[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#BFF0FD” width=”100%” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” custom_padding_tablet=”||||true|false” custom_padding_phone=”0px||0px||true|false” border_width_all=”0px” border_width_bottom=”10px” border_color_bottom=”#1ECBF8″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”100%” custom_margin=”-15px||-15px||true|false” custom_margin_tablet=”||||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_slider _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_enable_image=”off” width=”100%” custom_margin=”15px||15px||true|false” custom_padding=”||||true|true” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_slide heading=”Our mission” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_level=”h1″ header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#07B2DF” header_font_size=”60px” body_font=”–et_global_heading_font||||||||” body_text_align=”center” body_text_color=”#F2FCFF” body_font_size=”28px” body_line_height=”1.3em” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_enable_color=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Merci.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” background_position=”top_center” background_vertical_offset=”33%” width=”100%” custom_padding=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font_size_tablet=”35px” header_font_size_phone=”30px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” body_font_size_tablet=”20px” body_font_size_phone=”18px” body_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” background_last_edited=”on|desktop” border_color_all_image=”#07B2DF” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Hope and a home for Moldova’s street cats<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Our mission” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_level=”h1″ header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#07B2DF” header_font_size=”60px” body_font=”–et_global_heading_font||||||||” body_text_align=”center” body_text_color=”#FAFAFA” body_font_size=”28px” body_line_height=”1.3em” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_enable_color=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Slider_Timmy.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” width=”100%” custom_padding=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font_size_tablet=”35px” header_font_size_phone=”30px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” body_font_size_tablet=”20px” body_font_size_phone=”18px” body_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” border_width_all_image=”3px” border_color_all_image=”#07B2DF” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Hope and a home for Moldova’s street cats<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Our mission” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_level=”h1″ header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#07B2DF” header_font_size=”60px” body_font=”–et_global_heading_font||||||||” body_text_align=”center” body_text_color=”#FAFAFA” body_font_size=”28px” body_line_height=”1.3em” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_enable_color=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Slider_Voini.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” background_position=”top_center” width=”100%” custom_padding=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font_size_tablet=”35px” header_font_size_phone=”30px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” body_font_size_tablet=”20px” body_font_size_phone=”18px” body_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” background_last_edited=”on|phone” border_width_all_image=”3px” border_color_all_image=”#07B2DF” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Hope and a home for Moldova’s street cats<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide heading=”Our mission” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_level=”h1″ header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#1ECBF8″ header_font_size=”60px” body_font=”–et_global_heading_font||||||||” body_text_align=”center” body_text_color=”#FAFAFA” body_font_size=”28px” body_line_height=”1.3em” background_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0)” background_enable_color=”on” background_image=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Slider_Nitza.jpg” background_enable_image=”on” width=”100%” custom_padding=”||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ header_font_size_tablet=”35px” header_font_size_phone=”30px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” body_font_size_tablet=”20px” body_font_size_phone=”18px” body_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” border_width_all_image=”3px” border_color_all_image=”#07B2DF” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_transition=”on” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Hope and a home for Moldova’s street cats<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_slide][\/et_pb_slider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.17.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.19.3″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-110px||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”-90px||||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”-85px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”0px||0px||true|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][dipi_breadcrumbs hide_home=”on” bc_items_alignment=”dipi-bc-center” bc_post_type=”page” bc_schema=”on” bc_separator_color=”RGBA(255,255,255,0.8)” module_class=”dp-breadcrumb-shake-top” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” items_font=”Poppins|||on|||||” items_text_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.8)” items_font_size=”14px” hover_text_color=”#FFFFFF” active_text_color=”#FFFFFF” background_image=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/breadcrums-bg-1-1-1.svg” background_size=”contain” custom_padding=”80px||20px||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”80px||20px||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”60px||13px||false|false” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” hover_enabled=”0″ items_font_size_tablet=”14px” items_font_size_phone=”12px” items_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/dipi_breadcrumbs][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.19.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.19.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” header_2_font=”Chau Philomene One|700|||||||” header_2_text_align=”left” header_2_text_color=”#25212B” header_2_font_size=”50px” header_2_line_height=”1.2em” custom_margin=”||15px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ header_2_font_size_tablet=”50px” header_2_font_size_phone=”30px” header_2_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” header_2_line_height_tablet=”1.2em” header_2_line_height_phone=”1.3em” header_2_line_height_last_edited=”on|phone” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Poppins||||||||” text_text_color=”#25212b” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]The high number of dead, run-over cats and kittens in Moldova (on average about one per day, along the same 80 km round trip route) deeply saddened and shocked me. What I found especially incomprehensible was that many of these animals were found far from villages or settlements.<\/p>\n
My wife, whom I accompanied as she returned to her home country, explained to me that in this country \u201ccats are worth nothing,\u201d and that once cats or kittens become inconvenient or too numerous, they are simply thrown out of moving cars into no man\u2019s land. The animals, recognizing the vehicle and thinking \u201coh look, the car is back, now I\u2019m going home,\u201d often run toward fast-moving traffic \u2014 only to die quickly and painfully.<\/p>\n
During the cold months, from October to March, the weather alone is enough to kill them. In addition, wild dogs are a constant threat, especially to cats and kittens that are used to some form of shelter (a house, barn, or similar). These abandoned animals are totally disoriented and frightened, with no chance of survival.<\/p>\n
Even in towns and cities, no one seems to care. I once found a young cat dead in the middle of a pedestrian crossing in a low-speed zone. The more hardened individuals simply put them in a plastic bag, suffocate them, and throw them in the trash.
