- Joined
- Feb 19, 2001
- Messages
- 34,872
- Purraise
- 77
Rivi Mayer director of CWSI has asked me to write to the foreign nationals to help try and save the shelter. They have run out of money.
*****************************
Did the people on the road not notice the needs of this poor kitten? Having just been struck by a car, the impact flung her high up in the air slamming her down on the asphalt, and although out of the traffic pattern, she couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t move. Her body was crushed.
The day had dawned hot, a typical summer in Herzliya Pituach. Mid-afternoon traffic passed her by and the asphalt baked her skin. She was intensely thirsty, in shock, and through bleary eyes watched the feet of people as they passed. No one stopped to help her until forty-eight hours later when a kind gentleman rushed to her aid. He brought her immediately to The Cat Welfare Society of Israel. There she was named Rona. Rona underwent several surgeries and survived her ordeal. Today, she lives in the sanctuary with other cats that were lucky enough to have been rescued. Others not so fortunate are still waiting for their guardian angels to appear.
Even though I live in the United States, for the past six months, electronically, I have been working with The Cat Welfare Society of Israel. From the comfort of my living room, I have been witness to graphic photos that, to view them; if you are a true animal lover, they would curdle your heart. Cats damaged seemingly beyond repair, and yet, with the gentle touch of love from the workers, and the excellent veterinary care, most of these cats pull through their horror.
One photo stands out vividly in my head. A small raggedy-looking, tuxedo kitty brought into the shelter with her head trapped inside of a glass bottle! At the bottom of the bottle a white substance can be seen. Living outside, either kicked out of her original home, or simply one of the tens of thousands that are born feral in Israelâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s many towns and cities. She personally knew the pangs of hunger that propelled her into the bottle to get to those tasty drops of milk, perhaps her only meal in several days.
No one knows how long she was trapped. The photos show an impressive sequence of events as the workers cautiously chip away at the glass imprisoning her. The process took several days and one photo shows her inside a cage resting, with a glass collar still around her neck like a grotesque necklace. The collar, not removed right away, for fear that it might injure her further, stayed in place as several options were weighed and dismissed about how best to free her from her bondage. The final photo shows her completely liberated from her glass choker and enjoying a bowl of food.
In 21st century Israel, these types of stories play out daily. I suppose considering the unrest in the country many people are focused on other issues besides feral cats.
Cats are not considered important in Israel, like they are here in the western world. They are not deemed pets, but pests. Exterminated in great numbers prior to 1990, their numbers continued to grow, helped along by the warm climate that extends the breeding season by many months. In 1990, through the actions of a small group of people known as The Cat Welfare Society, things began to slowly turn-around. Changing the lives of these cats became paramount for this select group, and in the past decade, the group has managed to achieve the following:
Establishing the first Sanctuary for these cats in the country, offering them a place where they can live free from fear.
Instilling Trap-Neuter and Release Programs into the different municipalities and communities, as the only ethical solution to the feral cat over-population problem.
Maintaining a cat clinic: the cat clinic at the shelter has managed to neuter or spay over 50,000 cats! A beacon of hope for the other cat-related shelters now cropping up, this clinic has been instrumental in providing quality care for the cats that need it so desperately. Sadly out of those thousands of cats only small percentages were able to be placed in loving homes.
Setting legal precedents this small group was able to make provisions for the protection of stray cats within the confines of the law for the first time in Israelâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s history.
And now the Director of CWSI- Rivi Mayer, speaks to you from her own heart and in her own words:
“The security of Israel and the current intifada have diminished our ability to raise funds. As a consequence, we were forced to relocate our sanctuary. This has proved to be a costly venture. We were fortunate enough to receive some assistance from the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust. But with the rising cost of caring for all these homeless animals, and other circumstances that have come into play, we are now forced to shut down our rescue operations entirely. Our neutering programs and educational classes have also stopped.
Dear Friends to the Animals,
My colleagues and I who have devoted our lives to this mission of saving these cats call upon you now in our hour of darkness. Below is a donation form. Please fill it out for whatever amount your heart feels you can handle.
If 2,000 animal lovers donate $25.00 a month, our work can continue. Our TNR programs can begin again, our ambulance can rush to the aid of the wounded cats and we can extend our adoption hours of operation.
The first ten people to donate $25.00 a month will receive a small cat-related gift as a token of our appreciation and gratitude.
Yes, I know that times are hard, but for these cats, their time is running out. Please donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t let it end here. Let your heart guide you, and become a guardian angel to these magnificent creatures. Mankindâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s ignorance has driven them out into the world with little choice but to survive. Please send them some hope today. Please do not ignore their needs, as so many ignored Ronaâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s needs as she lay by the roadside.
