Little lighter tonight...

I feel so guilty for not writing for few days - I was so awfully busy at work! I come home dead tired, and although I know I should do a post, I cannot.

I have some good news on little one-eyed Danko: Danica's friend, who lives two blocks from the vet-eye specialist, and with whom Danica had to leave Danko after the surgery , because Danko had to get shots, and it is so close - well, that wonderful Snezana is taking Danko! Danica is extremely happy, because she was very much worried about what to do with the little one after the therapy is over...Obviously, it did not take much for Snezana to realize that Danica has too many needy cats... God bless Snezana!

Tonight I would like to present a cat named Treca Sreca - since this name/term is not easily translatable, let call her T.S. Well, that T.S. is a real beauty, and Danica found her a year ago on the street as a tiny, screaming kitten (what else). T.S. has since grown into a real beauty, and is one of the nicest cats Danica takes care of (behavior wise). Of course, all the cats have their very, very different, distinguished personalities, and T.S. is very sweet, very calm, and dear cat. Especially if you compare it with , let's say, Tufnica, the little one who recently got spayed... Danica says that little girl is the most spoiled cat, very obnoxious, and goes to the bathroom by literally getting into the bag with unused litter! Danica says, since she has no money to buy enough litter, she often recycles it, and most of the cats, if they do not go out for some reason to do their business, will go into the recycled litter - not Tufnica! She insists on clean and nothing less.

I am trying to write about funny, light things tonight, because, I do not want to bore you with sad things all the time. My friend Iva will go there soon and give Danica personally cashed donations...

Here again, I want to thank all the people who offered money, nice words, support: it means a whole universe to Danica!!! I think that my friend Iva, who is going to Serbia on the 6th, will take more money to Danica then I could ever send her in a month! I am hoping that she will be able to pay all the vet's bills and give a man Viktor money when he goes to Hungary, to bring her a lot of cat food and some medicine ( it is much cheaper in Hungary).

I am enclosing two pictures of T.S. (when she was just found, and today), and some shelter pictures. Some of the residents that are on these pictures are not there any more...some were killed, some just disappeared...I wish I could tell you that they are not there any more because they were adopted, but that is not the case.

Well over 100 degrees in Novi Sad

The heat has been unbearable there. it is over 40 degrees Celsius, and most of the cats have gotten fleas, which is a huge problem for her. She must administer anti-flea medicine alone, by giving them flea baths, and it is far from easy - anyone who has ever owned a cat knows it. I have never tried to give a bath to my cat. Still Danica does it , to all of them , and , real miracle, they let her do it. They do not like it, but they do not hurt Danica.

Also, cat named Frca, that Danica has had around for few years now, disappeared for several days. Danica looked and searched everywhere, because, she was afraid that Frca might have been hurt, or run over by a car, but to no avail... Finally, this evening, she found her stuck in a basement. Frca somehow got in, and then could not get out. Danica says she was very dehydrated and scared. Safe now, though.

No other big news in the shelter these days. Food is really scarce, and she is increasingly worried where to get it, and how to pay for it. I have several donations promised, and a friend who is going to Serbia on the 6th of August, will take cash to Danica. For once, I can avoid Western Union fees. I want to thank once again the people that promised their help, and let them know how it is really big psychological support for Danica, in addition to the fact that it makes her life easier.

Marponi is, more or less, the same, and will eat only beef. Extra burden to Danica's wallet. But, he is the oldest, she jokes, and deserves some fine food in his last days. Others eat whatever she gives them - mostly boiled fish. Canned food and bagged crunchies are too expensive at the moment, because the man that used to go to Hungary and bring much cheaper cat food, is still not going. She cannot afford cat food in Novi Sad.

Danko is still at her friend's house, because, he still gets shots, and the vet is two blocks away. It would be, otherwise, 20 kilometres for Danica, every day, on her bike. Impossible in that heat. Danica's regular vet clinic is much closer to her home, but this vet is eye specialist. Danica says that Danko is really getting better. The surgery wound is healing well. She also says he is really, really cute and sweet little boy, very cuddly. She is, though, afraid to think what she will do with him after the therapy is over. They both are trying to find him a permanent home.

