JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Hitam, a lively black-and-white stray cat has been spayed and returned to the loving arms of Alvin, a parking attendant in a bustling street in Indonesia’s capital.
“I feed her rice and fish every day,” Alvin said.
The nimble feline is part of an estimated whopping 700,000 stray cats that roam Jakarta. Trap-neuter-return programs, or TNR, have been spearheaded by community-based groups including Let’s Adopt Indonesia that advocate humane methods to control the cat population.
Every weekend, volunteers like 28-year-old Vanya Afreenzha work tirelessly to trap as many stray cats as possible. Armed with cat food, long pole nets and plastic carriers, they roam parks, train stations and public areas where cats can be easily spotted. They then drop them off at a clinic in southern Jakarta to be neutered by qualified veterinarians.
Alvin, a parking attendant, holds Hitam, a stray cat he’s been looking after, after it was returned by volunteers during a “Trap, Neuter and Return” project aimed at reducing stray cat population, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Let’s Adopt Indonesia volunteer Vanya Afreenzha uses a net to catch a stray cat during a “Trap, Neuter and Return” project aimed at reducing stray cat population, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
During a recent excursion, volunteers trapped 80 cats, including Hitam, and got them spayed or neutered. Among them was a notoriously aggressive female cat that Afreenzha nicknamed Aing Maung, which means “I am a tiger” in Sundanese.
Carolina Fajar, the head of operations at Let’s Adopt Indonesia, says neutering and spaying cats reduces aggression and disruptive behavior and even prevents property damage as the felines scavenge for food and look to mate.
“So how can we handle this without having to get rid of them? Through neutering which lowers their hormonal levels, allowing them to coexist peacefully,” she said.
Despite the occasional scratch and resistance from some locals who doubt the effectiveness of TNR, volunteers like Afreenzha remain committed to the cause. She finds solace in helping cats live healthier lives and aiding those abandoned by their owners.
She says spaying and neutering helps the cats live better so “they don’t have to keep giving birth on the streets.”
Afreenza believes that harmony between humans and animals is possible, allowing them to coexist peacefully.
A neutered stray cat rests at Istiqlal Mosque compound in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Volunteer Vanya Afreenzha, center, holds a stray cat as Carolina Fajar, the head of operations at Let’s Adopt Indonesia, left, and Adib Azhar, another volunteer, right, look on, during a “Trap, Neuter and Return” project aimed at reducing stray cat population, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Let’s Adopt Indonesia volunteers Vanya Afreenzha, right, and Marta try to catch a stray cat during a “Trap, Neuter and Return” project aimed at reducing stray cat population, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Volunteers prepare plastic containers to be used to transport cats during a “Trap, Neuter and Return” project aimed at reducing stray cat population, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Veterinarians spay a stray cat during a “Trap, Neuter and Return” project aimed at reducing stray cat population, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Veterinarians spay stray cats during a “Trap, Neuter and Return” project aimed at reducing stray cat population, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Spayed and neutered stray cats are laid on the floor while waiting for the anesthetic to wear off during a “Trap, Neuter and Return” project aimed at reducing stray cat population, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
Veterinarians examine a newly-arrived stray cat during a “Trap, Neuter and Return” project aimed at reducing stray cat population, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
A stray that has been neutered, sits near visitors at the front yard of Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
A stray cat climbs a table at the food court outside Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
A stray cat sits as people walk past by at the Istiqlal Mosque compound in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
A Let’s Adopt Indonesia volunteer releases a stray cat that has been neutered during a “Trap, Neuter and Return” project aimed at reducing stray cat population, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
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