On November 30, the world celebrates World Pet Day every year. This day was officially established in 1931 in Florence at the International Congress for the Protection of Animals.
In Ukraine, the treatment of animals is regulated by the Laws of Ukraine “On Fauna”, “On Environmental Protection”, “On Hunting and Gaming”, “On Protection of Animals from Cruelty”, “On the Red Data Book of Ukraine” and other legal acts.
World Animal Day is a great opportunity to celebrate the special place of our pets in our lives, as well as to remind people of their responsibility, to raise public awareness of the need to protect animals, and to attract the attention of the general public.
In honor of this, the team of the Stabilization Support Services Charitable Foundation would like to introduce the readers to pets.
Communication coordinator Inessa Kurinna and her cat Lexus
Lex or Lexus is 13 years old. He is a Canadian Sphynx. His favorite food is boiled chicken.
“Our friends were breeders of sphinxes and their cat gave birth to a kitten that had no prospects of participating in exhibitions, because it had a bent tail from birth. We decided to “adopt” this kitten, buying it for a symbolic sum of money. It was back when we lived in Donetsk region. Our hometown has been under occupation for more than 10 years. During this time, our cat has been displaced twice (in 2022, we left Northern Saltovka) and has changed homes many times, but we have always been together,” Inessa said.
Since Lexus has no fur, cold weather is a real challenge for him. At this time, he needs more caloric food, as well as comfortable clothes: sweaters and sweaters. In addition, there is always a rug on the floor, and at night the cat sleeps with the family.
“The funniest story was when our cat went to visit the neighbors through the open balcony in the summer. At night, they heard someone eating from their cat’s bowls in the kitchen and were surprised, to say the least. The first to see him was an old lady, who later told them that she thought their cat’s hair had fallen out. Fortunately, their granddaughter knew that we had such a cat and they quickly brought our traveler home,” Inessa smiles.
Project manager Khrystyna Oliynyk and her cat Kit.
The cat is 4 years old. His favorite toys are a shower sponge and a hair band.
“He is my main assistant who is responsible for my mental health,” says Khrystyna. Khrystyna’s friend found him in a garbage dump and named him “Kit” because she didn’t want to get attached to him.
When they took him to the veterinary clinic, the doctors said that he was born with herpes in his eyes [What is it – ed. Khrystyna noted that there is no cure, but this does not prevent Kit from finding the toilet, food, his owner, and playing with her.
“Despite the fact that he was found in a garbage dump, now he behaves as if he found me in the dump. When there is no heating or electricity, he makes a nest out of my blanket and purrs there. If I’m at home, he climbs into my lap and we keep warm that way. He is very affectionate, loves people, and always scolds me when I come home in the evening, steals all my hair bands and all my friends who come to visit,” says Khrystyna about her pet.
In addition, Kit is very active and needs a lot of attention. He purrs very loudly and loves to give Khrystyna a massage, jumping with all his weight on her back.
Communications coordinator Ihor Kolosovskyi and his dog Lucky
Lucky’s breed is Maltipoo. He is 1 year old. He loves cheese. Favorite toy: ropes
Ihor and his wife have long wanted to adopt a dog. They looked through a lot of ads and one evening in Khmelnytskyi, the family met Lucky.
“When we saw him for the first time, we realized it was love at first sight. He was the most active among his brothers and sisters: he ran, played and, as a culmination, climbed on his brother’s head. How could you resist? Lucky became not just a favorite, but a real member of the family,” said Igor.
Lucky’s main passion is cheese. At the mere sight of it, he is ready to obey any command.
“Lucky is a diplomat dog, he gets along with all animals. But he has a special charm in communicating with people. It’s hard for him without people. If he is suddenly left alone at home, he immediately starts singing his ‘arias’,” laughs Igor.
Lucky needs clothes in the cold season. Currently, he has a collection of brightly colored suits that emphasize his good-natured character, adds the owner.
