Verena Peterka

Dear all, I honestly don’t even know where to begin. I am completely overwhelmed by all the love and support we have received. All the likes, kind comments, shares and, of course, the incredibly generous donations. I am deeply touched, unbelievably grateful and truly humbled. I genuinely don’t have the words to express what all of this means to me. I have never really been someone who believes in fate, but sometimes things happen that are simply too extraordinary to be a coincidence. I cannot believe that Sanijel and I just happened to cross paths. It really feels like a match made in Heaven. We share the same passion, the same determination and, above all, the same desire to help as many of these little souls as we possibly can. And the incredible thing is that, thanks to ALL OF YOU, we can actually make this happen! Your support means that Sanijel and I can now give so many more cats a chance they might otherwise never have had. And we have so much more planned! On Monday, we’re heading out again. We will be collecting every cat we come across who is sick, injured or in desperate need of help. There are still so many cats out there waiting for someone to give them a chance, and we want to help as many of them as we possibly can. I really wish you could see what you are making possible with your support. Your kindness is turning into real, tangible help. Your donations are paying for veterinary visits, medical treatment and, ultimately, saving lives. Cats who have been left to fend for themselves are finally getting a chance at proper medical care and a better future. Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts. To every single person who has donated, shared our posts, left us a kind message or supported us in any way. Please know that none of this is something we take for granted. You are now part of this rescue mission, and we honestly cannot tell you how grateful we are to have you by our side. We will keep going. For all those little souls who need us. And thanks to you, we can make such a difference. If you would like to follow our rescue adventures and make sure you don’t miss any updates, I would also love for you to follow me on Instagram: @a_girl_who_rescues_cats I’m looking forward to seeing you there! With all our love and gratitude, Sanijel and Verena

Ihr Lieben, ich weiß ehrlich gesagt gar nicht, wo ich anfangen soll. Ich bin völlig überwältigt von so viel Anteilnahme, den unzähligen Likes, lieben Kommentaren, geteilten Beiträgen und natürlich den unglaublich großzügigen Spenden. Ich bin gottlos gerührt, unfassbar dankbar und gleichzeitig unglaublich demütig. Mir fehlen wirklich die Worte, um zu beschreiben, was das alles für mich bedeutet. Ich glaube eigentlich nicht an Schicksal, aber manchmal passieren Dinge, die man sich einfach nicht erklären kann. Dass Sanijel und ich uns begegnet sind, kann doch kein Zufall gewesen sein. Es fühlt sich einfach an wie ein Match made in Heaven. Wir teilen dieselbe Leidenschaft, denselben Antrieb und vor allem den Wunsch, so vielen dieser kleinen Seelen wie möglich zu helfen. Und jetzt kommt das Unglaubliche: Dank EUCH können wir das tatsächlich tun! Dank Eurer Unterstützung können Sanijel und ich so vielen weiteren Katzen eine Chance geben, die ohne Hilfe vermutlich niemals eine bekommen hätten. Und wir haben noch richtig viel vor! Am Montag geht es direkt weiter. Wir werden wieder losziehen und all die Katzen einsammeln, die krank sind, verletzt sind oder aus anderen Gründen dringend unsere Hilfe brauchen. Da draußen warten noch so viele auf eine Chance, und wir möchten so vielen wie möglich helfen. Ich wünschte wirklich, Ihr könntet sehen, was Ihr mit Eurer Unterstützung gerade möglich macht. Aus Eurer Anteilnahme wird ganz konkrete Hilfe. Aus Euren Spenden werden Tierarztbesuche, Behandlungen und gerettete Leben. Katzen, die bisher auf sich allein gestellt waren, bekommen plötzlich eine Chance auf medizinische Versorgung und eine Zukunft. Danke. Von ganzem Herzen. An jeden Einzelnen, der gespendet, unsere Beiträge geteilt, liebe Worte hinterlassen oder uns auf irgendeine Weise unterstützt hat. Wir nehmen das alles wirklich nicht als selbstverständlich hin. Ihr seid ein Teil dieser Rettungsmission und wir können Euch gar nicht sagen, wie dankbar wir sind, Euch an unserer Seite zu haben. Wir machen weiter. Für all die kleinen Seelen, die uns brauchen. Und dank Euch können wir so viel mehr bewegen. Falls Ihr unsere Rettungsaktionen weiterverfolgen und nichts verpassen möchtet, freue ich mich natürlich sehr, wenn Ihr mir auch auf Instagram folgt: @a_girl_who_rescues_cats Ich freue mich auf Euch! Von Herzen, Sanijel und Verena

