Official opening of the Chatipis in Marignane (13) and Valbonne (06)
One Voice, which has been fighting against stray cats for years, has set up three-way partnerships with municipalities or residential areas and local associations to raise awareness among the population, identify and sterilize homeless cats, and release them with a wooden shelter where they can drink, eat, and rest. This is what happened in Marignane (Bouches-du-Rhône) and Valbonne (Alpes-Maritimes), where the municipalities and local associations, respectively “La Paix entre les bêtes” “ and ”Extrême sauvetage,” signed an agreement with One Voice to take charge of the stray cat problem in both localities.
The Chatipi program helps cats without human families escape misery and, above all, educates people about cats and stray cats.
The Marignane and Valbonne chatipis will be inaugurated on Sunday, October 2, at 5:30 p.m. and Tuesday, October 4, at 5 p.m., respectively.
In Marignane, the inauguration will take place in front of the chatipi on Sunday, October 2 at 5:30 p.m., on Rue Fabre near the green spaces, in the presence of the mayor of the city, Eric le Dissès, as well as Véronique Tardy, 5th deputy mayor in charge of animal welfare and president of the local association “La Paix entre les bêtes” (Peace Among Animals). Finally, Sylviane Réau, One Voice activist and member of the municipal council for animal welfare in the neighboring town of Les Pennes-Mirabeau, will represent the association.
In Valbonne, the inauguration will take place in front of the chatipi on Tuesday, October 4, at 5 p.m., on Rue Émile Pourcel, at the back of the Anciens Combattants parking lot, during the celebration of World Animal Day, in the presence of Mayor Joseph Cesaro and his municipal councilors, as well as the local association “Extrême sauvetage” and its volunteers. Finally, Corinne Bouvot, One Voice’s national field coordinator, will represent the association.
Chatipi, a sustainable solution to the vicious cycle 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 plight and needs. Around twenty projects are already in place and almost as many are currently being developed. Just recently, on September 26, the Chatipi in Laroque-de-Fa opened its doors in the Aude department. The Association Protection Animale Hautes-Corbières (APAHC) and the municipality are the two other stakeholders involved in the project. Several chatipis have been set up near nursing homes, health centers, and other hospitals to bring comfort to residents, as well as near schools, as One Voice’s fundamental goal is to educate people about cats.
All too often, these small felines are mistakenly described as independent animals, when in fact they are very affectionate, loyal, and dependent, which makes them vulnerable if abandoned.
However, abandonment is not the only reason cats end up wandering the streets.
This vicious cycle stems from misconceptions about cats, particularly 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 spayed or neutered, as their humans are sometimes not even aware that these kittens exist. Under these circumstances, litters simply multiply. Municipalities and communities must manage these individuals facing misery, which also affects biodiversity.
Distribution of tasks and responsibilities in Marignane and Valbonne
One Voice, which invented the Chatipi concept, provides the shelter and generally covers the veterinary and food costs for around fifteen cats at the start of the operation (sterilization, identification, tests) as well as the educational sign. The municipalities are responsible for laying the concrete slab and assembling the chalet. The local association in each town manages the feeding and health monitoring of the cats, as well as the interior layout of the chalets.
In Marignane, the town hall, which has been very committed to animals for several years (the cleaning products used at the town hall are not tested on animals, there are municipal beehives, a guide to animals in the city, campaigns to prevent abandonment are carried out, etc.), took the first step towards One Voice for the installation of the chatipi. The project concerns around thirty cats on the site, all of which have been sterilized and identified.
Similarly, the municipality of Valbonne is also behind the project located in its historic center. In this specific case, One Voice only had to sterilize and identify three cats, as the other twelve had already been done.
The website dedicated to the Chatipi program was launched in early March 2022 and provides a wealth of information about this educational program on cats.
* Edit of October 4, 2022: The date of the Valbonne launch is not October 5 but October 4, 2022, so we have changed the corresponding dates.