Attention hikers on the Rocha Do Cascalho trail
A hike along São Miguel's Rocha Do Cascalho trail offers some of the most breathtaking views. It’s a steep trek - but well worth every step! At the end of this picturesque trail lives a colony of about 15-20 cats.
Without spaying/neutering, cats fall pregnant as young as 4 months of age. Cat populations grow exponentially without intervention. These cats are then left to suffer parasites, fights, disease and starvation.
In March 2025, we started a campaign to trap, neuter and release (TNR) the cats. Due to logistical challenges, we’re trapping in batches. We aim to close the production cycle of this colony by the summer. When we accepted the plea for help, we had the understanding that there was a caregiver feeding the cats regularily. Sadly, this is not the reality.
Cats of Rocha Do Cascalho
We urgently need help feeding a colony of about 20 starving cats here.
The life of cats at Rocha Do Cascalho
The cats at Rocha Do Cascalho are young, starved, constantly pregnant, full of parasites, and they suffer. While it pains every ounce of our beings to return the cats back to this location after sterilisation, two seasoned local rescuers gave us a reality check: 1. they will not allow us to trap the remaining cats, and 2. they will just get more cats.
How does TNR work? 1 cat, 1 year = 12 kittens. Those 12 kittens = 144 offspring. By 3 years = 1,728 great-grand-kittens.
There is a bigger picture at stake. The BIG lesson we've learned in the 5 years we've been helping cats here is that there are no absolutes and many degrees of lesser of evils. We will, however, not abandon these cats. Besides not having to be constantly pregnant, we are working with other organisations to communicate to local authorities and residents to raise awareness of their needs.
How you can help
Bring cat food supplies with you on your hike. Feed all the cats plenty of food when you’re there and leave any excess food in the white bucket at the BBQ station. Bring around 2kg’s of food to feed them. Please be sure to clean up any garbage. Reach out if you need us to supply the food for your trek and to let us know you fed them.
Spread the word! Tell your fellow travellers, leave a review on Google, Reddit, Trip Advisor or whatever platform you find and share travel advice on.
Consider donating monthly to get these cats food and deworming on a regular basis.
Support the Animais de Rua. Besides food collection and TNR campaigns, they actively petition the government for change. Like their page, share their content, make a donation.
Important: as enraging as this reality is for any animal lover, we strongly ask that you please be respectful to the locals. Change will only happen with a positive approach. We are in this for the long run and need to keep minds open to our help.
In June we will build and install a feeding station at the BBQ area. If you’re visiting and want to help build the station or transport up cats up the trail, reach out!
