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Their Work
Indonesia does not have animal welfare laws that manage strays or domestic animals, so there are no rescue organizations that come to the aid of the abused or neglected, and tragically there are many. Compassion for animals in Bandung is very low, they are treated as commodities through ‘backyard breeding’, and they are treated horribly.
What officially started The Whiskers’ Syndicate, an organization Josie founded some months after her arrival to Indonesia, was a female cat named Grace who belonged to the boarding house she was staying at. Being pregnant, the cat was constantly kicked, hit and starved by the boarding attendant’s young son, and began to take refuge in Josie’s room. Grace gave birth to five kittens and the young son demanded that Josie give Grace and her kittens to his devices but she refused, and was threatened with eviction.
Josie took Whiskers’ Syndicate to the next level when she rescued two small cats that were crushed by a motorcycle and needed extensive vet care. She began by sending their stories and plea out on the Internet. However, along with the pouring support, came a growing number of cats from people who started dumping injured and strays at her doorstep.
Currently there are 35 cats and kittens living under her care, each of them a different victim of neglect and abuse that has left permanent defects on their bodies. Josie has no volunteers, she is providing shelter, food and care for the cats on her own very limited budget and now finds herself facing eviction once again.
We learned of Josie and The Whisker’s Syndicate through many of our concerned supporters who saw her plight on the internet and we are pleased to offer her an International Grant through our Shelters Program. With your support, Josie will be able to find a suitable sanctuary for her animals and will continue her fight for the welfare of animals in Indonesia. Her next mission is to run a TNR (Trap and Release) program with better planning, execution, and greater result so that she can show people that there are better options in stray management other than culling.