Mazatlán’s street cats: Highly evolved urban felines

Amigos De Los Animales is Mazatlán’s version of a Humane Society-type animal shelter. It started more than 15 years ago and required several years of fundraising to nurture it into reality. An old house was purchased and renovated into suitable quarters for the numerous street animals that would pass through. In the beginning Amigos was an organization where people could adopt abandoned and unwanted dogs and cats. It’s grown to be much more, and is now the largest local group actively engaged in public education about and humanely dealing with the street animal population.

The organization consists of a board of directors, a shelter manager and a public relations coordinator along with community volunteers. Their task is monumental relative to the funding that keeps them going.

Getting a street animal happy and healthy and then finding a suitable home is the basic mission. Public awareness of the plight of the street animals and how to alleviate the situation is an ongoing process. The extreme reluctance within the general population to spay or neuter their pets perpetuates the feral animal population. The key to this dilemma is to educate the next generation to think and act differently. This is done with a public presence at local events, by talking with school children and by working with adults who adopt pets from the shelter. It’s a slow process but the effort is paying off. The word is getting out in the local community that the shelter is a place to find a healthy pet or leave an unwanted animal.

The greatest challenge facing these dedicated animal lovers is, of course, money. Amigos De Los Animales is funded through private donations, income from adoption fees and the Casa Nika Bazaar. Each source contributes about a third of the $38,000-plus pesos per month required to keep the operation functional. Annual fundraisers include a lavish Champagne Brunch, the November Perrotón (dog show) and Sunday “Dog Walks” several times per season, where people and dogs get together on the malecón and socialize.

The Casa Nika Bazaar is a growing source of funding as well as a benefit to the community. Items sold in the bazaar are donated by gringos and purchased by the locals. With the combination of low prices and high-quality gringo cast-offs, sales are brisk. This symbiotic relationship would not be possible without the generosity of the ex-pat community, so keep the cast-offs coming.

One of the main problems faced by Amigos is the lack of non-profit status in Mexico. Amigos De Los Animales is a non-profit corporation in the USA, so donations in dollars are tax-deductible for Americans. However, the Mexican government has not recognized Amigos as non-profit and taxes the organization as if it were a business. Since there is no tax advantage, few local businesses donate to the shelter.

In spite of the obstacles and periodic setbacks, Amigos is providing a valuable service to the community while giving some of Mazatlán’s street animals a second chance.

For more information about Amigos De Los Animales, call 986-4235. The shelter is at Libramiento Playas #3, Col. Francisco Villa. Casa Nika Bazaar is at Luis Zuniga #505, Centro This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 6699-12-0884.