Happy New Year!

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He was always special

More than 10 years ago, Tabadzija and his brothers were born not far from the building I lived in. They were growing up together under the watchful eye of their mother and turned into cute little fellows. One day, unexpectedly, Tabadzija suddenly disappeared. I looked for him everywhere but he was nowhere to be found, as if the earth had swallowed him up. The other three kittens were adopted.

A few months later, while I was riding my bike in a completely different part of town, I heard a familiar “meow” and there he was, standing in someone’s yard. He was not a kitten anymore, he was bigger and heavier, but he was as sweet and handsome as I remembered him. When I called his name, he ran towards me and jumped into my bike basket. The owner of that house told me the kitty appeared some time ago, they were feeding him and liked him a lot. I didn’t know whether to take him or not, I gently put him on the ground and tried to leave but then he began to run after me trying to jump into my bike basket. Finally, we went home together.

The next few years he was living in my garage, fighting with all the other cats and that’s how he got his name - Tabadzija means The Batterer. He was going out whenever he wanted and then he vanished again. I haven’t seen him for almost a year, until I ran into him by accident and discovered that he was living near restaurant. When he saw me, he followed me home but continued to return there. For quite some time he kept coming and leaving. But something strange was going on – whenever any of my cats died or was killed, he arrived as if he knew it. I think he witnessed every burial in all those years…

Couple of months before we all moved to the shelter, Tabadzija came to my garage and stayed there. He didn’t want to go out at all, it might sound silly but it seemed he somehow knew we were supposed to leave and didn’t want to be left behind. And here he is now, living life to it’s fullest.

Merry Christmas!

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Cat on the roof

A couple of years ago I saw a flyer in my neighborhood about a tomcat that appeared on the roof of an adjacent building. Nobody knows how he got there, I guess that he was thrown out of the roof door and left on the roof. He was terribly thin, distrustful and scared to death. Later on, I named him Juhu-hu.

I wanted to get him down instantly, but he was unapproachable. For almost ten days I have been feeding him up there. Ultimately, I managed to catch him and put him in the carrier. He was neutered nearly immediately and placed into my garage. Even when the door of his cage was open, he had no intention of going out.

A few months later we moved to the shelter and all of my cats, Juhu-hu included, discovered a beautiful new life of freedom. He was finally able to experience the joy of playing with no fear and the peace of sleeping with no worries. He became a big, powerful, bright, magnificent tomcat. Lately, he even lets me pet him…

Bring joy to Felix kitties

Felix cats need your help! There are several ways to support almost 100 kitties from a private, no-kill, cage-free cat shelter in Serbia. Make a difference today!

If you care about Felix kitties, please consider donating as much as you can. The situation is difficult right now. Gas bills are mounting although the real cold weather hasn’t even begun. Last year, I took a loan to pay for the heating system and when it was finished I thought that my kitties’ health problems were over. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a solid fuel storage and the fuel itself was nowhere to be bought. I couldn’t keep the fire going all night, more than 30 cats were sick and the most delicate ones didn’t survive. It was necessary to install gas heating system which is much more efficient but it is not paid off yet.

Every cat lover knows cats are heat – seekers. Most of my kitties barely go outside these days, they all prefer to sit on radiators. Their rooms are comfortable and cozy and seeing them enjoying their time makes my heart sing. And I hope you can recognize this feeling, because I cannot cover all expenses without help of caring, benevolent people like you.

Winter is very harsh here, with lots of strong, icy cold and bitter winds. The outside night temperature was -13° C already and I fear that the worst is yet to come. I remember that last year’s lowest temperature reached 27° degrees below zero. Considering that I have almost 15 chronically ill kitties, and 25 older than 15 years, it’s essential to keep them warm. Please, help my kitties make it through the cold months. We can’t let them down now, can we?

My kitties and I have always been grateful for your unselfish support and are now, more than ever. Every donation counts!

