2025 UKRAINE DONATIONS
FROM ELENA, THE JUDGE FROM UKRAINE THAT
Below is a note from (Elena) Cat Show Judge from Ukraine that judged at our show in November of 2025. She bought food & medicine for the shelter and below are pictures. Because of the war, it looks like the shelter had to move to another region. A very heartfelt thank you to all that donated to our fundraiser.
Cincinnati Cat Club
I really liked the shelter from my home region, in another city, Kostyantinivka. It’s just 40 minutes by bus from my city. There have long been active hostilities there, most of the city is destroyed. This shelter moved to the neighboring Kharkiv region, small town Balakliya one year ago.
I asked the shelter what they needed, they sent me a list of medicine and I chose. It was 4 separate orders with 4 deliveries straight to the shelter.
I bought 25 bags (10 kg per bag) of dry food, 35 packs of anti-parasitic tablets, 3 Lysine pastes for kittens and 4 bottles of vet medicine. I bought everything except the pastes at wholesale prices from the manufacturers. I bought 4 bottles of medicine from a wholesale supplier that I have been working with for 15 years.
The shelter already posted photos of everything that they got with “Thank you” to you and the club.
Here is the shelter's FB account. Information about the cattery is below.
https://www.facebook.com/alena.ovcarenko.919851#
Before the war, she had about 20 animals, but after the outbreak of hostilities, the number of abandoned dogs and cats quickly increased.
Alena's shelter began receiving dogs and cats from all the nearby towns and villages. Alena and her family rescued emaciated, starving, and injured cats and dogs.
At the end of 2024, due to the front line approaching Konstantinivka, the question of evacuating the shelter to a safer location arose. Alena says she believed until the very end that she wouldn't have to leave her hometown and start her life from scratch. She says they chose the Kharkiv region for their move because they didn't want to move far from home.
In Balakliya, Kharkiv region, a house was purchased using their own savings with the help of several sponsors and volunteers. This is a good area for animals - there is a field in front, no neighbors, a huge yard, where the animals have peace and space.By February 2025, Konstantinivka was already dangerous, so they tried to leave as quickly as possible. Several animal evacuation volunteer groups helped transport the animals. They evacuated animals day and night. Alena's husband loaded the animals in Konstantinivka, and Alena met the animals in Balakliya and placed them where they needed to be. A total of 64 dogs and 117 cats were evacuated.
They are currently working to rebuild the shelter in its new location and need all the support they can get to care for the animals. The animals are in constant need of medication and food.
The shelter has a large cat house—about 30 square meters. There are two rooms for cats and one room for a medical office, because they do all the injections and procedures themselves.
Alena Ovcharenko also searches for new homes for animals, but this has always been difficult, and since the war, there have been even fewer people willing to adopt a dog or cat from a shelter. Sometimes, however, they succeed.Photo Gallery
