When Anita Strehlow closed Anita’s Animals in May 2017 to return to Germany for health reasons, she left behind a shelter she had run for 20 years and that was in complete disarray.
For her dedicated volunteers, with volumes of stuff to sort and go through, their biggest question was, “What do we do with the animals?”
A handful of these volunteers stepped up to the task of finding homes for 70 dogs and 40 cats. After three months they were able to find homes for the dogs – not so for the cats.
One of these volunteers was Anita Murray. Although she shares the same first name and German ancestry with Strehlow, she had a different vision. As a cat lover, she was set on finding a home for each cat that was left behind.
“When Anita Strehlow went to Germany she left her shelter in the hands of a teenager,” Murray says. “The place was unmanageable, unsanitary, overcrowded and needed to be closed. Some of the volunteers were looking at how to take over the shelter’s ownership and management, but that turned out to be unworkable.”
Living in Jocotepec with her husband Jim, Murray opened Casa Miau last year, on August 21, with the help of other dedicated cat lovers. They found a small casa in Jocotepec to house the cats and named it Casa Miau.
“Taking over 40 cats and not knowing what kind of condition they were in was like constantly putting out fires. For months the process proved to be overwhelming.”
Murray says that Casa Miau is not a shelter, but a foster home. “The cats are not in cages but are free to wander in and out, all times of the day. We provide them with a fan in the summer and heaters and warm blankets in the winter.”
From the time the Murrays determined that they would adopt the cats and transfer them to Casa Miau, they encountered a number of deal breakers that could have halted the whole thing.
Says Murray, “Two women, one from Jocotepec and the other from San Juan Cosala, were integral in providing support and suggestions throughout; from getting the cats and the property ready to arranging for the transfer of all the cats, many of them diseased.”
Once transported, the cats were given shots, sterilized and cleaned up.
“It’s been a long, arduous process getting these cats well-adjusted and up to any kind of adoptable condition, but we managed to do it.”
Murray visits the cats at least once a day, which often turns into more, especially if cats need medication. “I’m so attached to them, I haven’t been able to skip a visit, even for one day.”
Murray employs four local helpers to clean the cat boxes and change the food and water. The interior areas are sterilized every week and the entire area is sprayed monthly for pests.
Says Murray, “Since I’ve established a relationship with the cats I’ll have a hard time giving them up. Each of them has developed distinct personalities with beautiful dispositions, such as Bubba, who’s delightful and friendly except when someone walks in with the intention of adopting. He doesn’t want to leave, so he hides in the same little nook, completely out of sight when a stranger enters.”
Murray’s main goal for Casa Miau is to adopt out the current population. “Our limit is 35 cats, which we’re quickly approaching. Once we get the numbers down to 15, we’ll decide if we want to take on any more.”
She continues: “We’re not in this to make money. We’re in this to get the cats adopted. If folks want to make a donation, that’s great, but it’s not a requirement.”
Her suggested donation of 1,000 pesos per cat is based on costs of sterilization, shots, food, litter and vet visits. She also keeps meticulous records, with a folder dedicated to each cat listing shots and illnesses.
“Being able to lift these wonderful creatures up from their depths of despair is what makes my work so rewarding,” says Murray. “Just over a year ago, there were no places for them to go. Suggestions at that time ranged from setting the cats loose to euthanizing them, which were not acceptable for me. I knew there had to be another way.”
“Anita is the cat lover in the family,” says Jim Murray. “As her husband, I go along with the program. I wasn’t the motivator behind Casa Miau. Sure, we experienced plenty of trial and error in getting it up and running, but were able to minimize the errors.”
He adds, “The cats have it pretty good there.”
Casa Miau just celebrated its one-year anniversary and the Murrays hosted a well-deserved luncheon, honoring their four employees and two helpers.
“Without their help,” says Murray, “Casa Miau would have remained merely a good idea. And as for the cats — well, we won’t go there.”
Contact Casa Miau: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 332-1665-853.