All Annabelle did to end up abandoned at an animal shelter, in Zimbabwe, was BE A CAT…

Last year, we rescued Zimbabwe’s Friend Animal Foundation (FAF) in Harare from the brink of closure. The shelter had run out of money, the animals had nowhere to go, and the authorities were ready to step in and euthanize them. It was a dreadful situation.

Thanks to your support, we were able to save the shelter and, in the process, inherited the dogs and cats living there. We have done a lot to help them. The situation was so dire that our immediate attention was focused on ensuring they had enough food and care, and we paid for walkers and handlers.

But right now, we are deeply concerned about the 110 cats we are caring for - we are committed to ensuring they will always be safe. We need your help.

Their enclosures are in urgent need of improvement - the beds are old and stimulation for the cats is sorely lacking. They have almost no chance of being adopted and languish in this bleak situation day after day, year after year.

You need to understand how desperate the conditions are for cats in Zimbabwe and why your support, and FAF, is all that stands between them and their horrible fates…

Zimbabwe is a brutal place for street animals. Here, cats are helpless, hopeless victims in a country where animal lives matter not at all.

Zimbabwe’s dreadful economic situation means that there’s barely enough for people, let alone animals. Dogs and cats are born willy-nilly into poverty, left to die of hunger or disease on the streets, or abused by impoverished, frustrated people. Only the ‘luckiest’ of these helpless souls end up at FAF.

FAF is not ‘home’, but it is the closest thing to it for the shelter’s 110 dumped, discarded and unwanted cats - like Annabelle…

Annabelle was dumped at FAF after she scratched a carpet in her owner’s home. When she was punished for this very normal cat behavior, she became so terrified she lost control of her bowels. Her owners were furious, and without a second thought, they left her at FAF and never looked back. Beautiful Annabelle is only a year old and will probably live out the rest of her life at the shelter.

FAF’s other cat residents have similarly tragic stories - or much, much worse. But they all have one thing in common - FAF is the only safe place they have.

These cats have no hope of being adopted, and FAF is the only “home” they’ll ever know. Help us make it comfortable, warm and homey for the cats who will live there forever.

All these sweet little creatures deserve loving homes, but few Zimbabweans are interested in adopting animals, or have the means to do so. The cats currently live in enclosures, and FAF has done its best to make these homey. But, as you can understand, a shelter that has recently survived closure has pitifully limited resources.

Despite this, the cats are friendly and affectionate, desperate for any little bit of human attention. They purr when you touch them and nuzzle in for cuddles and affection. They are so grateful to be safe.

THIS is the quarantine area for sick cats at FAF. Would you want your beloved pet to recover from illness in this dreary, concrete room?

The quarantine area for ailing cats is currently a dismal concrete area - totally unsuited to recovery from illness or injury. Would you want to know that your beloved cat was recovering in a place like this, with so little comfort or cheer?

FAF also has plans to improve the area in which the elderly cats live out their final years. They dream of giving them safe access to the garden and a sunny, warm space to enjoy their remaining days after suffering so much hardship.

Please help us provide new enclosures to these innocent victims in a country where animals' lives are worthless.
Your donation now will bring so much warmth to their bleak lives.

If we can raise $5,000 (£4,100), we can give the FAF cat enclosures the upliftment they desperately need. We can give the cats more space to move around, warmer and comfier beds, and brighter, happier places in which to live and recover from their heart-breaking ordeals. It would make the animals so happy. It would change their lives.

Will you donate right now, and help us make their dream come true after the nightmares they have lived through?

For the animals,

Brian and Gloria Davies (and Max and Flora!)
Founders
Network for Animals

P.S. At FAF, the cats are safe, and for many, that is the ‘best’ they can ever hope for. But we, and the wonderful FAF team, believe they deserve more than that. These sweet animals are loving, gentle beings who only want a little bit of comfort to lighten their sad days. Will you be a friend to the cats of Friend Animal Foundation, and donate now? They deserve so much better than what life has dealt them thus far, and with your help, we will make sure they get it.