Cat shelter is celebrating six years with feline friends｜Taiwan News

Описание: A cat shelter is celebrating six years of caring for feline friends. Shelter owner Huang Ssu-yu has been rescuing cats since her college days. Now she runs a very tight ship, taking in cats from all walks of life, including some with serious illnesses. But keeping the shelter afloat financially is a constant struggle. The shelter provides a cat café which helps cover some expenses. Taiwan has seen more and more of these private shelters spring up in recent years, as public shelters fail to keep up with the demand for safe homes for abandoned animals.

Shelter owner Huang Ssu-yu only has to bring out a snack and all the cats are on her straight away. She started out rescuing stray cats, and then decided to open this shelter. There are normally 30 cats in this space.

Huang Ssu-yu
Cat shelter founder
We were rescuing cats in university, so after that we decided that if we’re going to rescue them then we should do it properly. So we got lots of training, and then we opened up this shelter. We hope that every cat we give away really finds a wonderful home.

Each cat has its own story. Some are rare breeds, rescued from illegal breeders with wounds. Some hide in the corner, still wary of humans. The shelter’s goal is to make sure the cats get good basic care before they find a new owner.

Huang Ssu-yu
Cat shelter founder
Normally when we get a new cat, first we test it for FIV, leukaemia and feline parvovirus. If it’s OK, everything passed, then we take it in. But after it’s in, we start by watching it carefully. Sometimes we rescue a cat in bad condition. Then the major tests or later treatments it will need are going to cost tens of thousands of dollars. We don’t accept monetary donations, but if you have cat food at home, like tins they don’t want – because cats are picky – then we do accept donations like that.

Taking care of all these little cuties is expensive. Just the food and litter costs Huang NT$20,000-30,000 a month. On top of that is venue rental and the tests and vaccinations for each new arrival. Special medical treatments are always a big expense. The shelter is a cat cafe, which does provide a little financial help. But for Huang, the main thing is that her feline friends can live and grow up in good health.

Huang Ssu-yu
Cat shelter founder
There have been some cats which were in very bad condition when they came, or very aggressive or difficult. And in the end when we gave them away, the owners would later send us such cute photos of them. You see they’re in their new home rolling around on the floor and living a great life. And then you really feel that you accomplished something great.

The shelter has been open six years and has successfully found new homes for more than 400 cats. Huang has stringent rules for adoption, to ensure potential owners will be able to take great care of their new friend. For the cats that land in this shelter, the good days are just beginning.

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