‘I can barely afford to eat because I care for 350 cats’
When holidaymaker Manuela Wroblewski saw the number of homeless felines in Turkey, she was determined to make a difference…
❛SHARING A TWO-BEDROOM HOUSE WITH SO MANY CATS IS CRAMPED – BUT I WOULDN’T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY❜
Setting off on her 15-mile daily journey around a seaside resort in Turkey, Manuela Wroblewski is greeted by over 350 cats. Every day for the past eight years, the 50 year old has walked the streets with a trolley full of pet food to make sure the local strays don’t starve.
Manuela, who lives with 26 rescue cats, explains, “When I first came here on holiday, I was shocked when I saw how many stray cats were roaming around the town. They were all so thin and frail, but nobody looked out for them.
MISSION
“It broke my heart, so I packed up my life in Germany and dedicated all my time to caring for them. My family and friends think I’m mad, but I could never let the cats suffer – they rely on me now.”
Manuela first began feeding the stray cats in 2010.
She says, “I came to Avsallar for a holiday after breaking up with a boyfriend. I noticed there were a lot of starving cats and began to feed them. Within a week, they’d become reliant on me for food, so I extended my holiday. By the end of the month, I’d quit my housekeeping job, packed my bags and moved to the country full-time, living in my parents’ holiday home.”
Manuela made it her mission to help all the cats in her area.
She says, “Every morning, I get up at 6am and walk for ten hours in the boiling heat with a trolley full of dry cat food and 40 tins of fish. There are 350 kittens in the local area alone. The locals hate the cats – they don’t like it when I feed them and shout abuse when I try to protect them.”
STRUGGLE
Manuela has the backing of American company Project Worldwide, who sponsor her and provide her with half the food she needs. She also works with several vets in the area to help the cats if they fall sick. And over the course of eight years, 25 people have visited from across the globe to volunteer for a week at a time. However, more help is needed.
Manuela says, “Food for all the cats costs around £90 a day. I’ve spent £18,000 of my savings so far on food and treating sick cats and I’m now £2,250 in debt to the local vets, who give me extra supplies when I have no money. I often struggle to feed myself, but I always put the cats first. Sometimes I find homes for the more domesticated cats in England or America, but the others come to live with me. Sharing a two-bedroom house with 26 cats can be cramped, but they’re like my family now.”
Now, Manuela knows she could never leave.
She says, “If I moved back to Germany, the cats would starve. Looking after them is very hard, so I hope I can find permanent volunteers to help share the load. We need to give animals a voice or nobody else will.”