\nInstead of neutering, cats give birth 2\u20133 times a year, producing 3\u20135 kittens each time. These are then drowned days or weeks later. The mother suffers from mastitis because the milk isn\u2019t being consumed, and she is harassed by tomcats who fight each other \u2014 often severely injuring themselves \u2014 trying to mate. It\u2019s a cycle of pure misery.<\/p>\n
Occasional actions \u201cencouraged\u201d by local authorities, which urge citizens to \u201cclean up\u201d their communities by poisoning, beating, capturing, or suffocating defenseless animals in plastic bags, are seen as a solution here. These replace the education, sterilization, and reduction of animal suffering one would actually expect from so-called \u201chuman beings.\u201d[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.19.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][dipi_carousel columns=”1″ container_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|true|true” autoplay_wide=”on” navigation=”on” centered=”on” navigation_prev_icon_yn=”on” navigation_prev_icon=”4||divi||400″ navigation_next_icon_yn=”on” navigation_next_icon=”5||divi||400″ navigation_color=”#FFFFFF” navigation_bg_color=”#1ECBF8″ navigation_circle=”on” navigation_position_left=”60px” navigation_position_right=”60px” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||||false|false” custom_css_not_active_slide=”z-index: -1 !important;||” border_width_all=”7px” border_color_all=”#1ECBF8″ global_colors_info=”{}”][dipi_carousel_child img_src=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/slider_01.jpg” img_alt=”CatSalvaCura – Au\u00dfengel\u00e4nde” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/dipi_carousel_child][dipi_carousel_child img_src=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/slider_02.jpg” img_alt=”CatSalvaCura – Au\u00dfengel\u00e4nde” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/dipi_carousel_child][dipi_carousel_child img_src=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/slider_04.jpg” img_alt=”CatSalvaCura – Au\u00dfengel\u00e4nde” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/dipi_carousel_child][dipi_carousel_child img_src=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/slider_03.jpg” img_alt=”CatSalvaCura – Innenansicht” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/dipi_carousel_child][dipi_carousel_child img_src=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/slider_05.jpg” img_alt=”CatSalvaCura – Innenansicht” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/dipi_carousel_child][dipi_carousel_child img_src=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/slider_06.jpg” img_alt=”CatSalvaCura – Innenansicht” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/dipi_carousel_child][dipi_carousel_child img_src=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/slider_07.jpg” img_alt=”CatSalvaCura – Innenansicht” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/dipi_carousel_child][\/dipi_carousel][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Flocki-1.jpg” alt=”Flocki” title_text=”Flocki” show_bottom_space=”off” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” border_width_all=”7px” border_color_all=”#1ECBF8″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Flocki<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”Poppins||||||||” text_text_color=”#25212b” hover_enabled=”0″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]Since we had already rescued and grown to love a three-colored cat from Moldova and a small Coon who had been with us for 2 and 3 years respectively, I soon started feeling sharp pangs in my heart and shedding tears.<\/p>\n
Just a few days after our arrival, small 2\u20133-month-old kittens began showing up, looking for something to eat and some shelter from cars, the weather, and the many free-roaming, sometimes feral dogs. The very first was our snow-white and deaf (confirmed by a vet and proven daily by his COMPLETE indifference to the vacuum cleaner) \u201cFlocki,\u201d a soul of a cat.<\/p>\n
Some of these little ones no longer had a voice because they were so starved; others, who could still meow, cried out so heartbreakingly \u2014 yet still found no mercy among the locals.<\/p>\n
One must understand: this country is dirt poor. There\u2019s a tiny, super-rich elite \u2014 yes, even Bugattis with MD plates, private jets, everything \u2014 a small, hardworking middle class, and a huge number of very, very poor people\u2026 and even more EXTREMELY poor people. After 3 years here, I\u2019ve seen it firsthand: after the harvest with big machines, the first group of the \u201cbetter-off\u201d poor people come with horse and cart to gather fallen grain (corn cobs, ears of wheat, etc.). Then come those without even a horse, on foot, collecting every last kernel of wheat into sacks. I don\u2019t mention this just to highlight the situation here, but to explain why there aren\u2019t even mice, as one would expect in an agricultural country \u2014 mice that could feed a few cats. The cats in the villages beg for every scrap of bread they can get and look absolutely miserable.<\/p>\n
