They say a man's best friend is his dog but still we see many strays on streets countrywide. Well one 22 year old Belmopan resident is finding a solution for that and what started off with just a stray cat being taken care of at her home, is now a major mission. Tonight we take a closer look at Kathlynn Cabanas and her dream of building a full fledged animal shelter:
Most 22-year-olds are chasing careers, planning their futures, or figuring out where life will take them next. Kathlynn Cabanas is trying to figure out how to feed 77 rescued animals. While her degree is in Information Technology, her days are spent rescuing abandoned cats and dogs, finding them medical care, searching for donations, and matching them with families willing to give them a second chance. What began with one stray cat showing up at her family's home has grown into one of the most ambitious grassroots animal rescue efforts in Belize, driven not by cash or clout, just a young woman who simply refuses to look away when an animal needs help:
Kathlynn Cabanas, President - Belikats & Refugio Duky Calliu
"We saw so much need in our community, so many animals that were abandoned. We started with cats, it started with one cat that just showed up in our yard and we started feeding it and one day she showed up with kittens in her mouth. We let her in and over time, more and more cats showed up. And also, so we've been rescuing cats on and off since 2015, but we officially started doing this in an organized manner, January 2025."
"So that is when we made our Facebook page and started accepting cats that the community was rescuing as well. And we do it because we really love animals. We see that they are in need and we want to help. Also, the dogs, we adopted these dogs off of Miss Yesenia, who was rescuing them since 2021. Unfortunately, she had a domestic issue and she had a stroke, so we adopted these dogs from her in October 2025. So that's how we ended up with all of these dogs."
Today, Kathleen and her family care for 53 cats, 16 adult dogs, and eight puppies, animals that were abandoned, neglected, or left with nowhere else to go. The cats stay at her home in Belmopan in rooms she has turned to cat's kingdom and the dogs were transferred to her family's property in Valley of Peace after she received a donation from Builder's Hardware which allowed her to build the 4 compartment enclosure. With that small donation she has done much and now, she is ready to build a complete sanctuary:
Kathlynn Cabanas, President - Belikats & Refugio Duky Calliu
"We want to aspire to have at least another four enclosures for the dogs so that we can accept more from the community, as well as a proper cement structure with different rooms for the cats right in this area where we are, so that the cats can actually have a place where they can be comfortable and safe, where they can recover while we find them forever homes. Right now, the cats are at my house and it's very packed. There's no more space and I really want a place where they can really develop and be socialized while they wait for their homes."
Every month, thousands of dollars are needed to cover food, veterinary care, cleaning supplies, and daily necessities. A single sack of cat food lasts only a few days. Despite the challenges, Kathlynn continues moving forward:
Kathlynn Cabanas, President - Belikats & Refugio Duky Calliu
"One of the greatest challenges is definitely finding food for them on the day-to-day basis. In a month, I spend about $2,000 between the cats and the dogs, their food, their cleaning supplies, materials, vet checkups, everything that I need. It does amount to a lot. So on a day-to-day basis, just finding the food. For cats, I have to buy a sack of food every four days and it's very expensive. So I'm very blessed to have a community of people that whenever I need, they do donate. So it's not all out of my pocket. I do get support in that way. Also for the dogs, sometimes restaurants give bones or chicken skin that they have left over that they have no use for and they donate it to us. So that is such a big blessing for us."
And that support fuels her to keep moving forward to a future where no animal has to be turned away because there is no room left.
Kathlynn Cabanas, President - Belikats & Refugio Duky Calliu
"Not only am I passionate, my family, we're all doing this together as a team. We're very passionate about this because these are God's creatures. As humans, it is our responsibility to be stewards of God's creation and be kind and empathetic. So I do this because I want to help them and be the voice that they need and rescue as many as I can, find homes for as many as I can, and continue to inspire others to do the same."
"If you had told me 10 years ago that I would end up with this many animals, I would have laughed and said no. And then if I thought about it a little bit more, I would have said, you know what, that makes sense. I've been an animal lover since I was very young. My entire family, we have been animal lovers and we grew up with animals around us. So this just feels like a natural progression. And just knowing my heart and knowing that I can't say no and I can't push back and I just keep saying, yes, give me the cats, bring the dogs. It just makes sense that we have come to this point. And I'm very proud of the progress we have made. And I look forward to being able to make a bigger impact in my community."
And this is simply a rehabilitation program as persons in the community can adopt these animals and give them forever homes:
Kathlynn Cabanas, President - Belikats & Refugio Duky Calliu
"My goal is not just to give these animals to just get them to a home quickly, but to make sure that it is a permanent home where they will actually be able to thrive, have the food that they need, the resources. So I do have a very meticulous process, how I go about seeing who will adopt these animals with the cats as well. I asked for a video of the home to see the inside and the outside to see if it is secure. My cats are indoor cats, so I need to make sure they will have their litter box and their food and everything that they need. And they also I also have an adoption form for the cats. So that is the process."
In a world that often measures success through titles, achievements and high paying jobs, Cabanas chose a different dream of canine and feline contentment. Jaleeza Roberts, 7 News.
Anyone wishing to support the initiative can donate to Atlantic Bank account # 2120054981 under Kathlynn Cabanas or contact the number 608-4630
