LIMA, Peru — Miraflores’ Kennedy Park is home to more than 250 stray cats — establishing itself as a must-visit location for tourists and locals alike. Sleeping in volunteer-built shelters, or napping on the public playground, these cats are a spectacle and amusement for all — but is it sustainable? The surrounding streets and external threats leave these felines vulnerable to injury and sickness, and the district’s government isn’t providing a solution.
Diana Chacon, the founder and president of volunteer organization Mishis Kennedy, leads the cause to get these cats off the streets and into secure homes. Within the last year, she found homes for more than 200 of the park’s cats — and the work doesn’t stop there. Volunteers spend hours at Kennedy Park every evening to feed the hundreds of cats that still reside in the district’s center, and local veterinarian Dr. Ricardo Villa offers his expert services to keep the cats healthy.
“Even though we really enjoy feeding [the cats] everyday, we do know that what’s best for them is to get adopted and get a home forever,” says Killa, a volunteer for Mishis Kennedy. “So that’s what we try to promote here.”