If you’d rather virtually adopt one (or more) of Felix kitties, you can find their photos in my album Cats for virtual adoption (there's a link in the sidebar). All Felix cats need nutritious food and quality medical care. For 30 $ per month you can sponsor a kitty you choose (each cat can have multiple sponsors) and I’ll send you all the informations about and photos of “your” kitty on a regular basis. When you sponsor a cat, your donations are used to help all cats in my care.

You can make a difference!

Zlatan is gone

It’s with deep regret that I announce the sudden and totally unexpected passing of my beautiful Zlatan. He was corpulent, playful and apparently healthy until last night when I found him just laying on one of the shelves that have been placed in all cats’ rooms. When I picked him up he was completely listless, he seemed unable to move, he was breathing but just let his head and legs go limp. He died silently in his carrier this morning, on our way to the vet.

Zlatan hasn’t had a happy life. He has already been on the verge of death twice but managed to survive. Three years ago he was horribly injured and it took him more than a month to heal but he did, eventually. A few months later he got trapped somewhere and I couldn’t find him for weeks. He finally appeared dehydrated and emaciated, nothing but skin and bones. Both times I did everything that could be done, took him to the vet innumerable times and nursed him back to health. This time, I couldn’t do anything at all.

Undoubtedly, the biggest sorrow of his life was the passing of his sweetheart Pukilence who died suddenly last year and I think he never got over the loss. They were inseparable and so close to each other that he couldn’t overcome losing her. He spent months grieving over her death and although he seemed to have recovered he was never the same. I guess he simply couldn’t bear to live without her.

May he run free now with Pukilence, his eternal love. Rest in peace, golden boy.

The price of a life

I came upon Cinco last year, while I was wandering through the market. One of pet food sellers was also selling three tiny kitties which were confined in a bird cage, 5 euros each. Shocked and appalled, I couldn’t believe my eyes! All kitties were sick and thin, desperate and totally helpless.

I knew I had to find a box somewhere before taking those kitties as I didn’t have a cat carrier with me. By the time I got back, two of the kittens had already been sold and Cinco was the only one left. Terrified and distrustful, that fragile emaciated calico kitty was the same age as my Archi. Needless to say I took her with me.
Cinco was horribly thin and full of worms and fleas, she also had an eye infection and persistent diarrhea. Her tail was broken in three places. She's been under treatment for months.

Archi and Cinco were inseparable from the start, playing, licking each other and sleeping together. Both of them were rather delicate and they needed special care, but they grew up into beautiful cats.

When I let them outside at the beginning of June they were thrilled and happy, a little bit confused but happy nonetheless. They adjusted to their new way of life rather quickly. Cinco is big and well rounded now, she has striking good looks and the personality to match. She isn’t friendly with strangers but she is cuddly with me, as long as I don’t show what she considers to be a lack of respect. Every time I try to give her any kind of medicine I know she’ll hold me in contempt for ages…

Such a change of heart

Kasper was the last cat I took from Etela’s burnt shelter near Backa Topola. When I went to the site of the fire for the first time he was up there somewhere on the remains of the roof, unapproachable and uncatchable. My second try to trap him was also in vain. It was not until the third time that I finally caught him. He was struggling like a wild beast, scratching and biting, he almost broke out of his carrier, he was growling and hissing at me – it was very dramatic.

I took him to the vet immediately to have him castrated in the hope that he would calm down and brought him to my shelter. He spent the night in his carrier. You cannot imagine my surprise when I heard him purring the next morning! As soon as he got out of his carrier he began to rub his head against my hand, to snuggle and cuddle with me, as though as he knew that he was finally safe. It was such an incredible change!

So Kasper’s new life has begun. He’s affectionate toward everyone he meets and gets along perfectly with all other cats, showing no aggression. He still follows me through the shelter and cuddles all the time, cute as candy. His favorite sleeping spot is in a treetop.

