The U.S. government temporarily suspended a plan to remove the iconic stray cats living in a historic district of Puerto Rico’s capital until a lawsuit against the project is resolved, a nonprofit organization announced on Monday.
The ruling was celebrated by those opposing the decision of the U.S. National Park Service to remove approximately 200 cats roaming a coastal fortress built by Spain during the colonial era.
“It’s a short-term victory, but in the long term, these cats are still in danger,” said Yonaton Arnoff, a lawyer for Maryland-based Alley Cat Allies.
The cats, long a tourist attraction, are both loved and disliked by those who visit and live in Old San Juan, where the 16th-century fortress known as “El Morro” is located. It is part of the San Juan National Historic Site operated by the U.S. National Park Service.
The federal agency warned in 2022 that the cat population had increased and that the felines could transmit diseases to humans and were likely harming wildlife, adding that the smell of urine and feces had overtaken the site.
In late 2023, the agency announced it would hire an animal welfare organization to remove the cats, and if the selected organization failed to do so within six months, authorities would hire an animal control agency.
The National Park Service did not respond to a message seeking comment.
The agency held public hearings on the plan that became heated, as critics noted that the selected organization would decide if the trapped cats would be put up for adoption, fostered, kept in a shelter, or face other options.
In a phone interview, Arnoff said that removing the current cats is an impossible task, as new cats will take their place.
“They will have to keep doing it forever,” he stated.
