Official opening of the Chatipi to help stray cats in Marly-le-Roi on 8 July at 11am

Photo credit: MarlyChats sans Toit association

The inauguration will take place in front of the Chatipi located on Chemin du Val-de-Cruyé in Marly-le-Roi, next to the Genêtrière cemetery. It will be attended by Jean-Guillaume Datin, Deputy Mayor in charge of the Environment and Living Conditions, the MarlyChats sans Toit association, and a representative of the Valentin Haüy Foundation, which owns the land on which the Chatipi is located. Finally, Lola Rebollo, campaign manager for One Voice’s “Errance féline” (Feral Cats) campaign, will represent the association.

Chatipi, a sustainable solution to the vicious circle of stray cats

Chatipi is an ethical initiative that aims to create spaces for stray cats in order to rescue them while raising public awareness of their distress and needs. Around twenty of these spaces are currently being developed. Several chatipis have been set up near nursing homes, health centers, and hospitals to also bring comfort to residents, and near schools, as One Voice’s fundamental goal is to raise public awareness about the plight of cats without families. All too often, these small felines are mistakenly described as animals that don’t need anyone, when in fact they are very affectionate, loyal, and dependent, which makes them vulnerable when abandoned.

However, stray cats are not solely the result of abandonment. This vicious cycle, which affects 11 million cats per year in France, stems from misconceptions about cats, particularly the belief that they have an intrinsic need to reproduce in order to be happy, which leads their human families to not always have them spayed or neutered. As a result, many cats are born in the wild. These kittens, when they survive, are in any case affected by hunger, cold, and disease. They are neither identified nor sterilized, as their humans are sometimes not even aware of their existence. However, under these circumstances, litters only multiply. Municipalities and communities must manage these individuals facing misery, which also affects biodiversity.

Distribution of tasks and responsibilities

One Voice, which invented the Chatipi concept, provides the chalet and cat flaps, covers the cost of food and veterinary expenses (sterilization, identification, tests) for 15 cats at the start of the operation, as well as the educational sign.

The Valentin Haüy Foundation has made part of its emergency accommodation center available for the Chatipi to be set up. The municipality has taken charge of creating the concrete slab, assembling the chalet, and installing an adjoining wire enclosure. The local association MarlyChats sans Toit will be responsible for the cats’ health, trapping them for sterilization, feeding them, covering long-term veterinary costs, and cleaning the chalet. In total, around fifteen unadoptable cats are expected to benefit from the Chatipi in Marly-le-Roi.

A welcome oasis for these homeless cats

A dozen of them have already made the Chatipi their home, a true haven of peace. A cat with no family, unknown to the association, even settled there to give birth to her kittens… Proof that the cats feel at home there and that the system works. She will of course be sterilized once the kittens are weaned and old enough to be adopted.

The One Voice website dedicated to the Chatipi program provides a wealth of information about this educational program on cats. Sign our petition calling for an emergency plan to address the problem of stray cats.