By Khaki Scott
Topic: Adopt A Pet
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We recently found two wonderful ladies, in Merida, who have opened their home to 48 cats, 4 dogs, and a few regular customers they feed in the street. The ladies are Diana Tió Reyes and Lida Garcia Alonzo, and we are just thrilled that they are allowing us to tell our readers about their beloved Brat Cats (and a few dogs too!) and all they are doing for any cat or kitten that comes their way.

Lida is the more pragmatic of these two young ladies. She is the one who is willing to jump a fence, climb a tree, or run a roof to save a cat – or a dog, for that matter. Diana is the more philosophical of the two. She is concerned about the condition of the soul of a society that still produces the kind of people who can say “its just an animal.” What she dreams of is a Mexico in which human beings have such a depth of conscience that no animal is harmed. Of course, both Lida and Diana are strong believers in spay/neuter programs, as well as adoption and animal rights.

Diana and Lida have been rescuing cats and kittens from the streets of Merida for the past 6 years and have never asked anyone for help. In fact, they did not ask for help now. They just work hard and do the best they can to take care of their little family of cats and dogs. We found them quite by accident and, when we heard of the monumental task they have set for themselves, we asked if there is something we can do to help. Thankfully, there is.

With over 50 feline and canine mouths to feed and vet bills to pay, Diana and Lida are always strapped for cash, but both are avid crafters and have decided to sell their crafts and use the proceeds to help support what they lovingly call their brat cats. Their small craft business is called La Casa de los Gatos Malcriados (The Home of the Brat Cats)(see links at the end of this article). The site is in Spanish, but can easily be translated with Google Translate. Lida also has a separate blog under Rainbow Crafter where you can get to know her in English and in Spanish, since she is bilingual, and see some of the wonderful things she creates. As a matter of fact, Lida has won several crafting awards and is on the design team for Creatively Green, an online craft store whose products are environmentally friendly.

We were also very excited to learn that La Casa de los Gatos Malcriados will be participating in the 13th Annual Handicraft Fair in Merida, to be held from October 29 through November 1. The fair will be held at the Siglo XXI Convention Center. Diana and Lida will be helping in a booth belonging to their friend Vanessa Erosa Cáceres, a crafter and animal lover, who has been "pushing and pulling," supporting and helping Diana and Lida in any way she can. Vanessa has a business called Scrapbookit, and she has a booth at the Craft Fair every year. This year, she has invited Diana and Lida to accompany her, to give her a hand and, at the same time, to give them an opportunity to show the public what they do. We hope everyone will stop by to meet Vanessa, Diana and Lida, and to see the beautiful creations that La Casa de los Gatos Malcriados has to offer.

Look No Farther

While Diana and Lida can no longer take in new members to their own family of brats, they are still the first stop for others who have found cats and kittens. They do what they can to help find homes for these little lost souls. As many owners of multiple cats and dogs will testify to anyone who will listen… “It started with just the one, you know.” Here is Kelly, who started it all in the home of Diana and Lida. Before they knew what was happening, they were rescuing kittens right and left. Today, their cats are all happy and healthy and they consider that to be quite an accomplishment. So do we!

We asked Diana and Lida if they will accept donations of cat food. They said they would be deeply appreciative of any help that anyone can offer – but – at the risk of sounding picky – they request that people purchase only two specific brands of cat food: Whiskas and Kirkland for Adult Cat Maintenance. Both are available at COSTCO. Last year, as their cats got bigger and their budget got tighter, they tried the cheaper Cat’s Choice from SAM’S Club and Cat Chow. The result was tragic. They lost 6 cats to renal failure, brought on by the cheaper cat food. As you can well imagine, they do not want to go there again.

Diana and Lida also say that they are always in need of any kind of cotton fabric: towels, bed sheets, t-shirts, etc., because they “upcycle” them to make beds for the cats and to use when they have a sick cat. This sounds like a great way to dispose of older or damaged towels and sheets, especially for our readers who own hotels, B&Bs, and furnished rentals. The House of the Brat Cats currently uses 60 kg (approx. 120 lbs) of cat food and 30 kg (approx. 60 lbs) of dog food per month, so their monthly food bill alone is about $2,300 pesos (approx. $172). To this amount, they must add a few vet consults, medication and the surgeries these little animals need during their lifetimes.

When we asked about donations of money, we realized just how humble these two ladies actually are. They do have a PayPal account, but are not registered as an association for the benefit of cats. They can give a proper receipt when someone purchases handicrafts because they collect the money and the person has something to show for their purchase. They are not so sure about taking donations of cash. They worry that, because they cannot give a proper receipt so people can get a tax deduction, they might get in trouble with regulatory agencies. They also worry about how would people know that they spent the money on the cats and not on something frivolous. At this time, they feel it is better to only accept donations of cat food and things made of cotton fabric.

According to Diana and Lida, the cats that live in their home now are their personal pets and they will continue to care for them throughout their lives. They also continue to declare that they have all of the cats they can afford (and more). They simply cannot take on any additional cats or kittens and make a lifetime commitment to them. With that in mind, they are now helping others find homes for cats and kittens they have found. We have been watching their blog for some time now and have noticed that, in spite of their protests to the contrary, a few kittens have recently sneaked into their hearts and even into their shoes. Who could resist Elliot? We get updates to their blog and were just thrilled for them and for him today when we got the news that “Today – Elliot is a Big Boy!” He can use the litter box all by himself! Diana was absolutely eloquent as she explained the circles and arrows in this picture. They are chew marks from all of the pets that have shared her room. They have used her shoes as soccer balls, pillows, and now as a toddler bed. Realizing that this is probably not going to change, she sees no reason to buy new shoes, only to see them go the same way the old ones have gone.

As those of us who have been owned by cats can attest, even the smallest kitten can throw his or her weight around – often claiming things that belong to us as their own. The precious little Elliot, in the photo above, turned out to be a hammock thief and here is the proof. The hammock in this photograph is the property of Diana Tió Reyes and has been unlawfully taken from her by this thief. There are several photos of this criminal act in Diana’s Facebook Photobucket. To make matters worse, one gets the distinct impression that Elliot has no fear of being removed from this hammock, probably in his entire life. What a Brat Cat!

As people bring cats and kittens to Diana and Lida, we will put them in our Adopt A Pet topic. We are also following their blogs on Facebook. We invite you to become a fan of La Casa de los Gatos Malcriados on Facebook, as well as adding both Diana Tió Reyes and Lida Garcia Alonzo to your friends list. And don’t forget to visit them, and their friend Vanessa, at the 13th Annual Handicraft Fair at the Convention Center during the last weekend of this month.

If you would like to help these young ladies with their own 48 rescued cats and 4 rescued dogs; or if you would like to help support some of the newly found cats and kittens until they can find a proper home, you can e-mail Diana at quilling4me[at]gmail[dot]com or Lida at lidikebrimisu[at]gmail[dot]com. They will be happy to give you their address and telephone numbers…and remember that Lida is bilingual, so language will be no problem.

*****

La Casa de Gatos Malcriados, Lida’s blog.

Rainbow Crafter, Lida’s other blog

Diana’s blog is Desde mi Hamaca.

Adopt one of the Brat Cats HERE

Creatively Green

Scrapbookit

Google Translate

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