Somewhere safe to wake up

At the very beginning of our work, we've been given a wonderful gift. A group of Polish people living in Portugal decided to support the association and donate a large folding crate, which will make it much easier for us to neuter the street cats of Bemposta.

This is one of the most useful things anyone could have given us. A cat coming round from anaesthetic can't simply be put back on the street. She needs somewhere quiet, dry and secure to sleep it off, usually overnight, sometimes longer if there's a wound to keep an eye on. This crate is exactly right for the job: room for a bed, a litter tray and food, two doors so we can reach her from either side without causing her more stress than necessary, and a floor tray that lifts out to be cleaned between cats.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. To be supported like this so early on, and by people who simply decided that the cats of a village they don't live in were worth helping, means a great deal to us. Every cat we neuter from now on will have somewhere safe to wake up, and that's down to you.

If you'd like to help in the same way, this is the sort of thing that gets used constantly: carriers, traps, blankets and towels, dry food, and vet consumables. Small practical items, given once, keep working for years.