Catapult Tobago tourism to new heights

On November 19, two former Mount Irvine Bay Resort (MIBR) "stray cats," accompanied by a Trinidadian animal lover, flew from Tobago to "Trini" homes. Born at the hotel, these cats were tame, thanks to animal-loving guests, who would play with and cuddle them, and sometimes feed them if they were in the vicinity of the restaurant.

Recently, the hotel management decided to have the cats removed, as the Department of Health does not look kindly on animals in close proximity to restaurants.

Thankfully, this removal was humane in nature (the hotel reached out for help in finding homes for the cats), unlike the unacceptable approaches, such as poisoning or dumping, taken by some other venues.

The two cats, particularly the handsome young ginger named "Irvine," were favourites with many guests. Their charm was widely spread via word of mouth and social media.

I too had experienced Irvine's allure. Earlier this year, whenever I taught yoga at MIBR, Irvine would leave his tourist companions poolside and saunter over to join our outdoor sunset class. He would lounge nearby, play with participants or sit grooming himself before meandering back to his doting fans.

Irvine, along with other hotel feral animals, had been neutered at one of three low cost spay/neuter clinics, organised by Venus Doggess Of Love and Dr Raymond Deonanan/Worldwide Regional Assistance Programme, held at Mount Irvine Bay Resort between 2019 and 2022. Spaying/neutering is advised to keep the hotel feral population down, while the resident colony continues their job of managing vermin and protecting their territory from potential feline invaders.

A friend, Sharon, recently flew over to Tobago to meet two of her friends (Maggie and Gabor) who were docking in Tobago on the Celebrity Silhouette cruise ship. She met them and whisked them by car to MIBR for lunch – an experience more pleasant than that endured by 300 of their fellow passengers, who were left stranded when taxi drivers with whom they had booked tours never showed up to collect them.

While lunch and the hotel's ambience were pleasant for the visitors, the highlight of their excursion, as shown by photographs, was time spent cuddling, stroking and enjoying the incomparable hospitality of Irvine (who made a brief celebrity appearance) and his grey-and-white friend.

Smitten by the cats, Maggie and Gabor were reluctant to leave them. They informed Sharon that they would love to fly the grey-and-white cat to live with them in the US if a suitable local home was not found for her in the event of the hotel's call for her removal.

In my work with animal rescue and welfare in Tobago I have met many tourists who make contact for animal-related reasons – eg, an animal is in distress (and therefore so are they), they have witnessed an act of cruelty or neglect, or they have bonded with an animal that they wish to adopt and take home (usually, UK, Europe, US or Trinidad),

The average homeless dogs and cats, often overlooked from a local perspective as eyesores or pests, actually make excellent tourism mascots.

Hotels in particular would do well to spay/neuter their feral cat population and set up feeding stations away from the restaurant (so that cats are not encouraged to beg at mealtimes), with comfortable, dedicated areas where guests can relax and play with the tamer cats.

On a recent trip to Trinidad, I visited the Tenderheart Cat Cafe (IG: @tenderheartanimals) on the grounds of Tenderheart Veterinary Clinic, 2 Deane Street, St Augustine. This impressive, peaceful space is a cat-lovers' haven – multiple rooms (airconditioned), comfortable sofas, unique cat-themed artwork and decor, books, free Wi-Fi, pleasant music piping through Bluetooth speakers, musical instruments (acoustic guitar, electric bass, amps, keyboard) for those who wish to entertain the very friendly, well-adjusted feline residents. For a $40 donation, visitors can relax, play with the cats (an activity with many health benefits), and enjoy French-pressed coffee, tea, water and snacks.

Even a much simpler cat-cafe concept, established at any willing hotel, would be a huge attraction for animal-loving guests, while providing a humane and inspiring way of "dealing with" the property's feline population. Donations can cover the cost of their upkeep. Adoption can help population control, and social media and word-of-mouth promos can boost the hotel's popularity globally. A win-win situation for all.