“Our Lucky is a combination of joy, kindness and a little bit of mischief. Life with him has become much brighter and more fun. And every day with him we are only more convinced that it was the best decision we ever made.
Program Director Olha Ivanova and her gerbils
Olha has 8 gerbils, so-called because these rodents are native to the desert.
“They look like gophers or ordinary mice. But they are distinguished by their furry tail. Mice are very mobile and active. It so happened that they are the only animals I am not allergic to. It all started with Clara, a mouse I got before the full-scale invasion. We went through the evacuation and adaptation to life in Poland together. Klara was very supportive and distracted me from sad thoughts,” says Olha.
Gradually, the project director began to get more mice, taking them from various organizations that help rodents. That’s how Gary and Esther, Nansen and Bjorn, Becky and Amy, Bree and Uno, the only boy in the company, appeared. This is a temporary home for him, and Olga is looking for new owners. These rodents live exclusively in pairs, otherwise they can develop depression.
Most of all, they like to dig tunnels and eat seeds. Since their teeth are constantly growing, it is important for them to chew on something: sticks, cardboard. Each of the rodents has its own character.
“Some like to sleep more, some are more active and turn the box they live in upside down, some like to run in the wheel and chew on cardboard and are always looking for something else to chew on. But they don’t like to be picked up very much. The most interesting thing is to watch them,” says the owner.
As Olha explains, in Ukraine there is still a belief that if an animal is small, a small cage is enough. However, any rodent needs spacious aquariums, enclosures, or cages to avoid getting depressed and going crazy.
“I wish more people knew that not only cats and dogs deserve attention and care, but also the smallest creatures. They are not a cheap substitute for a soft toy, but companions and friends,” summarized Olga.
Regional coordinator Valentyna Kosyuk and her cat Zephyr
Valentyna named her cat Zephyr because he is completely white and has pink paws. Zephyr is 6 years old. He was found on the street.
“Six years ago, we were just going out and met a little kitten who was being abused by children. We decided to take it in,” Valentyna recalls.
Since then, the kitten has had its own home. He is very fond of shrimp and raw veal. He also has favorite toys: a mouse and a ball.
“He is never left alone. He is always surrounded by our family. Zephyr sleeps with me, wakes me up in the morning, and waits for me to come out of the shower. We drink coffee together, and even when I work, he sleeps next to me,” says Valentyna.
When it gets cold, Zephyr often warms himself under the covers in bed. However, he also loves the blankets that are scattered around the apartment for him, as well as the soft and fluffy sweaters he likes to wrap himself in.
Project assistant Eduard Pshenychnyi and his dog Jesse
Jessie is two months old. Eduard met Jessie during a business trip to Mykolaiv at a youth space.
“A girl who worked at the youth center found her [Jessie – ed. She had been looking for a family for a long time. I came to the center almost every day to pay attention to her and decided that I would take her. 9 hours on the Mykolaiv-Kyiv train and she is already a new member of the family,” said Eduard.
Jessie has had her own home for almost a month now. Since she is still small, the dog learns commands together with her owner, goes outside to play with her Chihuahua friend, and plays a lot with toys or lies on the bed together. Jesse’s favorite toy is a plush rabbit.
Database coordinator Lesia Pacelia and her cats and dog
Lesia has a dog named Theo, who is 1.3 years old. His breed is collie. She also has three cats: Hrynia, a Scottish Fold, who is 13 years old, Korzhyk, a mongrel who is 7 years old, and Shanti, a British mix, who is 3 years old.
Hrynia was given to Lesia’s son for his birthday. Korzhyk, from Sumy, stayed in Lesia’s family from a friend who, due to moving to another city, could not take him with him. Shanti, her husband’s cat, was born in Kharkiv, and Theo, born in Dnipro, was given to Lesia by her husband.