With winter at our doorstep

Winter is approaching fast, it is getting colder and colder every day and this chilly, wet weather affects almost all of my kitties so they are getting sick more often. Especially sensitive are the oldest cats, the chronic patients, and the new kitties that arrived this year and are not yet fully adapted to the life in the shelter. A virus is making rounds, causing fever, sneezing and discharge from the eyes. Older cats are not eating well and are lethargic – I honestly hope they will survive this winter. The fact that some of them are over 15 years old makes me even more preoccupied. Gomboc, one of my chronically ill kitties with FUS is in crisis again, like last year when he barely made it through the cold months. Many recently arrived kitties are already under treatment. With every new day new problems appear and it’s hard and exhausting for me but I won’t let my kitties down. Every kind of help is greatly appreciated and more than welcome.

Last winter was harsh, the shelter was snowed in and heating did not work. This year the heat is on, but the number of cats is much greater and it will not be easy - there is a lot of work and a lot of worry again. I must admit I’m getting tired, but for the sake of my kitties I have to carry on fighting...

Four lucky kitties

Tortoiseshell cats, just like calico cats, are believed to be bearers of good luck. Many cultures have torties in high regard. To me my torties are beautiful creatures that make me smile and bring me joy, affection and love.

Muppet Show was the first of my lucky charms. I picked her up from the street when she was just a tiny kitten, shy, fearful and distrustful. She lived in my garage for months and seemed to relax somewhat. After the spay surgery she didn’t feel well and her recovery was long and difficult. Her stomach remained swollen for quite some time and the vet told me she may have some congenital disorder that can’t be treated. Notwithstanding, she hasn’t shown any signs of illness for years now, she behaves like any other cat and I hope she’ll stay that way.

I found Maja and Masha last winter, or to be honest they found me – both of them approached me on the street in a lapse of several days and literally begged me to take them, running after me, meowing and yowling… I don’t think that they knew each other, they just lived in the same neighborhood. On the grounds that I have never been able to turn my back on a cat in desperate situation (it was freezing outside) I took both of them home. And here they are, sweet and lovable from the very beginning.

Mara is one of Etela’s cats and she was the last one to arrive. She recovered rather quickly from everything she had to endure in Etela’s burnt shelter. She was lucky, and now she is happy too. Undoubtedly, all of my torties are.

From sadness to happiness

Speki is one of the cats rescued from a shelter near Backa Topola that burnt to the ground. Before I went there and took 18 kitties to my shelter (and one more a week later) three of Etela’s cats had already been picked up and sent to some wild “shelter” near Belgrade. Speki was among them.

They have all been brought to me in June, after spending three months in that place. Although he doesn’t look so skinny in pictures Speki was emaciated, bony and terrifyingly thin, full of worms and fleas, he even had mange and some fungal disease. While he was there, he had been castrated at the Center for stray animals but the wound got infected so he had to have a surgery again. When he arrived here, a week of medical treatment was necessary before any intervention. It was really heartbreaking watching him looking so miserable.

It took quite a long time for him to recover but he did, eventually. He still has blurred vision in his right eye (probably due to an old injury) and swollen lymph nodes as well. Thorough examination will be needed to discover the nature of his problems. During the past few months he gained a lot of weight and now seems to enjoy life at my shelter. After all he has been through, Speki became a happy kitty, nice looking, amicable and lovable.

Two silver kitties

Mastika and Silvestra are two beautiful kitties, very much alike, each one of them with a sad life story.

Mastika was found with the most terrible mastitis, after losing her kittens which had presumably been killed. She wasn’t more than a year old. After two weeks of treatment, she was spayed and found a refuge in my garage. She didn’t want to come out for six months, scared to death of unknown people and street life. Luckily, we all moved to the shelter and she can finally enjoy the sun and a nice, playful and comfortable life, completely free of fear.

Silvestra was rescued from a yard in my hometown after an attempt of certain people to put all cats into bags and take them away (and kill hem, presumably). She was scared and confused but recovered rather quickly. Despite her bad experience Silvestra loves people and is lovable and cuddly with everyone. She's a real sweetie!