Kenric and I first visited Kotor, Montenegro in late October, 2017. I bored you with stories of how I fell in love with a sickly cat I named Waxy (her eyes almost sealed shut by eye wax), and how I managed to get her spayed and much healthier before we left. Waxy’s posse included three beautiful sisters – one feisty calico (Kelly Koh), one with extremely beautiful eyes (Egyptian) and one who is very timid (Timeed al Kotor).
Kelly Koh is a feisty calico! And what a beauty.
Timeed al Kotor with Egyptian. She’s so timid, we never got any closer.
Our second visit in early October, 2018 was full of sorrow. Not only did we find out Waxy had died, we also witnessed an evil neighbor violently stomping the life out of a weeks-old kitten. He was going to kill its remaining sibling when Kenric ran down and stopped him. These kitties are Kelly Koh’s babies. She was pacing back-and-forth nearby and very confused. We took her baby into our Airbnb apartment because we knew the monster would kill him too. Kelly Koh cried for her babies day and night outside our apartment and also where she had kept them, an abandoned ground-floor unit. After much struggle and many scratches, we managed to trap her and got her spayed. The very nice but overworked vet remembered us from last year and gave us a 50% discount.
Kelly Koh’s sister, Egyptian. Look at those eyes.
Waxy after she was spayed and nourished back to health.
Danijela Helps the Cats of Kotor Without Hesitation
In the meantime, we found someone to take the kitten, Little Kelvin. She’s the owner of a souvenir shop in Old Town Kotor. I had actually taken a photo of her, from afar, when she was feeding cats on our previous visit. When I told her about what happened to Kelly Koh’s babies, she was distraught, upset and angry, but she agreed to take the poor kitty without hesitation.
While we were at her shop, a tourist came to report a kitty with a broken leg nearby which Danijela had already attended to earlier. Other tourists came to buy her handmade cat-related souvenirs or make a donation after playing with the cats. Some other stores in Old Town Kotor that capitalizes on the word “cat” including the “Cat Museum” take donations but provide only food for the cats that help attract customers to their stores.
I secretly took this photo of Danijela feeding the cats on our first visit. I didn’t speak with her then, but she was already my hero.
A postcard that Danijela gave me. She truly is an angel.
No Government Program for Cats
The donations Danijela received were spent on food, medicine and most importantly, spaying and neutering giving the cats a more humane existence. There is no government-funded program of any kind to help cats in Montenegro. I am sure the donations are nowhere near what’s needed to feed the 50 cats she cares for; some of which were born homeless, some of which were dumped there by irresponsible owners who didn’t sterilize their cats or who had fallen out of love with them because they got sick.
We also found out that after 26 years, her landlord decided to not renew her lease. She had to move out by the end of November. It was October 8th. She had not found a new location, and her greatest concern was the well-being of the cats. Even under such financial and emotional stress, she agreed to take on Little Kelvin. Kenric and I felt really guilty for adding to her stress.
Danijela’s store was a haven for kitties and tourists day and night. I see tourists in there playing with the kitties all the time.
Little Kelvin meeting his foster Mommy. In the forever home that Danijela found for him his name is Mako.
We Assured Her
We assured her we would help her with the cats and with packing up her unsold merchandise when we return to Kotor after six weeks in Sarajevo. In our fifth week in Sarajevo, we flew back to California because Kenric’s Grandpa’s health worsened suddenly and dramatically. We got news of his passing while we were still in the air. I wrote to Danijela apologizing for not being able to keep our promise, and told her we would return in early 2019. Our plans changed again because we will be staying with Kenric’s Grandma and helping her transition back to her home state of South Dakota later this year. The earliest we can get to Kotor is January, 2020.
Danijela’s shop which she had to close because her landlord won’t renew the lease after 26 years.
Danijela’s shop is now closed which means there isn’t even a place for her to put the donation jar. Some of the cats have been moved to a yard near her house. Every day, she still goes to Old Town Kotor to feed the older and/or sick cats which she thinks should not be moved.
How You Can Help
After reading my haunting post about Kelly Koh, some of you asked how you can help. Kenric and I would like to raise some funds that Danijela can use to care for the cats so that she can concentrate on reestablishing her 26-year-old business. This will allow her to continue her selfless and oftentimes thankless effort.
We will provide a full accounting of the funds raised and we will pay for the Western Union transfer fee. Whatever amount you donate, we will match. So, if you’ve been harboring any grudges against us, this is the time to make us pay. GoFundMe can accept donations from all over the world. The kitties will appreciate your donations, big or small.
The friendly cats of Kotor bring so much joy to most visitors. It’s so sad that there isn’t a government-funded program to help these feline promoters in return. In this photo, Kenric had no idea the kitty had been sitting next to him.
Kelly Koh is such a good Mommy. I’m so glad we managed to get her spayed.
Make This a Merry Christmas for Danijela
Today, Orthodox Christians in Montenegro celebrate Jesus’ birthday because it’s December 25th on the Julian calendar (January 7th on the Gregorian calendar). Please join us in making this a Merry Christmas season for Danijela and the Kotor cats. In the Montenegrin language, cat is mačka (pronounced muchka). And on behalf of Danijela and the Kotor cats, “Thank you very mačka!”
I can be shamelessly persistent so you will see this post again. If you don’t have time to go to the GoFundMe site right now, please comment “Remind me later” below and I will nudge you.
Thank you very mačka and Merry Christmas once again!
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