Hear the touching interview from Katya, our kind-hearted cat lover with a very strong and important message, "Adopt don't Shop"!
What are your thoughts on homeless cats?
I think that homeless cats deserve as much love and attention as cats from the store. They should be taken care of and we, as a society, need to make sure that all cats are living in good conditions, no matter if they are stray or not.
How did you meet the two kittens? I met my first kitten by accident! I went on my daily walk around the neighborhood and noticed that a little kitten was hiding from the rain under the bush. I came home and told my mom what I saw, and she decided to drive there and take the kitten to our home. I met the second kitten in our local cat help group. People were sharing the locations of stray cats or cats they were giving away. My family and I saw that there was a lovely kitten who was about to be sent to the shelter and decided to adopt her.
What was the feeding schedule and what did you feed them with?
We fed the cats with regular cat food and with meat and fish that my grandmother cooked. She is very experienced with feeding the cats, so she knew best what to do. The cats usually ate around 4 times a day, and they were satisfied with that.
What was the health state of the cats?
When we picked the cats up, they had no visible health problems. Of course, we had to wash them from the dirt and give them some medication in case they had some health problems we did not know about, but they did not have anything that couldn’t have been easily treated at home.
Do you believe it's important to neuter stray cats?
I think it is very important to neuter stray cats, especially if you cannot take them home with you. It is one of the best ways to help if you cannot afford to have a cat at your home. This will prevent them from birthing more homeless kittens that could be endangered by living on the streets. Of course, you need to wait until the cat becomes of age to do that. We neutered the cats we picked up on the street because they often went on walks outside. When you do that, make sure that cats are okay for a couple of days after the procedure.
What are the laws about homeless cats in Ukraine?
There are some new laws that were passed in 2020 that prevent people from just having their pets on the street. Once you buy or adopt an animal, you have to put a microchip inside it so that the government can identify the owner. This prevents people from leaving their pets on the street, because if they do, they will be identified and fined for it.
How do you think we can help the cats or animals as individuals?
For starters, we should try to adopt, not shop! If you do not have the opportunity to take in a cat or pet, you can still feed them, take them to the vet, vaccinate and neuter them. If you already have a cat at home, it is important to spend a lot of time with your pet and take great care of it. Do not forget that our little friends also have important milestones in their lives, and you just can’t miss them!
It's the in the heart of every catlover to never stop giving back to these fascinating animals!