Ihr Lieben, ich weiß ehrlich gesagt gar nicht, wo ich anfangen soll. Ich bin völlig überwältigt von so viel Anteilnahme, den unzähligen Likes, lieben Kommentaren, geteilten Beiträgen und natürlich den unglaublich großzügigen Spenden. Ich bin gottlos gerührt, unfassbar dankbar und gleichzeitig unglaublich demütig. Mir fehlen wirklich die Worte, um zu beschreiben, was das alles für mich bedeutet. Ich glaube eigentlich nicht an Schicksal, aber manchmal passieren Dinge, die man sich einfach nicht erklären kann. Dass Sanijel und ich uns begegnet sind, kann doch kein Zufall gewesen sein. Es fühlt sich einfach an wie ein Match made in Heaven. Wir teilen dieselbe Leidenschaft, denselben Antrieb und vor allem den Wunsch, so vielen dieser kleinen Seelen wie möglich zu helfen. Und jetzt kommt das Unglaubliche: Dank EUCH können wir das tatsächlich tun! Dank Eurer Unterstützung können Sanijel und ich so vielen weiteren Katzen eine Chance geben, die ohne Hilfe vermutlich niemals eine bekommen hätten. Und wir haben noch richtig viel vor! Am Montag geht es direkt weiter. Wir werden wieder losziehen und all die Katzen einsammeln, die krank sind, verletzt sind oder aus anderen Gründen dringend unsere Hilfe brauchen. Da draußen warten noch so viele auf eine Chance, und wir möchten so vielen wie möglich helfen. Ich wünschte wirklich, Ihr könntet sehen, was Ihr mit Eurer Unterstützung gerade möglich macht. Aus Eurer Anteilnahme wird ganz konkrete Hilfe. Aus Euren Spenden werden Tierarztbesuche, Behandlungen und gerettete Leben. Katzen, die bisher auf sich allein gestellt waren, bekommen plötzlich eine Chance auf medizinische Versorgung und eine Zukunft. Danke. Von ganzem Herzen. An jeden Einzelnen, der gespendet, unsere Beiträge geteilt, liebe Worte hinterlassen oder uns auf irgendeine Weise unterstützt hat. Wir nehmen das alles wirklich nicht als selbstverständlich hin. Ihr seid ein Teil dieser Rettungsmission und wir können Euch gar nicht sagen, wie dankbar wir sind, Euch an unserer Seite zu haben. Wir machen weiter. Für all die kleinen Seelen, die uns brauchen. Und dank Euch können wir so viel mehr bewegen. Falls Ihr unsere Rettungsaktionen weiterverfolgen und nichts verpassen möchtet, freue ich mich natürlich sehr, wenn Ihr mir auch auf Instagram folgt: @a_girl_who_rescues_cats Ich freue mich auf Euch! Von Herzen, Sanijel & Verena

We neutered 6 cats this week!!! The highest number of cats we ever neutered in one week! Unfortunately, it’s I do one of the highest neutering bills for one week. The total amount is 310€ The first was a boy in Aradippou for 40€ (he had to go to another vet) Then we did 3 females (40€ each plus teeth removal for 30€) And the last 2 males from this colony (35€ each plus teeth removal 35€) Which means we finished the most friendly stray cat colony ever!!!! There is only one kitten left, which was dumped about 2 weeks ago we will neuter her in a few months when she is ready. Please support us with our vet bill this week so we can continue neutering stray cats. Thank you so much for your support! With best wishes from Cyprus, Verena

