Anyone who knows me knows I am a cat lover. I’m obsessed with all things cat. Any shape, size, color, I love them all. Don’t even get me started on my baby girl at home- I’d have to do a whole blog post on just how much I love my cat. Anyways, yeah. I love cats. So just imagine how excited I was when I realized that the streets of Old San Juan are FILLED with sweet kitties!
I was lucky enough to take a trip to Puerto Rico last year with my husband and his family. I did some research before going and made a list of everything I wanted to see and do while there. Of course there was El Yunque Rainforest, visit gorgeous beaches, eat delicious food, visit Old San Juan; you know the typical Puerto Rican bucket list. But at the top of my list was to visit Save a Gato.
Save a Gato is a non-profit organization that cares for all of the stray cats in Old San Juan. They help manage the colony of cats that have taken over the streets by TNR- Trap, Neuter, Release. They also vaccinate and de-worm the kitties as well once they trap them. Click here to learn more about TNR.
Save a Gato runs on donations and volunteers alone. A lot of hard work and dedication goes into caring for these sweet babies. You can donate to this amazing organization here. They appreciate every penny!
Now let’s talk a little bit about my visit to Old San Juan and Save a Gato.
While we were in Puerto Rico we visited Old San Juan twice, once in the evening and once in the morning. Both visits were so different from each other. Completely different crowds, different atmosphere, but one thing stayed the same; there were cats everywhere. Like, literally EVERYWHERE!
There was not one street that we walked down that did not have multiple kitties relaxing on door steps or just walking around like they owned the place. Almost every business and home had a bowl of food and water on the door step. I love seeing the community work together to make sure the cats are well fed and taken care of.
For being stray cats, most of them were very friendly and welcomed my excited love pats with purrs and head nudges.
I was in cat heaven! SO. MANY. KITTIES.
On our second visit to Old San Juan, after walking up and down the colorful streets taking in the sights and sounds of the city, we walked down the Paseo del Morro toward the city gate (the walkway along the city wall).
After a long walk we finally reached the itty bitty pink building. Save a Gato was so much smaller than I imagined. We walked up, dropped a donation in the donation box on the wall and were welcomed by at LEAST 20 cats. We went inside and talked with the volunteers for a few minutes and looked at all of the adorable kittens they had available for adoption.
If we had more time during our stay I definitely would have gone and volunteered for a while. I absolutely love what this organization stands for and they need all the support they can get. Monetary AND physical support. I know I will definitely be back to volunteer some of my time.
If you ever take a trip to the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, be sure to stop by Save a Gato and show your support! Until then, check out their website and see the many ways you can help them! They have cute tote bags and calendars for sale or you can donate whatever you’re able to!
This little guy thanks you for reading and supporting such a great cause!
Love this! I miss my cats back home in Australia!
Thanks! Cats are the best!
What an awesome organization! I never would have thought to visit a place like this on my travels. I really love the idea. These kitties are all so adorable! I would have brought home at least 5 of them, haha.
Oh, it was hard not to bring them all home with me! If you ever find yourself in PR definitely make it a point to go! If you love cats, you’ll love it!