By Perley-Ann Friedman | Project Leader and CFO - Lanta Animal Welfare
The Cats Moved In!
We are so excited to tell you that Kitty City is now the home of our rescue cats. While the construction isn't complete, we decided to move the cats into their new home as too many were ending up as fatalities. These poor cats thought they were so smart to escape the cat house during the night, only to meet a speeding car or motorbike.
All our rescue cats are now protected and unable to 'get out'. And they don't want to go anywhere! From the attached video, you'll see that the new cat home you supported is really terrific.
This week we're transitioning the Visitor Centre into Kitty City and moving the shop into its new space. Visitor feedback has been positive and we’ll work hard to keep it that way, as we continue to transition the visitor and cat services into Kitty City.
Over the next month, we'll be organizing and setting up the Kitty Cafe so visitors can have a beverage as they chill with the rescue cats. Our intent with the Kitty Cafe is to increase our cat adoptions. It is important to always have space for newly rescued cats as these poor things continually arrive in our clinic in such desperate shape.
As we get nearer to our 'financial goal' we'll be enhancing the cat socialization and play areas with super cool cat-play structures, a small garden, and creative seating to support cat socialization activities.
Lucifer - The Rescue Cat of the Month
With all the activity around Kitty City, I do want to speak about our cat rescue efforts. This month's cat rescue story is about Lucifer, a desperate sweetheart that came to us with a severely broken leg. The medical needs were above our abilities so we had to send this cat to an animal hospital on the mainland, and yes, there was a hefty bill.
Lucifer returned to us to recover from the surgery that put a pin in his leg. Unfortunately, the recovery didn't go well and he had to return to the hospital for further surgery and tests. As this was now beyond our financial ability, we did a 'call out' to our Facebook supporters. After many posts, we scraped up enough for the treatments.
As of today, Lucifer is still in the hospital and we don't know yet if he'll be crippled for life. We tried all we could for this poor cat, and hopefully, the 'stars will align' and Lucifer will be able to walk again.
Check out the attached video to see this sweet cat before he went to the hospital for the second round of surgery.
Desperate Puppies Need You!
And now a dog story, as we do rescue both cats and dogs. Last week 5 abused puppies were brought to us in the boot of a car. They were rescued by locals from an area abusive to dogs. We were told that the Mum had 11 puppies, but 2 had already died from the cruelty.
We're now raising money for the puppies to pay for their treatments that include vaccinations, food, medicine and medicated baths to treat their skin condition. We're also doing all we can to find the Mum and the 4 missing puppies. Only with the help of our donors can these puppies have a chance to survive.
Our Kitty City Target is so close…
While we've moved into Kitty City, we haven't yet reached our financial goals. To encourage the local businesses to contribute, we've devised a Kitty City’s Walkway Campaign. This involves encouraging people to provide a design for one of the 39 large round slates within Kitty City, for a small monthly donation of $20 US. While we don't want any advertising on these slates, we will have a wall plaque to identify the donors.
The response to this campaign has been slow, but we do hope that once we begin painting the designs on the slates, people will be inclined to join. I've attached the poster so you can see how we're promoting Kitty City involvement with the locals on Koh Lanta.
Next Steps
We are continually and constantly promoting our animal rescue efforts, and now with a focus on Kitty City. We feel that it has already made such a positive impact on our cat rescue services as we are able to provide a healthy and safe environment for our cats as they await their forever homes.
You are all invited to our Kitty City Opening Party that will take place between Christmas and New Year's Day on Koh Lanta. Check our Facebook page mid-December for the date and details. If you can't attend, no problem. In my next report, I'll send you some video from the party, so you can see how we celebrated your generosity and support for our Kitty City Project.
Our rescue cats thank you and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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