Paulinha Protetora has been rescuing dogs and cats from the streets of Fortaleza since 2017

Protectors are people who love animals, love them so much that many go beyond their own limits to care for and protect them – and often getting money from where there’s not to provide that care. This is the case of Paula Gomes, a saleswoman at a shopping center in Fortaleza, Ceará, where she lives. She currently cares for 105 animals, most of them cats.

The project began in 2017, when Paula started working at an animal abandonment point next to her home, offering support with medication and food. At that time, she still had no idea what the “animal cause” really was, as she helped in a more punctual way and only when she could afford it. But the number of abandoned animals in the place began to increase every day. That was when Paulinha began to take the puppies to her mother’s house, with the purpose of caring for them, feeding them and, when ready, she put them up for adoption.

Paulinha’s love for animals grew more and more – proportional to the number of animals she rescued. There came a time when the number of kittens grew so much that she was forced to rent a house just for them, as she had no more space in her mother’s house. Even though she was doing continuous work, Paula found herself alone, without much knowledge about rescues and what to do next, and especially without help. She had never treated so many animals, which made the difficulties increase. Despite some monthly donations and sponsorships, today, 90% of her income is invested in the animals.

Challenges to maintain the Paulinha Protetora project

Today Paulinha faces daily challenges due to the scarcity of resources, especially financial. The average monthly expense, only with feed, reaches R$ 3 thousand, in addition to rent, water, energy, medicines and hygiene and cleaning material. The overall monthly expenses are between R$ 7 and 8 thousand reais. There are times when an animal gets sick, and, consequently, expenses increase due to hospitalization, exams, medications and consultations.

Today, Paulinha no longer rescues animals, as the number is already too high. She believes that at some point a person has to stop or they end up becoming a hoarder – and instead of helping, they end up harming the life and health of the animals, as well as their own life and health. In the first days of each month, Paulinha presents an installment to the project’s donors on her profile.

Adopt an abandoned animal

Visit Paulinha’s Instagram profile for more detailed information.

The project needs donations of food, clothes, hygiene items and toys.

Tips for readers:

To protect yourself from possible scams, visit the place and, if possible, ask for news of the sponsored animal, ask for invoices of products purchased with donated money, vouchers and photos.