Almost everyone here keeps a few chickens, which roam freely on public land, roads, and pretty much everywhere else because the grass and insects are free there. If a cat even comes close to a chick \u2014 which is essential for the survival of the residents \u2014 it is chased away, beaten, or shot.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]I\u2019ve witnessed examples myself: cats of ours returned with egg-sized bruises, open wounds, broken jaws, etc., and the perpetrators would even brag about it when drunk on the weekends \u2014 otherwise I wouldn\u2019t even have suspected such things. That\u2019s how the first enclosure [PHOTOS] came to be \u2014 built out of necessity next to the old house while construction began on the \u201creal\u201d house.<\/p>\n
Some cats, of course, never returned\u2026 and aside from a filthy grin and a remark like \u201cdamn cats,\u201d there was no sign of what became of them.<\/p>\n
There are also many people here who love cats, but as described, the overflow is massive, and the fate of these animals is cruel.<\/p>\n
So two things must happen: we need to directly help the vulnerable, defenseless cats, and also support the impoverished, exploited country (by exporting local products to generate income for the local population), such as cat litter, honey, wine, tinctures, carpets and beds (for cats, of course!) \u2014 that was the idea.<\/p>\n
Naturally, I also saw still-alive cats and kittens that had been abandoned on roadsides and in parking lots \u2014 at gas stations, hardware stores, next to dumpsters in towns and cities. Long story short, I\u2019ve personally taken in 95 cats so far, each with its own story.<\/p>\n
Two years ago, when we had \u201conly\u201d 7 cats in my wife\u2019s tiny Moldovan childhood home, I already saw that there was more to be done here. So we built a larger house, with plenty of space for the cat sanctuary \u2014 nearly 280 sqm on one full, heated floor for winter shelter, with outdoor access to 3 hectares of our own land with trees, and a 400 sqm enclosure. This way, during chick season, they can all stay safely indoors \u2014 protected from being injured, beaten, chased away, or poisoned. That\u2019s how the project you see today came to life.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/slider_02.jpg” alt=”Au\u00dfengel\u00e4nde” title_text=”Au\u00dfengel\u00e4nde” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” border_width_all=”7px” border_color_all=”#1ECBF8″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
View of the outdoor area, in the foreground the 12×6 meter sand park, running, digging, doing business…<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.catsalvacura.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Maxi.jpg” alt=”Maxi” title_text=”Maxi” show_bottom_space=”off” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||10px||false|false” border_width_all=”7px” border_color_all=”#1ECBF8″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Maxi[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]Even during the planning phase, I found a skinny, flea-infested tomcat full of ear mites on the new property. He was coughing and so weak that he didn\u2019t even hiss at me \u2014 a total stranger \u2014 but instead croaked at me trustfully on the long-abandoned land I had just bought. After a few weeks of regular proper cat food (he too was given DEFU food from the start) and a combination spot-on treatment (Nexgard), he began to thrive. He was named MAXI \u2014 and he even responds to it.<\/p>\n
Some of his \u201cbuddies\u201d from the area, also homeless and in terrible condition \u2014 including some females \u2014 became regular food guests and were immediately neutered. So even before the house was finished, a friendly, peaceful group of cats had already found good food and shelter in the old storage hall during the rapidly approaching winter.<\/p>\n
For a Moldovan cat, anything is better than living without any connection to a house \u2014 especially in a place with no mice, as described above. Of course, this hall also needs to be heated in winter, with outside temperatures reaching minus 20 degrees Celsius.[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hope and a home for Moldova’s street catsHope and a home for Moldova’s street catsHope and a home for Moldova’s street catsHope and a home for Moldova’s street cats