September has hit Villa Kitty like a wrecking ball
Bali is in the throes of a steamy love affair, with tourists returning en masse. Cafes and shops throng with customers, the call for “taxi” is everywhere and, alas, the old familiar traffic jams around Ubud are back with a vengeance. Some things never change.
Other things do. One thing that has really changed in the past month is the increasing number of visitors walking through Villa Kitty’s doors. Some read about us on Facebook or followed us on Instagram during the three years without travel and put us on their itinerary as soon as borders opened.
Sadly, many of our new visitors had never heard about Villa Kitty until they reached down to pick up a writhing plastic bag, only to find tiny kittens trapped within. Intuition told them if they didn’t pick up these babies it was unlikely someone else would. Fate and word of mouth led them to Villa Kitty: we are grateful and humbled by these kind, caring people.
From the beginning, we pledged Villa Kitty would never turn away a kitten or cat and we don’t intend to start now. We do offer alternatives and sometimes the rescuers agree to care/foster the kittens with our vets providing care and vaccinations free of charge. However, if the finders are tourists, what can we do?
From 1 September to the writing of this newsletter, 14 September, we have received 41 kittens and cats, close to 3 kittens per day. One day, 11 kittens arrived.
How do we keep caring for those who live with us whilst we look for families to adopt them?
We desperately need more staff, but our funds do not allow it. Our existing staff are still on a 20% pay cut which has been in place since May 2020, when Covid savaged our budget. Only their pay has been reduced: the workload is on an upward spiral.
We were so excited by our new facility, with its capacity to accommodate 350 cats. Today we have 427 feline residents. We could not predict this. There are 35 kittens in our Nursery and 20 of these babies need bottle feeding. We have another 23 kittens in our Hospital Nursery. Along with the feeding, our sole vet assistants in both these areas ensure the kittens are clean, and their little cages sanitary and comfortable.
Our team is stretched to the limit, but we need to do more. We must alert the community that we will vaccinate and sterilise their cats for free. We need to shout this loud and wide. Yes, this will bring in more cats and will be an expense, but it is strategic. Fewer kittens will be tossed out. Presently only the ‘lucky’ ones find their way to us.
Our message is being heard in some quarters: in November we are hosting two school visits. We received a wonderful message today from a teacher at one of Bali’s Intercultural schools who would like to bring 25 of their year 12 students to visit to talk about responsible cat care. And another from a school in America that will bring a group of students to Villa Kitty as a project for their studies. Baby steps, but in the right direction.
Sitting here in Villa Kitty, I am listening to the cries from the Nursery, confronted by our stressful staff roster, panicking over how we will cope with the ever-increasing demand for sanctuary and care, knowing we are totally reliant on you for love and support.
Step 1: let’s get the cats of Bali vaccinated and sterilised. Help us tell the community now. Lives, actual lives, depend upon it.
Please make an urgent donate now!
Thank you,
Elizabeth Henzell
Founder
Villa Kitty Foundation