A woman has spoken about her experience aiding neglected animals of war in war-torn Ukraine after initially going there to assist migrants crossing into Poland.
She ended up adopting a three-legged Ukrainian cat, with whom she shares her adventures.
Wendy Lloyd, a resident of Birmingham, England, traveled to Ukraine to join the other courageous Britons in assisting refugees in making their way across the border into Poland from Ukraine.
Wendy and her team did everything they could for the refugees fleeing the war, then they turned their attention to the unfortunate animals abandoned in the streets by their owners.
Some families would leave their pets locked in the house with as much food and water as they could leave behind, while others would let them out onto the streets.
Wendy explained the awful impasse faced by these pet owners:
“If you’re a mum and you have to choose between saving your children or the family pet, you know which one you’re going to take”
While bringing supplies to a makeshift animal shelter in the mountains around Kyiv, Wendy met a kitten sitting on the ground: Rocket.
After meeting the three-legged cat, Wendy started thinking about what she might do to help the other animals whose owners had to flee the raging war tearing apart their country.
Rocket, so named because of the bombs raining down on Wendy, had little hope of escaping the situation. The cat refuge in the Kyiv Hills couldn’t provide him with the necessary care.
Adopting a three-legged rescue cat
When Wendy met the moggy, he was utterly disheveled. The refuge he stayed in was incredibly cramped. Fifty lost, abandoned, or injured animal wander in the facility.
Despite her best efforts, the lady managing the refuge was utterly overwhelmed. Wendy decided to take Rocket along.
The kitten was injured by a car after being freed by his owners and trying to escape the military invasion. However, Wendy knew just the right people to help nurse Rocket back to health.
While in Ukraine, Wendy rediscovered her passion for helping animals in need. The animal aspect of things drew her in.
Even though she grew up with pet dogs in Harborne and considered herself an animal lover, she didn’t consider rescuing animals a calling. Wendy told Birmingham Live:
” It was simply the case that we went out there to help people, and when we’d done all we could, we diverted our resources to animals.”
In addition, she has assisted needy families in Kyiv, Chernihiv, Bucha, and Lviv over the previous few months; these are some of the cities that the armed conflict has hard hit.
After volunteering, Wendy returned to her home city, where she owns a scooter company, with Rocket in tow.
The critter’s emergency trip to the vet and months of care had prepared him for his new life in Birmingham, 1,600 miles away. He now lives a peaceful life, playing at home or browsing pubs with his mistress.
A far cry from his previous situation.