In the meantime, I could not get out of my mind a story I read yesterday at the Drudge report, on a kitten being set ablaze by two teenage girls. Some real sick, evil people, I guess, exist everywhere. For me, their age makes no difference, and I have no understanding just because they are teenagers, or have bad family situation. I find it horrible and repulsive anyway.

Finally, here are the pictures of little Danko after the eye surgery. The vet said that he probably was not in big pain, because, the whole thing was just dead and hanging. It must have been very uncomfortable, though. The vet also said that Danko is about 8 or 9 weeks old. So, it is beyond me how could anyone harm him so badly.
I would like to thank some poeple here: a lady called Karen, and catsthatlooklikehitler.com, and certain Ryan, for their generous help. Words are not enough to thank them.
Danica would like very much Danko to get adopted. She will try everything there, but I'm not holding my breath. The cats that have the shelter in her shelter, go out, but, he is too young, and without an eye.. He should find a loving home.
Currently he is at her friend's house, primarily for it is close to the vet's office, and Danko must get special therapy every day ( a shot), for several days.

New, badly wounded kitten

Danica has sent me an e mail this morning, with some horrifying pictures of a kitten she found last night while she was taking garbage out. I am not posting the photos, for a simple reason: they are so painful and graphic that I do not want to hurt and offend people who may come to blog, but are not ready for such things. The kitten's left eye is hanging out, and his head is all bloody; one of his front legs is also hurt, and he has mange. Danica was shocked when she saw him, but he was screaming and she took him in. She cleaned him little bit, and gave him food, and he even ate, but she could tell he was in pain. She is taking him first thing in the morning to the vet's clinic, to have him operated on (she thinks that the whole thing will be taken out, and properly cleaned, and shut together, and that the vet will put him on the antibiotics and strong sedatives). At least, she will request all that. Does she have money for it? No. She will, as most of the time, ask for delayed payment. She has been taking cats to the same vet clinic for years, so they know her, and they allow it. But, they never do it for free, ever. Which I also find little strange, because she has been going there for many years, and she always eventually pay for all the services.
Anyway, the most important thing now is that he goes in tomorrow. I will post some photos of him after the operation. His name is Danko.
Today, instead, I will post a picture of Danica on her bike, with cats in the cages, going to the vet. Most of the time she has no money for the gas.

Today is a very, very special day for Danica, because, I had first comment left , and there is someone who wants to help! I feel so guilty for not having time to do a new post every day. I will try my best, because if there is only one person who comes to this blog to see what is new with Danica's shelter - I must do it!
Danica told me yesterday that her sleep is almost non existing, because, the moment she closes her eyes, she starts having nightmares of the pound people coming and knocking on her door. She heard from some neighbours that they lately have renewed thier visits to the diffrent parts of the city, simply taking cats from the street, basically, to be killed.

Danica gave Majkan away to one of her good friends. Here is his picture, and when I asked her why she picked him, she said that he is currently the only kitten and a very, very friendly one on top of it, so for sure doomed to be easily caught and killed.

Danica's little hand-made shelter

I have wanted for a long time to tell a story of Danica's shelter - it is not really a shelter the way we have them here; Danica turned a garage and a part of a basement into the shelter, and she had to do EVERYTHING alone. She made the cages and shelves with a little help from a carpenter she knows; all the pillows, and little beds, and covers she made with her own hands. Homeless cats actually consider it their home, and Danica also cut out small doors at the bottom of the doors, so the cats can come and go freely. That is all fine. However, it is not a shelter in a sense that there are no donations coming, there is no staff, nobody comes, ever, to adopt kitties. Since I have known her, Danica managed to find permanent homes for only two cats: one-legged Amadeus (his Serbian name is Bogoljub , which literally means "the one who loves God"); and then for a yellow kitten who was taken in by a nice girl and her father. And that is it. No adoptions. There is no way for her to offer the cats for adoption, except by word of mouth among the neighbors she trusts.



Here are several pictures of Danica's little, brave, big hearted shelter. Again - if you would like to help by virtually adopting a kitty from her shelter, she would highly appreciate it. Just send me an e mail at dpecanin@gmail.com.