Daryo team visits outdoor cat houses erected under Mushukkent project
Everyone has a right to housing, and stray cats are no exception. With this in mind, law enforcement agencies and local animal lovers launched the Mushukkent project. The first such outdoor cat house in Uzbekistan's capital was erected in 2019.
Source – daryo.uz
Iroda Matkarimova, the founder of the Hayot animal shelter, told the Daryo correspondent that along with its main task, the Mushukent project, founded by Alexandra Ivanyuzhenko, envisages neutering as many stray cats as possible and bringing them back to their environment.
Over three hundred outdoor cat houses were built under the Mushukkent project throughout Tashkent. We strive to end neighbor disputes. In particular, between those who love cats and who don’t. We are just like the rescue team. We neuter cats at the expense of the Mushukkent project, which receives donations from indifferent people via online payment applications allowing us t cover clinic expenses for neutering cats. The second stage envisages erecting the cat houses; Uzbekistan National Guard provides us with those cathouses and installs them in the capital. In addition, the Mushukkent project has attracted several entrepreneurs, Iroda Matkarimova said.
The Hayot shelter, along with its Musukkent project, conducts many other activities, including the lessons of kindness, chaired by animal rights activist Olga Vrevskaya. Olga Vrevskaya stressed that this idea belongs to Iroda Matkarimova.
In the lessons, we tell the children about the life of dogs and cats, and we tell them about the importance of taking care of animals. In two years, we conducted 50 lessons of kindness for around 10,000 pupils. After attending our activities, the children asked their parents to set up cat houses in their yards, curator Olga Vrevskaya stressed.
Besides, children make drawings which we later showcase at our exhibitions. The illustrations depict children's love and compassion for animals. So far, we have collected 500 children's drawings, the curator added.
Olga Vrevskaya added that Hayot helps local neuro centers run zoo therapy programs for children with special needs.
Iroda (Matkarimova) and I were the first women in Uzbekistan to launch a rehabilitation program for children with special needs through zoo therapy, curator of the lessons of kindness under the Mushukent project, Olga Vrevskaya concluded.
Some of the activities of the Hayot pound have seen support from the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, headquartered in Paris, France. Launched by French actress Brigitte Bardot in 1986, the foundation works directly on the ground through support for sanctuaries, rescuing animals, neutering campaigns for stray animals, and support for homeless people.
‘There was a project supported by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. They did tremendous work, of course. The project helped us neuter over 600 animals. We are also grateful to volunteers. In addition to this, we are drafting a huge Spay and neuter project, that is set to be launched in the Hayot shelter. Right now, we are creating an inventory of antibiotics and medications. We will try to agree with our veterinarians because there are 11 district government veterinary clinics operating in Tashkent’, vet doctor Nataliya Rakhimullina said, stressing the need to involve more volunteers across the republic.
Animal rights activist Rano Makarenko reflected on the role of small and medium-sized businesses in boosting the Mushukkent project.
Outdoor houses for cats are gradually gaining momentum across Uzbekistan. A number of small and medium-sized businesses have recently begun installing such booths nearby their offices. Such beautifully made art objects and their inhabitants attract customers and shape positive public opinion. Passers-by oftentimes take photos of the cat houses and share these images on social networks; this advertises the businesses. We have also discovered craftspeople who now erect cat houses as part of their small family business. This industry has entered the local market with the advent of the Mushukkent project, Rano Makarenko reported.
However, there have been cases when capital residents stood against erecting cat houses and expressed fear that cats would reproduce and spread infectious diseases. The Deputy Head of the Information Service of the National Guard Major Sayfutdinova Irina Sayfutdinova explained that animals, just like humans, should not be fed leftovers.
In part, such fears make sense: there were cases when people left the remnants of food for feeding street animals, which decomposed, especially in the warm season, and spread a bad smell around, and flies swooped. Parents fear that their children may get worms from street cats. However, all these troubles can be avoided if one explains to adults that cats in no case should not be fed leftovers such as consumed chicken or fish bones. It is important to remind children to comply with basic hygiene rules. After all, an infectious disease can occur not only from contact with street animals but also during the game with other children and adults who have already been infected with parasites. Infectious diseases may occur as a result of eating unwashed vegetables and fruits, uncleaned milk, and so on, Deputy Head of the Information Service of the National Guard of the Republic of Uzbekistan Major Sayfutdinova Irina Sayfutdinova said.
Therefore, a huge preventive work is carried out before installing the house by the project volunteers. The Administrative Liability Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan (article 53) provides for fines for violations of health legislation (as well as violations of the rules on keeping cats and dogs (article 110). Conditions for the sterilization of animals are also specified. To monitor compliance with the rules, data, and contacts of the responsible persons must be entered into the register. Secondly, the volunteers conduct interviews with the residents, including those opposing the erection of cat houses. If necessary, representatives of the Tashkent Department of Internal Affairs and the National Guard are invited to participate in the discussions, Irina Sayfutdinova concluded.
Alexandra Ivanyuzhenko, the founder of the Mushukkent project, said the idea to create it came up when many in society were indifferent to animals:
A number of people contributed to the creation of the Mushukkent project, for whom Irina Sayfutdinova and I always felt sorry. At that time, animal lovers in our city were considered outcasts. Ira was then the spokesperson for the Department of Internal Affairs, and we came up with the idea of combining the protection of animals and the authorities in uniform, as they do in Japan, the USA, and Korea.
Alexandra Ivanyuzhenko added that later the idea gain support from two influential women like felinologist Rano Makarenko and founder of the Hayot shelter Iroda Matkarimova. She also said that the Mushukkent project is going to expand its geography and extend to other cities in Uzbekistan.
The very principle of housing for cats lies in ensuring order in the clean and beautiful house, and the animals are vaccinated and loved by everyone, and not reproducing uncontrollably. In Turkey, for example, they went even further; cat houses are anywhere in Turkey where the cat can be lying down – whether it is a jewelry store, café, mosque, or the university. But our project is unique. We believe we became the first to involve law enforcement agencies, the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, and the National Guard on such a large scale, the first to structure the project, create rules and work out a lot of disputes between people. Mushukkent is not about cats; it is about people and their children, Alexandra Ivanyuzhenko concluded.
The Mushukkent intends to go far beyond, Iroda Matkarimova stressed, expressing hope that soon the project would be able to purchase a bus that will serve as a mobile medical and rehabilitation center where cats will be neutered and undergo a rehabilitation process.