My name is Gleyda Tapiero. I was born and raised in Boquete, and today, for the first time, I would like to tell you a little about my story and share something I have learned after many years of helping animals in our community.
I have lived in Boquete all my life. I have watched our little town grow and change. I have seen many people arrive, make Boquete their home, and I have also seen many people leave.
Today, our community is made up of Panamanians and people from many different countries who have chosen Boquete as their home. As a Panamanian and a Boqueteña, I am grateful to those who have come to our country, become part of our community, and contributed their time, experience, generosity, and love to this place we all share.
Throughout my life, I have also witnessed another reality: abandonment, mistreatment, unsterilized animals, families with more animals than they can properly care for, and people who, for different reasons, can no longer—or sometimes simply no longer want to—take responsibility for their animals.
That is why I decided to help.
Today, I have approximately 50 cats in my home, many of them waiting for the opportunity to find a loving family. I also feed and care for approximately 50 additional cats living around a local mechanic shop, a place that over time has essentially become a small cat colony.
Many of these cats are already adults, which makes finding adoptive homes much more difficult.
When a pregnant cat appears, I try to break the cycle: spay the mother, care for her kittens, and find responsible homes for them, making sure they are sterilized when they reach the appropriate age.
After all these years, there is one thing I know for certain:
❤️ “HELPING AN ANIMAL ALSO MEANS THINKING ABOUT THEIR FUTURE.”
To me, rescue cannot simply mean feeding an animal today.
We need to ask ourselves:
What will happen to this cat tomorrow? What will happen five years from now? What will happen when I, as an independent rescuer, am no longer here or am no longer able to help?
Of course we can help a family going through a difficult time. We can assist with food during an emergency, a veterinary visit, medication, or sterilization.
But permanently assuming responsibility for animals that already have owners should not become the long-term solution.
Because if that assistance disappears tomorrow, the original problem remains, and the animal becomes vulnerable once again.
For me, the best kind of help is the kind that leaves something lasting behind: sterilization, education, responsibility, and adoption.
If a family has more cats than they can properly care for, we can help sterilize them to stop the cycle of reproduction and responsibly begin finding homes for those animals that can be adopted.
Helping does not always mean maintaining. Sometimes the most important help we can give is teaching.
And there is something else I feel very strongly about:
ANIMAL RESCUE IS NOT A COMPETITION.
It is not about who rescues the most cats.
It is not about who pays the most veterinary bills.
It is not about who feeds the most animals.
And it is certainly not about who can say they spent the most money.
It is about how many animals we can move out of vulnerable situations and, most importantly, what kind of future we are creating for them.
Over the years, I have also been fortunate to have veterinarians who have supported me and continue to work compassionately with the cats I rescue and help, including Dr. Cuco and Dr. Jansell.
They know my work. They know these are rescued cats or animals genuinely in need. Whenever possible, they have offered me very accessible rates, something for which I am extremely grateful because it allows me to use the resources I have responsibly and help more animals.
They also understand something that I consider fundamental: there is an important difference between helping and maintaining.
Helping means stepping in when an animal truly needs us—providing veterinary care, sterilizing, helping the animal recover, and working toward a sustainable solution.
Maintaining the same situation indefinitely without addressing what caused it simply allows the problem to continue.
That is why the amount of money someone spends should never be the measure of how much they help. The real results are found in sterilizations, recoveries, responsible adoptions, education, prevention, and lasting solutions.
Our goal should be simple:
❤️ EVERY YEAR, FEWER CATS SHOULD NEED TO BE RESCUED.
We do not need to compete. We need to collaborate.
Because one day, we will no longer be here.
And the animals will need what we did for them today to have created a future for them tomorrow.
This is how I see animal rescue, and this is how I want to continue helping the cats of Boquete and Chiriquí.
I also want to express my gratitude to DogCamp Boquete NGO, which has always extended a helping hand whenever I have needed one. Although their sanctuary is primarily dedicated to dogs, throughout the years they have also helped with cat cases whenever possible.
Now, in this new chapter as an NGO in Panama, they have not hesitated to seek support and donations specifically for cats and to develop new ways of addressing this need in our community.
I am also very grateful to them for dedicating space to my story and my work with cats in the first edition of DogCamp Magazine. It was very special for me to share a little about what I have experienced, what I do every day, and most importantly, why I continue doing it.
If you would like to read the article and learn a little more about me and my work with cats, you can find it here:
👉 DogCamp Magazine – First Edition
I am deeply grateful for their support and, above all, for understanding that helping animals should never divide us or become a competition. It should bring us together around one common purpose: creating a community where fewer and fewer animals need to be rescued.
If you would like to learn more about my work, share ideas, or work together in a responsible and sustainable way for the cats in our community, please feel free to contact me:
📧 Gleydacatlady@gmail.com
Let’s work together—not to prove who helps the most, but to build a future where fewer animals need our help.
With love,
Gleyda Tapiero 🐾
