St Vincent De Paul “employees” caged and removed dozens of cats from the residence grounds and the felines are still missing today, according to a relative of a person who lives in the home for the elderly.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, said the mystery of the missing cats had not been solved at all because a statement issued on Tuesday by the Animal Welfare Directorate referred to an altogether separate incident.

Animal Guardians Malta on Tuesday said “men with cages” had been spotted trapping cats on the hospital grounds. Later on during the day, the Animal Welfare Directorate said it had been called by the SVPR administration to catch and relocate three kittens that had entered one of the wards. “Two of the kittens were soon released in the same perimeter of SVPR whilst the third kitten needed some medical care and was therefore taken to Ċentru San Franġisk for the necessary treatment,” AWD Director Lawrence Buhagiar said.

But the woman insisted today that Mr Buhagiar was referring to an entirely different case and the men-with-cages incident actually happened some two months back, not yesterday.

She said people who had been identified by some as being “SVPR staff” had been spotted walking around the residence grounds with metal cages. A number of cats were caught in the traps and some have not been seen since. Asked how many cats had been removed, the woman said: “It is difficult to say but a good number of cats have vanished. Residents and nurses alike have reported that a number of the cats they used to look after went missing. One said six of her cats disappeared. Another said five had gone missing. There were others as well.”

Making it clear that these were not Animal Welfare officers, the woman demanded to know who had given the order for the cats to be removed and where these cats were taken. “These men were seen on the same day the CEO instructed residents to stop feeding the cats.” Referring to yesterday’s incident, the woman also criticised the way in which three kittens, only a few weeks old, were separated from their mother.

CEO’s denial

In comments to this newsroom, SVPR CEO Josianne Cutajar denied that the she had ordered residents and staff to stop feeding the cats. She also denied that people were called in to remove cats from the premises. Later on in the evening the Animal Welfare boss sent the press release saying that the department had been called up by SVPR staff to deal with the three kittens.

Dr Cutajar said that back in May, after reports of cats wandering in the wards and because of the risk of infection, signs had been put up discouraging the feeding of cats near the entrances to certain wards, but these were removed because they were “perceived negatively by Animal Guardians Malta.”

She also said she had no objection to the setting up of cat shelters and feeders outside the hospital grounds, as proposed by the NGO, but that fell under the responsibility of the Luqa Local Council.