Genk (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Genk installs its 1st stray cat shelters to improve animal welfare and control numbers. Shelters were built by vzw Bo and painted by children from De Kastert after-school program.
As VRT News reported, Genk has started placing its 1st shelters for stray cats as part of a wider plan to improve care for animals living on the streets. City officials say the shelters fill a clear need and will help volunteers manage and support local cat groups in a more practical way.
“We know there’s a large colony of stray cats here,”
says Genk Alderman for Animal Welfare Anniek Nagels (CD&V)
“We also know it’s our responsibility as a city to provide shelters for these animals, as well as to sterilise them. With our cat catcher, we try to catch and sterilise as many cats as possible. This way, we keep the population under control. Moreover, sterilised cats cause less nuisance.”
How Are Genk Kids and vzw Bo Helping Stray Cats This Winter?
The shelters are made by vzw Bo, a Genk non-profit that normally offers daytime activities with dogs for people with disabilities. Caregivers and members worked together to create shelters suited to the animals’ needs.
“It’s a great way to spend the day for our people, and we’re really making a difference,”
says Wout Nuts of the non-profit organisation Bo.
“We’ve already received a lot of positive feedback from Genk residents who also want a house like this. We’re still looking into whether that’s feasible.”
Officials mentioned that the shelters made by VZW Bo received a bright and playful finish thanks to the children from the after-school care centre in De Kastert. The children spent several afternoons adding colour to the huts. They used simple, strong shades that made each shelter stand out.
“The painting wasn’t that difficult. We mostly chose purple and blue,”
says Mohamed. His friend Yusuf explains why they wanted to help.
“It gets colder in the winter, and then the kittens don’t have a warm place to sleep. That’s why I’m glad we were able to make these houses for them.”
Genk’s new cat shelters link up with a broader effort to control the stray-cat population, a policy the city has been expanding in recent years. Local rules ask residents to report stray cats so they can be caught, sterilised and returned, a method used across Flanders. In 2022, more than 15,000 stray cats were recorded in similar programmes in the region.
