“Compassion for animals is closely linked to goodness of character, and one who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.”
Arthur Schopenhauer
I was born and grew up in the Belém neighborhood in Lisbon. Nowadays, the Belém neighborhood is a place inhabited by rich people. When I was a kid (80’s) it was a middle and lower middle class neighborhood. We lived on number 3, 7th street, in a green house that was a kind of community house. It was always a full house, there were a lot of us. The lack of money explains the large number of people who lived there and passed by. Grandparents, parents, uncles, cousins, friends, and of course… Animals, especially cats.
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve felt an enormous compassion for animals. I thought it would pass with time. It didn’t. It has intensified. Seeing an abandoned animal is an image that disturbs me to the core. I suffer intensely from their suffering. Do I like being like this? I don’t. But I am, it’s a fact.
Today we have a sort of community of abandoned animals divided between two houses. At this moment there are 8. There have been more, but the passage of time spares nothing and nobody. All abandoned. We didn’t look for any, they came to us. They know who loves them. And we do, very much.
OUR PET COMMUNITY
I make it a point to show you our community! Here is a brief presentation of each of them. They are all different. Each one has its own personality and idiosyncrasies. Those who have animals (and like them) will understand what I mean.
By using our website to book your vacation you are helping us to maintain our community. And you are also helping us to help animals in animal welfare institutions. 25% of our commissions are donated to one of these organizations.
TOBIAS – Tobias’ owner died some years ago in Alentejo. The relatives of Tobias’s owner were interested in everything that belonged to him. They were not interested in the dog. He was left to his own devices.
We kept him. Tobias is sweet, smart and has people’s eyes. He was probably born in 2012 but we don’t know for sure. Although he is lame (he was run over when he was little), he runs like a gazelle behind cars. He has a love-hate relationship with cats. Sometimes he chases them, sometimes he wants to sodomize them! I’ve had a serious talk with him and told him to stop it. He doesn’t listen to me. Old donkeys don’t learn languages! He lives in Alentejo with my mother.
ESTRELINHA – Estrelinha was born in Alentejo. She came to our door from a nearby village. She was badly treated and ran away from her own house. Whenever we approached her, she yelped. She had a bad time. She understands everything, is sweet and very obedient. Tobias likes her but doesn’t give up one or the other love affair with the cats. I conclude that Tobias is a polygamist and a bit promiscuous. Estrelinha was very lucky to find us.
JOEY – Joey is 14 years old and lives in Lisbon with us. He fell as a baby in our yard. He had a very bad paw and the vet gave us little hope. After 14 years he is still here. He eats more than 5 sachets a day and is afraid even of his own shadow! Every time we sneeze Joey disappears for 10 minutes (scared!)! A well-prepared cat is worth two cats! He is our old man.
PRINCESS – Princess is cross-eyed and was born in 2019 (probably). We found her in Alentejo (near Cercal). She is a special cat. She has everything a “cat lover” likes. She is sweet. She is smart. She is playful. She’s very talkative. She’s a real showstopper! We usually say that, finding the princess was the best thing that happened to us in the last years. She lives with us in Lisbon.
PRETA – Preta found us in Vila Nova de Milfontes in 2014. She was a baby and in a pitiful state. She saw us and followed us home. She went in and never came out again. She is a bit annoying (she meows a lot in the early morning…) but she is nice and very needy. She is in good shape and lives in Lisbon with us.
CONSTANÇA – Another abandoned animal from Alentejo. It was my mother who named him. I don’t like the epithet because it’s a snob name, and I don’t like snobs. We think that Constança is Princesa’s sister. She is also cross-eyed, gray, gentle, and very smart. She lives in Alentejo.
The pictures of Constança’s two daughters are missing. As they are in Alentejo, I don’t have pictures of them yet. Soon they will appear on this page!