At Network for Animals, we believe every single animal should live a life free from suffering. We work all over the world to make that belief a reality – and today, we’re asking for your help in Italy, where 18 abandoned, forgotten cats are struggling to survive.
NFA team member Leslie Busby lives in the tiny Italian village of Paciano in the Umbrian countryside. In one of the region’s most remote areas, she found a deserted farmhouse that hides a heartbreaking secret: 18 starving cats, with more kittens on the way.
The house fell into disuse when its owner fell on hard times and moved away – but a single unsterilized female cat was left behind, bewildered and hungry, waiting for help that never came in an area people hardly visit.
One abandoned cat became 18 hungry mouths to feed.
Credit: NFA/Dejan Radic
Nature took its course and now there are 18 cats eking out a meager living in the farmhouse. Three of the cats are pregnant, and soon, there could be at least ten more mouths to feed.
Very few people live in the area and the cats were left to fend for themselves and breed unchecked. Unless we act right away, more kittens will be born into misery – and even worse, these kittens will grow up to have litters of their own, causing an exponential growth of starving animals.
We are the only hope these 18 innocent creatures have.
Every day, NFA director Leslie Busby makes the long drive on bad roads to feed these abandoned cats. Credit: NFA/David Barritt
Leslie drives for an hour through the remote countryside every day to bring food and comfort to the cats, but we must do more to end the cycle of misery.
This is how you can help 18 forsaken cats in Italy who have no one else to turn to.
We’ve made a commitment to these cats. That means:
- Sterilizing every single one to stop the cycle of suffering.
- Feeding and caring for them for as long as it takes to find their forever homes.
- Providing crucial veterinary care to cats facing life-threatening injuries and disease.
- Giving them the love they need to restore their trust in humans, so they can be adopted by loving families.
We are already making a difference: Since we began daily feeding, all the cats are putting on weight and some are allowing us to carefully approach them. The vital next step is sterilization.
Credit: NFA/David Barritt
When we promised to save these poor animals, locals laughed and shook their heads, telling us that they were ‘just cats;’ but animal-lovers like you will understand that we can’t just walk away. We will look after them, because every animal’s life is important.
We can’t do it alone.
It costs around $135 (£100) to sterilize a single cat. That’s over $2,400 (£1,800) we need as soon as possible – and that’s just for sterilizations, not to mention food, vet care and daily transport costs. If we act quickly, we may get a discount for doing them all at once – but we need the funds right away.
NFA founder, Gloria Davies, bringing hope to abandoned cats in a remote part of Italy. Credit: NFA/David Barritt
No animal should ever be abandoned if it’s within our power to save them. We know you believe that, just as we do. Together, we can show the world that even the most forgotten animals still matter.
Please give as generously as you can to save 18 forgotten cats today.
