and anything kitten-related is heartbreakingly expensive”.
“Every time we switch on a heater for a shivering kitten, run water to clean infected wounds, boil syringes for neonatal kittens who’ve lost their mum... this is the cost”, the NGO said, describing its expenses as “the cost of compassion... of saving lives”.
The shelter, a registered voluntary organisation, attached an image of an ARMS bill detailing two months’ worth of water and electricity costs totalling €595.75.
“Every cent we receive goes directly to them. And today, we are begging. Truly begging. We are attaching the bill below, no secrets, no shame, just a cry for help,” it said.
The shelter’s treasurer, Priscilla Gatt, said the issue was a long-standing one, pointing to a similar call for donations in May, when the shelter received an eye-watering bill of over €1,200.
She noted that the shelter was being charged at the higher rate usually reserved for businesses, but that her requests for the shelter to be put on a lower rate had been denied.
Emphasising the shelter was run by volunteers and relied purely on donations, she said, “We always have to hope and pray”.
Those interested in donating can find information on the shelter’s website or its Facebook page.