Gratefully Yours,
Rivi Mayer
Director of The Cat Welfare Society of Israel
*****************************
Did the people on the road not notice the needs of this poor kitten? Having just been struck by a car, the impact flung her high up in the air slamming her down on the asphalt, and although out of the traffic pattern, she couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t move. Her body was crushed.
The day had dawned hot, a typical summer in Herzliya Pituach. Mid-afternoon traffic passed her by and the asphalt baked her skin. She was intensely thirsty, in shock, and through bleary eyes watched the feet of people as they passed. No one stopped to help her until forty-eight hours later when a kind gentleman rushed to her aid. He brought her immediately to The Cat Welfare Society of Israel. There she was named Rona. Rona underwent several surgeries and survived her ordeal. Today, she lives in the sanctuary with other cats that were lucky enough to have been rescued. Others not so fortunate are still waiting for their guardian angels to appear.
Even though I live in the United States, for the past six months, electronically, I have been working with The Cat Welfare Society of Israel. From the comfort of my living room, I have been witness to graphic photos that, to view them; if you are a true animal lover, they would curdle your heart. Cats damaged seemingly beyond repair, and yet, with the gentle touch of love from the workers, and the excellent veterinary care, most of these cats pull through their horror.
One photo stands out vividly in my head. A small raggedy-looking, tuxedo kitty brought into the shelter with her head trapped inside of a glass bottle! At the bottom of the bottle a white substance can be seen. Living outside, either kicked out of her original home, or simply one of the tens of thousands that are born feral in Israelâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s many towns and cities. She personally knew the pangs of hunger that propelled her into the bottle to get to those tasty drops of milk, perhaps her only meal in several days.
No one knows how long she was trapped. The photos show an impressive sequence of events as the workers cautiously chip away at the glass imprisoning her. The process took several days and one photo shows her inside a cage resting, with a glass collar still around her neck like a grotesque necklace. The collar, not removed right away, for fear that it might injure her further, stayed in place as several options were weighed and dismissed about how best to free her from her bondage. The final photo shows her completely liberated from her glass choker and enjoying a bowl of food.
In 21st century Israel, these types of stories play out daily. I suppose considering the unrest in the country many people are focused on other issues besides feral cats.
Cats are not considered important in Israel, like they are here in the western world. They are not deemed pets, but pests. Exterminated in great numbers prior to 1990, their numbers continued to grow, helped along by the warm climate that extends the breeding season by many months. In 1990, through the actions of a small group of people known as The Cat Welfare Society, things began to slowly turn-around. Changing the lives of these cats became paramount for this select group, and in the past decade, the group has managed to achieve the following:
Establishing the first Sanctuary for these cats in the country, offering them a place where they can live free from fear.
Instilling Trap-Neuter and Release Programs into the different municipalities and communities, as the only ethical solution to the feral cat over-population problem.
Maintaining a cat clinic: the cat clinic at the shelter has managed to neuter or spay over 50,000 cats! A beacon of hope for the other cat-related shelters now cropping up, this clinic has been instrumental in providing quality care for the cats that need it so desperately. Sadly out of those thousands of cats only small percentages were able to be placed in loving homes.
Setting legal precedents this small group was able to make provisions for the protection of stray cats within the confines of the law for the first time in Israelâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s history.
And now the Director of CWSI- Rivi Mayer, speaks to you from her own heart and in her own words:
“The security of Israel and the current intifada have diminished our ability to raise funds. As a consequence, we were forced to relocate our sanctuary. This has proved to be a costly venture. We were fortunate enough to receive some assistance from the Marchig Animal Welfare Trust. But with the rising cost of caring for all these homeless animals, and other circumstances that have come into play, we are now forced to shut down our rescue operations entirely. Our neutering programs and educational classes have also stopped.
Dear Friends to the Animals,
My colleagues and I who have devoted our lives to this mission of saving these cats call upon you now in our hour of darkness. Below is a donation form. Please fill it out for whatever amount your heart feels you can handle.
If 2,000 animal lovers donate $25.00 a month, our work can continue. Our TNR programs can begin again, our ambulance can rush to the aid of the wounded cats and we can extend our adoption hours of operation.
The first ten people to donate $25.00 a month will receive a small cat-related gift as a token of our appreciation and gratitude.
Yes, I know that times are hard, but for these cats, their time is running out. Please donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t let it end here. Let your heart guide you, and become a guardian angel to these magnificent creatures. Mankindâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s ignorance has driven them out into the world with little choice but to survive. Please send them some hope today. Please do not ignore their needs, as so many ignored Ronaâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s needs as she lay by the roadside.
Gratefully Yours,
Rivi Mayer
Director of The Cat Welfare Society of Israel