“Grinya is a very respectful cat and not the friendliest, he likes to sleep somewhere on top. Korzhik and Shanti are fooling around. And Theo is constantly “tormenting” Korzhik. Shanti is like a “burglar” in our house: she either throws everything on the floor for everyone, or she just lifts the lid and tastes it herself. Once there was a story: I was picking up my husband from work, and he said, ‘Let’s go to a gas station, there’s a delicious tuna sandwich there. I refused because I had steamed dumplings with potatoes at home, my husband’s favorite. We came home and there was a bowl with a lid on the floor and only 2 of the 30 dumplings left,” Lesya laughs.
Regional coordinator Dmytro Khrypko and his cat Busya
Busya, a Scottish Fold cat, is 7 years old.
The cat was about 2 months old when she was given to Dmytro.
“She got scared and hid under the bathtub. We lured her out with food. I was very pleased because she has a character and maybe looks like me,” says Dmytro.
Her favorite treats are vitamins, wet food, and chicken fillet.
“It’s a very pleasant feeling when you come home and a cat meets you at the door. You feed it first, then eat it yourself, and then, when you watch TV, it lies on your arm. It’s like a little anti-stress. And I also like how it gets cold at home when you go to bed, she climbs under the covers and you get warmer together,” explains Busia’s owner.
In addition, Dmytro adds, Busia has habits like humans: she can sit or lean against a rail like a human.
SMM specialist Nadiia Zaslavska and her dog Bimusia
According to her passport, her dog’s name is Bima, but Nadiya calls her Bimusia or Bimka, “because she responds to this name with joy.”
Bimusia is about 10 years old. She is an IDP from Mykolaiv and used to live in a shelter.
“She had a hard life in Mykolaiv. At first she lived in a family from which she was removed to the shelter. Due to heavy shelling in the spring of 2022, she was taken to Kyiv along with other dogs. In July of the same year, I saw her photo on the shelter’s social media. “At first I wanted a small boy dog because I thought it was hard to deal with girls. But when I saw Bimusia’s eyes, I realized that she was my dog,” Nadiya admits.
When Nadiia went to pick up the dog, she was warned that Bimusia was already old and sick: she was missing half of her tail and teeth, and was prone to panics and hysterics. She almost never left her cage. However, this did not stop our colleague, and now Bimusia has a happy life in a loving family.
During this time, Nadiia and Bimusia have changed homes several times. Now Bimusya has a large bed, but most of all he likes to sleep on the couch or bed, near his human. During the first blackouts in 2022, Bimusia slept with Nadezhda under the covers in bed because it was very cold, and pressed her cold paws against her.
“When Bimusia first came home, she was very scared and did not believe that she could live in a room on her own bed, not on the floor in the hallway. She was shocked when she realized that she was allowed everywhere, given different delicious food, and not kicked out,” says her colleague happily.
Since Bimusa likes sheep very much, Nadia’s friend and Bimusa’s “godmother” gave her a toy sheep. She became so attached to it that she constantly walked around with it in her mouth and even woke Nadia up if she lost the toy somewhere. Moreover, she does not go to sleep without the sheep by her side.
Regional Assistant Svitlana Kim and her cat Kontuziya
Kontuziya is about 3 years old.
“In March this year, a Russian missile hit the private sector in Zaporizhzhia. A lot of houses were damaged, one of which was Kontuziya’s house. We worked with volunteers at the site of the hit and helped the victims clean up broken glass, debris, and rubble,” Svitlana recalls.
In the house where Kontuzi lived, the roof of two rooms collapsed completely. The man who lived there was a volunteer who had joined the Armed Forces shortly before and had to go to training.
“That night, he and his cat Masia miraculously survived, but they lost everything. There was so much grief in his eyes. He knew he could no longer take care of the cat and made a difficult decision to give it away. So I took Masia home. Almost immediately, another nickname stuck to her, first as a joke, and then it became a habit. That’s how we got Kontuziya,” Svitlana adds.
Kontuziya loves fresh vegetables, especially cucumbers. When it gets cold, Kontuziya’s favorite place to hide is on the computer system unit, and when it’s hot, she sleeps on her back. She does not know how to meow and has doubled her weight since living with Svitlana.