Rescue and a New Home: The Cat Stories of East SOS
Today, August 8, the world marks International Cat Day – a day that reminds us not only of our beloved pets but also of our responsibility towards them.
Not every cat finds its person in the same way. Some are adopted from shelters; others are rescued from the streets. And some meet their person quite by chance – during an evacuation from danger.
These are the stories of four such cats we would like to introduce to you.
Three-month-old Slava’s owners could not take her with them when they evacuated from Synelnykivskyi Raion of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Finding accommodation where pets were allowed proved extremely difficult. East SOS Evacuation Specialist Anna Baranova temporarily took the kitten in. During that time, the little cat joined a mission rescuing people from frontline areas and even made an appearance at the HORIZONTAL 6.0 festival in Dnipro.
A similar story marked the beginning of a new life for Frank. A family forced to leave Pavlohrad for security reasons entrusted the cat to Ivan Saverskyi, our Evacuation Logistics Manager. Frank has now been living with his new family for six months: he hunts flies, shares his own feline stories, and loves sleeping on his back. Sometimes, he even falls asleep in the carrier in which the family brought him to Ivan. Perhaps that is how he keeps a memory of his former owners.
Felix also found a new family after evacuation. His owner left him at a transit center in Pavlohrad because she could not continue the journey to safety with him. From there, East SOS Protection Officer Iryna Shymkova took the cat to Mykolaiv. For the second year now, Felix has been involved in all the household activities: he “reads” alongside his owner and never misses a board game.
Tymofii’s journey to a new home was different. He once lived with the neighbors of Liubomyr Drozd, our Evacuation Logistics Manager, but eventually ended up on the streets. Several months later, the cat turned up on Liubomyr’s doorstep. At first, he came by simply to rest; eventually, he stayed for good. They have been together for five years now, have moved three times, and are preparing for their fourth move.
On International Cat Day, we want to remember not only our own pets but also those still waiting to find their person. Because sometimes one kind encounter can change an entire life – both feline and human.
For the East SOS team, rescuing people is inseparable from helping them save their pets. During evacuations, we help people leave dangerous areas together with their animals; when needed, we provide carriers and food at transit centers, and we also support animal shelters. This year, for example, we provided food to “Dai lapu, druzhe” (“Give Me a Paw, Friend”), a shelter in Zaporizhzhia that was damaged by a russian attack.
If you or your loved ones need help leaving the dangerous area, call the East SOS hotline to register for free evacuation. The hotline is open Monday to Saturday, 8:00–18:00: 0 800 332 614.
We also provide consultations via messengers:
Viber: +38 (099) 710 48 72
Telegram: +38 (096) 108 60 48
We recently introduced you to the East SOS’s four-legged super team – those who bring comfort with hugs and purrs.
