Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Not just a story, this is fond farewell






I don’t even know how to start telling this story without bursting into tears. Every time I think of Dreca, it all comes flooding back. My concern over the tiny tortured kitten she once was, the struggle for her life, the extreme happiness for succeeding in helping her, and the pure joy of watching her grow into a beautiful, noble, big-hearted kitty. The intense fear I had for her safety when she insisted on going outside, followed by a total emotional breakdown, bitter taste of defeat, endless despair and overwhelming grief when I found her motionless, with a broken spine. All of the joy, all of the beauty, all of the love, all that she had inside, was destroyed in a heinous, senseless act of cruelty. In my heart she still lives on. Free, playful, sweet and loving, far away from mindless violence, malice and horror. My little angel is waiting for me, she’ll jump into my arms again one day and we shall never part. This is the story of my Dreca.

She appeared one summer evening, while I was living in Novi Sad – a tiny little kitten, very skinny, dirty, all beaten up, with bloody discharge from her injured eye. As soon as I picked her up, she went limp, totally relaxed. A long, sleepless night followed, passing by slowly, the hands of the clock were hardly moving and I was encouraging her with all my heart to endure until morning when she would be taken to the vet’s. And she did! My tiny sweetie was a fighter, even then, in such a terrible condition. We miraculously saved her eye, she was gaining weight, growing up and becoming beautiful, but only two months later we faced a new problem, every cat lovers’ nightmare - Dreca and five other kittens were diagnosed with panleukopenia. More visits to the vet, more treatments, more fear of facing another day. Five kittens pulled through, Dreca among them. It seemed that the biggest problems had been left behind. In the next few months, life was like a dream. All of the kitties grew up, new friendships were taking hold, affections were springing up and new adventures were coming one after another. A mild winter, good food, comfortable accommodation – what else could be wished for? Yet Dreca wanted to get to know the big world. She was persistently asking to go outside, drawn by unlimited space and all of those new things to discover. She thought that all people were good. Accustomed to my gentle touch, she seemed to have completely forgotten what she went through while she was living on the street. Or perhaps she thought nothing could happen? I guess I’ll never find out.

With a heavy heart, and a lot of trepidation, I let her go for a walk. I had some strange feelings of uneasiness and a foreboding of impending evil, but my baby girl's eyes were full of confidence that everything would be alright. So she went out and left me waiting. The hours were passing while my fear was growing. As soon as morning dawned I started looking for her. I found her in front of my building, motionless, with a broken spine. My beautiful, beloved white kitty was lying still on the pavement. Pure and innocent, full of love and trust, she was the ideal target for a monster who destroyed the dream and took her life.

Every kitty I have ever loved and lost has left a huge hole in my heart. Dreca broke it completely. I have never gotten over the loss. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, it just help us overcome big tragedies and move forward. Yet whenever we stop for just a moment, it all comes back. And it hurts terribly, it hurts unbearably, it hurts like the first day.

Rest in peace, my little angel.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Repairs in full swing!






Repairs at Felix Shelter began a couple of weeks ago. A lot of building material has arrived, more is on the way. Backyard leveling is in progress. It’s pretty busy at the construction site, with trucks filled with gravel, sand and cement arriving one after another, with workers laying a steel frame in place before pouring the concrete and kitties inspecting all the work that’s being done.

Right now, a large portion of cracked concrete has been removed and everything’s ready for an application of a new concrete layer. If the weather permits, it will be done tomorrow.

After finishing the backyard, if nothing comes up, workers will begin to repair the roof. Support columns will be placed in order to hold up the eaves. More building materials, timber and tiles are yet to be bought. That’s why I made a project on a German fundraising website betterplace.org and you are welcome to check it out.

Will you please help us complete all the work that is needed? We simply cannot do it without your support.

Thank you all in advance for any kind of help you may be able to provide!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Snow - white miracle






Last spring, I received a call from an unknown man from my hometown who told me there was an injured tomcat in his neighborhood, lying on the street for days. A friend of mine provided temporary care for him and he was brought to me a couple of days later. And so Snesko’s path crossed mine.

He was in horrible condition, emaciated and badly injured. His thigh bone was broken and his chin swollen from blunt impact. One of his canines was broken as well, and his nose was filled with clotted blood. He had probably fallen off someone’s balcony.

When Snesko came into my care, his injuries were already a few days old. A surgery was performed and a metal rod was inserted into his broken thigh bone. He also got an external splint. Six weeks later, a metal rod placed into the bone was removed and he slowly began to learn to walk again. In the meantime, it turned out he was deaf.

Although truly sweet and cuddly with me, Snesko had behaved aggressively towards other cats for quite some time, but eventually he calmed down a little. He is still limping but he is better than he was and slowly continuing to improve. Like most deaf cats, he doesn’t have a clue about how loud he is meowing as he cannot hear himself, so he cries loudly all the time. Nevertheless, despite all difficulties, being able to help him brings me great feelings of achievement and fulfillment. In my eyes, he’s a miracle.

Monday, May 7, 2012

There's a new girl in town!

Speki seems very interested in Farrah. Is it platonic love or romantic friendship?

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

A rare golden beauty






Farrah is the most recent addition to my shelter. This golden beauty was found on the street, sick, horrifyingly thin and scared beyond words. She was obviously a stray, who somehow ended up in a place where six cats were killed by roaming dogs in just one night. I had no other choice but to step in.

A visit to the vet revealed that Farrah had calicivirus, so quarantine measures have been implemented. She was terrified of other cats and being alone suited her. After four weeks of medical treatment she was declared healthy and I slowly introduced her to resident cats. All of them were very friendly towards her, they were always around and she started to relax little by little. She still didn’t seem eager to leave her cage yet she was becoming more self-confident every day.

When I took Farrah to be spayed, it turned out she had pyometra which would’ve killed her if her uterus wasn’t promptly removed. It was only then that she started to flourish. And she finally got out of her cage and joined other kitties in the yard. She is getting more and more beautiful day by day and she knows she is safe and loved. Nothing more, but also nothing less.