The OIPA’s delegation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Wag Wag, led by Anđela Španović, during 2024, spent a great deal of effort on behalf of stray cats living in the Banja Luka area. The association has created actual hotels called Cat Hotels in which the cats that roam the area can find a safe place with food and warm kennels in which to sleep.
The facilities are run by the many volunteers on the ground and have become necessary because of the large number of strays that have so far not been effectively managed by institutions. Most sterilization projects conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina have focused on dogs, and often the financial burden have fallen on volunteers. Cities do not have municipal cat shelters, and the vast majority of municipalities do not allocate budget funds for projects to reduce the number of stray cats.
Cat Hotels in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Wag Wag’s Cat Hotels, in addition to offering strays the chance to live in dignity, want to provide long-term solutions. The goal is to provide a safe shelter that can also be a stall for all those stray cats in need of veterinary care. This is also especially important to protect the volunteers themselves, who are often exposed to verbal attacks from irresponsible citizens as well as vandalism of food and water containers and threats.
The construction of these Cat Hotels was made possible by donations from businesses and individuals. If you would like to know more about this project or contribute to the construction of other shelters find their website here.
