The Twelve Days of Kittens
Normally at this time of year I would be humming The Twelve Days of Christmas under my breath while Villa Kitty’s staff whisper that I’ve gone mad. This year, I’m thinking about The Twelve Days of Kittens and there is nothing normal about it. We’re all quickly going mad together.
How many kittens and cats have we received in the past twelve days? I casually asked this question of our admin officer. Lili’s answer, which took some time to deduce from the paperwork, would have knocked my socks off, if I had been wearing any. Forty kittens and cats, mostly kittens, arrived between the 10th and 22nd of November. Forty! “Aaaaargh” and “Nooooooo” was the eloquent response voiced by me and Villa Kitty’s operation manager, in two part harmony. This is an absolute record, one which we’re hoping will never be broken.
It’s the old old story, repeated endlessly. We cannot tell the compassionate, distressed tourists who find sick and injured or tiny animals to leave them to die in misery. Of course we cannot. There is simply no alternative to Villa Kitty for those travellers whose hardhearted landlords and hotel owners refuse to let them shelter and comfort the creatures in need. And so to Villa Kitty they come.
It’s the international travellers who are most often the guardian angels, upset and puzzled by Bali’s lack of respect and love for its tinier citizens. One visiting woman spotted a little kitten alone and crying on the road, motorbikes speeding past, nobody stopping to protect the baby. Screaming for assistance, she dodged in and out of the traffic to scoop up the infant. Not one person assisted. By the time she reached Villa Kitty, she was hysterical and traumatised. Happily, Little Lito survived and is vaccinated, soon to be sterilised and ready for a forever family. What a wonderful Christmas present that would be for him and for his saviour. How I wish all our furry babies, and grown ups, were going to loving homes, not just for Christmas, but for life.
To say we are crammed to the rafters is an understatement. Currently we have 487 cats and kittens in our care. No additional staff members: we cannot afford that. No extra vet hours in house: we cannot afford that. No time or money to build the extra rooms and facilities so desperately needed: we cannot afford those. I had hoped that this Christmas would see some joy and hope on the horizon for Villa Kitty. We’re trying hard not to despair: we cannot afford that either.
Villa Kitty has so many plans for expansion in 2023, not just in terms of finalising the new premises we so proudly moved in to in January 2022, but in expanding our vaccination and sterilisation programs. These treatments are already free to those locals who cannot afford to pay for their family pets to be protected, and we would like to treat greater numbers. We also want to expand the adoption program, to educate people to understand that it is beneficial for their animal’s welfare to adopt in pairs rather than just a single cat or kitten. We break our hearts telling people about the benefits of taking two kittens but we are grateful for one adoption and we hope that the adopting families will recognise that their little kitten needs a friend sooner than later. And here’s an innovative idea: let’s mount an advertising campaign on local Bali television networks, showing people that prevention is better than cure. Sterilisation of cats can be done free of charge and easily at Villa Kitty, thus breaking the cycle of constant pregnancies and the subsequent tossing of babies to certain, agonising deaths.
Of course, all of this takes money. We have knowledge, we have love, we have dedication, we have skills, we have energy, we have commitment. We certainly have cats. What Villa Kitty doesn’t have is money.
Please, could you put us on your Christmas list?
We know that you care for the cats and kittens of Bali and thank you for your support. Can we give The Twelve Days of Kittens a happy ending by ensuring that Villa Kitty’s work to protect those who cannot protect themselves continues into 2023? All together now…
Thank you,
Elizabeth Henzell
Founder
Villa Kitty Foundation