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The main goal of the CatRescue organisation is to find new permanent homes for cats who have become homeless. Knowing the cat’s character and needs, we try to find a new home and a family that is most befilling. During the past two years of action we have been able to help more than 800 cats.

The main goal of the CatRescue organisation is to find new permanent homes for cats who have become homeless. Knowing the cat’s character and needs, we try to find it a new home and a family that is most befilling. During the past two years of action we have been able to help more than 800 cats.

At the moment there are 50 to 60 cats living in our carehomes. They include both kittens and grown up cats. The cats have found this temporary shelter in the homes of our members and volutneers. CatRescue as an official non-benefitial organisation was founded in January 2006, but the founding members have done this work unofficially long before. Right now there are 15 active members in the organisation. In addition there is a number of volunteers, who include the members of the Estonian Animal Welfare Society.

At least half of the cats are found in the streets. A big number of our habitants come from the official Tallinn Animal Shelter. We have also helped cats who have been left behind in veterinary clinics and who have lost homes due to the owner’s death or life change. In our carehomes there are also cats who have been saved from abusive owners by the Estonian Animal Welfare Society.

The cats are vaccinated, castrated or sterilized and the ones that are ill are treated properly before going to a new home. When going to their new homes, the cats get along a passport and the new owners are informed of the cat’s health situation and possible problems. When you get a cat from CatRescue, you get the benefit that there is somebody who has dealt with the animal for a while and is able to assess it’s character and needs. It is especially important if you have decided to get a grown up cat. Cats, just like humans, are different. Not everyone accommodates to living in the countyside or in a small flat, living with children, with other animals or being alone. All that is considered and discussed with the new owner.

CatRescue is a non-benefitial organisation, so we depend on the contribution of our members, the help of volunteers, donations and the cooperation with other organisations and enterprises that deal with pets. Our everyday work with treating, vaccinating, castrating and sterilizing the cats is supported by the Estonian Animal Welfare Society. 

In the medical field we are helped by Haabersti Zoovet Center’s, Tartu mnt. Veterinary Clinic’s, Nõmme Veterinary Clinic’s ning Tatari Veterinary Clinic’s specialists and doctors. They take care of most of the treatment and procedures that our cats need. They are the ones who have helped us in the most critical situations. The primary health check, treatment, vaccination, steriliation or castration of the animals saved from the Tallinn Animal Shelter are performed by the Animal Center’s doctors.

Our action of reducing the number of stray animals is also supported by the city of Tallinn. The city district of Kristiine has helped us with funds for sterilizing and castrating the cats, the city district of North-Tallinn has supported our projects of promoting the cultivated pet-ownership concept and the Tallinn Downtown city government has rented us rooms for our activities.

Pets and Lara Larsen have helped us with getting food, cat-litter and other items (toys, pet-beds, litterboxes). We are being supported by many pet-friendly people with donations, advice and other help. Many volunteers are helping us with transportation to move the cats to their new homes.

Although most of our cats find a new home in Estonia, a number of them have recently found a new loving family in Finland. This has become possible thanks to a Finnish society called Pelastetaan Koirat ry. The society is also supporting us with medication, food, cat-litter and other necessary items. Pelastetaan Koirat ry has also helped us with solving some health problems of the cats and dealing wit the procedures necessary for taking the cats to other countries.

In our work we have to deal with cats every day who have become homeless due to the low standards and low cultivatedness of pet ownersip. Therefore we demand that the new home is pet-friendly and the new owner knows the responsibility that comes with owning a pet. To stop the increase of the number of stray animals even a little bit, we try to promote that attitude wider. In our homepage we provide various information for pet-owners and share our experience.

With our action we wish to reduce the number of homeless cats in the streets, develop the awareness of pet-ownership and the responsibility that comes with it and disprove prejudice. We hope that there will be more and more cats, who curl up purring in their new homes and have forgotten all about their wear and tear during their stray life.