Saturday, March 16, 2013

Worse Than Ever Before

We’re snowed in again! In the middle of March, when everyone had thought spring was just around the corner, a heavy snowstorm hit Hungary causing commuter havoc - and Felix shelter is located just a short driving distance from the Hungarian border!
It’s been snowing continuously since yesterday, the brisk and biting northerly wind blows the snowflakes everywhere and the whole shelter is covered in snow on every side. Eastern and Central Europe are gripped by an unusually bitter cold
snap and the end of our problems are still nowhere in sight.

We’ve been talking over and over again about the extensive damage the shelter itself has suffered during the winter months, as well as about the desperately needed funds for
shelter repairs. But I guess it all seems like an exaggeration and not really a serious problem, because the kitties aren’t living on the streets and are not emaciated or neglected. Horrible pictures of mangled, abused and dying animals definitely pull on people’s
heartstrings and make everyone want to help, so animals that are loved and well cared for hardly attract anybody’s attention. Felix kitties are chubby and beautiful not because their lives have always been a bed of roses, not because they have never experienced torture and pain, not because angels have been watching over them, but because I’ve been investing everything I have into them for years now!

The costs of the shelter repairs are way beyond my means and
that’s why I’m forced to ask for help. The top wire fencing is sagging under this new snow load, even the rails holding the mesh are bent down and deformed and everything looks worse than ever! The entire chain link fence remained droopy after it barely held up
through the last year’s winter and it’s questionable how much more it can take before it finally crashes down.

The tarps attached to the new roof eaves cannot protect the area under the eaves from snowdrifts, so the only way to make a sheltered place underneath is to put in sliding lexan panels. All of the cats have seemed to enjoy the snow so far, but now they look desperate and don’t even want to set foot outside if I’m not around. This winter was extremely hard to
bear and we’ve all had enough.

Another urgent problem is the outdoor fence. The posts had already started to deteriorate and crumble. They became wobbly last year, and this year’s snow and ice further degraded them and
caused extensive additional damage. Not only that, the gates can't close properly. These rotten posts will fall apart and cause the whole fence to fall down any day now. It’s not an exaggeration, it's an inevitable reality and a dire emergency!
Should I mention the roof and indoor enclosures again?

Please, help us! Just take a look at our project and learn what we’ve accomplished to date and decide for yourselves if Felix kitties are worth your attention! In spite of
all of our efforts, we are simply not able to solve all of the problems on our own. We're coming apart at the seams. Felix shelter depends on your generous support and no donation is ever too small, as it all adds up and really makes a difference! A huge
thank you to all of our friends and donors who have helped us so far, and to all of the wonderful people standing by our side through thick and thin who are showing us that we are not alone!

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