The city council has started the practical work of setting up a pet care facility to take care of the increasing number of cats on the streets of the city.

The pet care facility will be built in Hulhumale' Phase II. The project is being implemented by the Male' City Council and the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare.

The facility was inaugurated by Male' City Mayor Adam Azim and Animal Welfare State Minister Maryam Vishama Ahmed.

Under the project, the first phase is to build a cat shelter, the city council said. When the project is completed, various types of pet care facilities will be established.

The temporary shelter will be built in Hulhumale. The government has allocated 5,000 sqft of land in Hulhumale for the shelter. The fence will be completed within the next 20 days and construction will start next week, the city council said.

Azim noted that the first step will be to neuter and spay the cats and transfer cats from the streets of Male', Hulhumale', and Villimale' to the shelter.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare awarded the contract to the Male' City Council on January 25.