In India cats are the ultimate underdogs
Caring for cats in India is challenging. To begin with, having cats as companion animals is a relatively new concept. As a result, there is a great need to educate the population about how to care for cats. Also, there are few veterinarians who know how to treat cats or perform spay and neuter.
Eileen Weintraub, founder of Help Animals India, a nonprofit organization based in Seattle, says. "If you travel to India, you'll see many suffering and stray cats in the large cities with few organizations to help them. Cats are forced to survive very hostile conditions and are victims of extreme weather, including cyclones and monsoon, poisoning, vehicle accidents and attacks by dogs and monkeys. In rural areas cats lead a more natural life but with almost no help from humans. Further people are superstitious towards cats. They think they are unlucky so it is hard to get community support."
Programs in India that Helps Animals India supports
- Rescue, foster, and adoption drives to save orphaned kittens, who sometimes thrown in the trash, and abandoned cats
- Educate and raise awareness about animal welfare
- Sponsor spay/neuter specialized feline treatment programs
- For cats that cannot be adopted, Help Animals India also sponsors two cat shelters that house over 300 cats.
- Help Animals India also contributes to training camps for veterinarians to learn cat spay/neuter and cat care - not taught in Indian vet schools.
- Freeing cats from the cruel cat meat trade.
- Vet treatment for ill and injured homeless cats.
Animal welfare groups in India need supplies
Help Animals India raises funds to support the emerging animal welfare organizations India and purchase supplies to help rescue and rehabilitate street cats. Items that Indian organizations need for cats that are not available in India are:
- Humane traps for TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release, a method of neutering stray cats)
- Catching nets for TNR
- Lightweight or gently used collars and halters
- KMR (kitten formula in powder form only)
- Kitten nursing bottles
- Advantage or other powerful flea control
- Lightweight play tunnels (great for shelter cats)
India's Cats Need Your Help
India's cats are fighting an uphill battle and need all the help they can get. If you would like to help these felines, please click here to make a monetary or cat supply donation.
