Kaķīšu iela 55 - Cats at National Opera
Downy (Pūciņa), Blackie (Melnītis), and Graycie (Pelēcīte) were born at the end on spring 2015. They lived in the bushes across the road from the famous Riga Opera House. Their mom took care of all three kittens and their lives were filled with happiness. Momma cat kept her kittens warm by snuggling up with them during cold nights. Living on the street was very hard for this kitty family. They would often go hungry and when it rained they had nowhere to hide since they did not have a home.
They lived in the hope that someday they would get noticed and help would come. One summer day they ran out on the sidewalk across from the bridge next to the famous Rainis and Aspazija house and were noticed by two girls. This meeting was undoubtedly life changing for the little kittens. From that point onwards the girls would come and visit often – sometimes during the day, sometimes in the evenings. These kindhearted girls took care of the kittens the best way they could and helped keep their cute little bellies full of nutritious, delicious kitty food. When fed, kittens had much more energy to play and enjoy life.
Besides the two girls, there were other people who would occasionally visit the kittens and bring food. Kittens got even more visitors once they moved into a temporary kitty house which was a great shelter for them during the days of bad weather. While there were a lot of good people in the lives of these kittens, there were also some bad people. One day these bad people came and destroyed the kitty house. Yet again, these kittens were left cold and unprotected in the rain and snow. When winter cold got unbearable they climbed into a sewage pipe to hide from the severe weather and got stuck.
That was a very scary day for these little ones, but luckily the girls who came around to feed them called the firefighters. The guys from Maskavas Street came to the rescue and cleared the way for the kittens to climb back out. Unfortunately their hardship did not end there and soon after their mom disappeared leaving Downy, Blackie and Graycie on their own. The winter was the hardest time for them and you would often see them bunched up together on the lamp under the tree to stay warm.
Survival was much easier with people lending a helping hand and feeding these poor kittens, but tragedy struck again. Blackie was attacked by a very cruel and heartless man and as much as he fought to pull through, Blackie did not survive his injuries. After he passed away, his sister, Graycie, disappeared and left Downy all on her own. Roaming the territory all alone Downy met quite a few other cats, but none of them could replace her family. She made friends with an older female cat and a young male cat who kept her company. They would all eat together when the neighborhood girls brought the cat food around. During cold days Downy hid in the bushes wishing and hoping that one day someone would recognize her hardship and take her home to love and care for her. The real harsh winter weather was nearing and she did not have a place to stay.
This story has a somewhat happy ending as enough funds have now been collected to build a new permanent kitty house for Graycie and some of her friends. She will now have a shelter that will protect her, but just like many other homeless cats on the streets of Riga, Graycie still has to fight a battle for survival every day of her life. Despite all her hardship, Graycie believes that a day will come when someone will see her and take her into their home. She really needs a loving family that can care for her and keep her little tummy full. Graycie has so much love and purrs to give, please help us find her a real home where she can be given the care and support she deserves.
Please open your heart and your home to these cats in need and let the love pour in! Just look at the photos of these kitty cats – don't they deserve safe and comfortable shelter? The houses that Kitty Street project builds will last them a lifetime and hopefully will become a special monument for both tourists and local people of our city. Most importantly, these types of houses are lifesaving for homeless cats. Please help these poor creatures in need.
What’s more, these houses will be built with the support and help of children from “Rūpju bērns" – center for people with developmental disabilities.
As a thank you for your donation we will include your name on a special plaque. Those willing to contribute to our efforts can help by making a donation to the organization making and installing these kitty houses. Remember, good deeds always return tenfold in the most unexpected ways! All the information about the distribution of donations and a detailed report of spending will be published on this page.
If you ‘Like’ this page we will keep you in the loop on all of our progress, news and developments. We regularly post photo and video updates about the special inhabitants of our Kitty Street houses.
Our charity Sri Ganesha uses your donations exclusively for installation and transportation of kitty houses. There are no administrative or miscellaneous costs. Every single cent goes to better the lives of homeless cats in Riga. In cases where extra funds are collected for a particular kitty house, the additional money will go towards the building and installation of kitty houses for other cats in desperate need of homes. You will be notified and fully informed about where your donation went.
Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you might have on our page or by calling this number: 29379717
Thanks to Margarita Atlasova for translation.
