GUARDIANS OF THE WHISKERS: Ayuda Michis Colony caretakers, rescuers & adoption advocates — Cadrete, Zaragoza
- Jun 14
- 3 min read
Just feeding street cats is not enough. Sandra and Adrián have known this for 27 years.Based in Cadrete, Zaragoza, Spain, just the two of them manage 7 colonies, 3 feeding points, and almost 100 cats.
They also sterilise, rescue, provide medical care, foster and find homes. Every day, rain or shine.
Over time, their spend grows. Some cats don’t make it. Many do recover and find a home. That’s what keeps them going.Their dream is to get a land and a house where they can bring all the cats they care for.
If you can help make that happen, reach out to them directly.
Follow them:@rescate_de_gatos on Instagram and RescateMichisyGuaus on Facebook. You can also become a Teamer to support their work, donate food or supplies, adopting, or volunteering if you’re near Cadrete.
This is their story:
Ayuda Michis Colony caretakers, rescuers & adoption advocates — Cadrete, Zaragoza
WHO THEY ARE
Organisation: Ayuda Michis / RescateMichisyGuaus Platform: Facebook (primary), Instagram Team: 3 people total, 2 actively operating Scope: 7 feral colonies + 3 feeding points, approximately 100 cats Activities: Colony management, sterilisation, fostering, adoption, rescue
THE INTERVIEW
How did your story helping cats begin?
27 years ago, when I moved to a village and saw first-hand the reality for stray cats there. What I found was not pretty — and I could not look away.
What is the biggest myth about stray or rescued cats that simply is not true?
"Cats are fine on the street." That phrase. I hate it. The idea that cats can fend for themselves outside, that the street is somehow their natural home — it is one of the most damaging misconceptions we fight against every day.
What common mistake do people make when trying to help cats — and what should they do instead?
Feeding without sterilising. People feed the cats they find on the street, and that is kind — but if they do not sterilise them too, the colony just keeps growing. Every animal you feed on the street should be sterilised. That is the rule.
What is the hardest part of rescue work that almost nobody sees?
Showing up every single day. Rain, sun, sick or well — the colony route does not stop. In my case that is at least two hours, every day of the year, no exceptions.
On the financial side: the bills pile up and you cannot always pay them, but animals keep arriving in bad shape and you cannot leave them without vet care. You just cannot.
And emotionally — the number of animals that die over the course of a year, despite everything. Despite expensive hospitalisations, despite doing the impossible. They still leave. And then you go from one colony to the next, knowing you cannot take them all home with you.
If someone watching could only do one thing today to help cats, what would it be?
Donate a plot of land with a house so I could move all the animals I currently care for there. Over 80 of them.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Money donation (Bizum): 636373073 Bank transfer: ES54 2100 4922 1322 0025 0345 (CaixaBank) Become a Teamer — just €1/month: teaming.net/los-rescates-de-sandra-michis Donate food or supplies: Contact them directly via Instagram or Facebook Donate vet credit: Centro Veterinario Cuarte, Calle Ramón y Cajal
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