The U.S. government has temporarily halted a plan to remove iconic stray cats that live in a historic district in Puerto Rico's capital until a lawsuit opposing the project is resolved, a nonprofit announced Monday.
The ruling was cheered by those fighting a decision by the U.S. National Park Service to remove an estimated 200 cats that meander a seaside fortress that Spain built in colonial times.
"It's a victory for the short term, but long term, these cats are still at risk," said Yonaton Arnoff, an attorney for Maryland-based Alley Cat Allies.
The cats, which have long been a tourist attraction, are both beloved and reviled by those who visit and live in Old San Juan, where the 16th-century fortress known as "El Morro" is located. It's part of the San Juan National Historic Site that the U.S. National Park Service operates.
The federal agency warned in 2022 that the population of cats had surged and that the felines could transmit illnesses to humans, adding that the smell of urine and feces enveloped the area.
