Medical emergencies
Why do we need an Emergency Fund?
In our work, we often encounter serious medical cases that require immediate care to prevent the suffering and agony of the animals. These cases vary widely and include conditions ranging from advanced chronic illnesses to severe accidents, such as those involving cars or trains.
We are usually contacted by members of the community, volunteers, or even by certain state institutions who observe the situation and ask for our assistance in handling it. This may involve travelling to the indicated location, transporting the animal to a veterinary clinic, or helping to cover the initial medical expenses.
As these are critical cases where the suffering is extreme and the animal’s life depends on urgent intervention, traditional fundraising methods cannot be implemented in time.
A dedicated fund for serious medical cases is essential precisely because such situations are unpredictable. They can arise at any moment, regardless of our financial availability, and the pain experienced by the animals does not pause simply because we lack the funds to treat it.
The impact of our mission
In 2023, we took on over 40 urgent and extremely serious cases where we were the last resort: a kitten whose paw had been severed by a train, a mother cat (with four kittens) who had two of her paws torn apart, a tomcat with his tail ripped off by another animal, multiple cases of road traffic accidents, several street cats with severe infections or infestations, kittens suffering from acute respiratory issues, several cats with FIP, and elderly cats with chronic illnesses enduring excruciating pain every day.
Costs and financial challenges
Although we go through a lengthy process of prioritisation, guidance, and consultation before taking on a new case, we frequently face the dilemma of having to refuse cases, precisely due to financial limitations and the responsibilities we already have towards the over 50 souls permanently in our care, either at the cat house or in foster homes.
New cases involve unpredictable and often significant costs, which places enormous and long-term financial pressure on our already limited resources. While we may estimate the initial cost of an emergency consultation, further investigations, tests, treatments, and hospitalisation vary from case to case, making it a major challenge in efficiently managing our available budget.
Our constant challenge is to divide the budget between the cats already in our care, whose quality of life must be maintained to at least a satisfactory standard, the sterilisation of community cats, and emergencies.
Community support
We aim to be a refuge for those with big hearts and limited resources, supporting both the community and the cats around us. We envision a united society that does not turn a blind eye to cats in distress and has someone to turn to when faced with overwhelming situations.
This is only possible with financial stability that enables us to carry on with our mission, even in the face of medical emergencies. An emergency fund would allow us to intervene promptly and effectively in critical cases, without compromising the quality of life of the animals in our care and without turning away those who have no means, but cannot remain indifferent to the agony of the animal in their arms.
Transparency and community involvement
We are committed to being transparent about the funds we raise, regularly publishing details of how we spend and the stories of the animals we help on our social media pages and in our annual reports. It is only through active involvement and collaboration that we can create the society we want, a society that is empathetic to the animals around us, but does not put pressure on the individual, managing crisis situations through collective involvement and support of NGOs!
Together we make the world a better place, one cat at a time!