We neutered 6 cats this week!!! The highest number of cats we ever neutered in one week! Unfortunately, it’s I do one of the highest neutering bills for one week. The total amount is 310€ The first was a boy in Aradippou for 40€ (he had to go to another vet) Then we did 3 females (40€ each plus teeth removal for 30€) And the last 2 males from this colony (35€ each plus teeth removal 35€) Which means we finished the most friendly stray cat colony ever!!!! There is only one kitten left, which was dumped about 2 weeks ago, we will neuter her in a few months when she is ready. Please support us with our vet bill this week so we can continue neutering stray cats. Thank you and with best wishes from Cyprus, Verena

Another successful week of TNR in Cyprus! This week, we have trapped an outstanding number of four cats so far, one male and three females, and the week is not even over yet! Unfortunately, we haven’t managed to catch the last male cat in the colony we are currently working on, but we won’t give up until we get him! The first cat we caught was a big tomcat without a tail. Nobody knows what happened to him, but thankfully, he is now neutered and has also had several teeth removed. His vet bill was €40 for neutering and €35 for dental treatment. The first female was also in urgent need of help. We managed to have her neutered before she could become pregnant again, and she also needed several teeth removed. Her bill was €50 for neutering and €35 for dental treatment. The second and third females were the last female cats in this colony who still needed to be neutered. I am incredibly happy that, within just a few weeks, we have managed to neuter the entire colony. This means fewer unwanted kittens, healthier cats, and a better future for the animals living there. Now, there is only one tiny kitten left in this colony who was dumped there a few weeks ago and has not yet been neutered. We will continue doing everything we can to make sure every cat gets the help it needs. We still need your help with the vet bills. The total bill for these four cats is €260. So far, we have received only €40 in donations, which means that €220 is still missing. If you would like to contribute anything towards their neutering and dental treatment, we would be incredibly grateful. Every donation helps us continue this work and gives these cats a chance at a healthier life. Thank you for being part of Rio’s rescue journey and for supporting our efforts to make a difference, one cat at a time. With best wishes from Cyprus, Verena

Another successful week of TNR in Cyprus! This week, we have trapped an outstanding number of four cats so far, one male and three females, and the week is not even over yet! Unfortunately, we haven’t managed to catch the last male cat in the colony we are currently working on, but we won’t give up until we get him! The first cat we caught was a big tomcat without a tail. Nobody knows what happened to him, but thankfully, he is now neutered and has also had several teeth removed. His vet bill was €40 for neutering and €35 for dental treatment. The first female was also in urgent need of help. We managed to have her neutered before she could become pregnant again, and she also needed several teeth removed. Her bill was €50 for neutering and €35 for dental treatment. The second and third females were the last female cats in this colony who still needed to be neutered. I am incredibly happy that, within just a few weeks, we have managed to neuter the entire colony. This means fewer unwanted kittens, healthier cats, and a better future for the animals living there. Now, there is only one tiny kitten left in this colony who was dumped there a few weeks ago and has not yet been neutered. We will continue doing everything we can to make sure every cat gets the help it needs. We still need your help with the vet bills. The total bill for these four cats is €260. So far, we have received only €40 in donations, which means that €220 is still missing. If you would like to contribute anything towards their neutering and dental treatment, we would be incredibly grateful. Every donation helps us continue this work and gives these cats a chance at a healthier life. Thank you for being part of Rio’s rescue journey and for supporting our efforts to make a difference, one cat at a time. With best wishes from Cyprus, Verena

Another week of TNR and another street we are working to protect This week started with more TNR, this time together with two lovely Cypriot ladies who feed many cats on their street in Larnaca. This is a situation that is unfortunately very common here. Kind people start feeding three or five stray cats in their garden because they simply do not want to see them hungry. They feed them every day, and before they know it, there are 15 cats coming for food. A few months later, there can be 40 or even more. Then the problems begin. Kittens are born to mothers who are still kittens themselves, or who are already sick and struggling to survive. Some of the kittens die. The males constantly fight over territory and females, leaving them covered in wounds and infections. Cats are also hit by cars while crossing roads, defending their territory or running from rivals. By the time people realise that the situation has completely gotten out of control, it is often already very difficult to manage. Luckily, these two ladies reached out to me at exactly the right time. They had seen me catching cats on a nearby street and asked me if I could help them start neutering the cats they feed. Now we meet every week. They help me with the catching, we talk about feeding schedules and we work together as a team to neuter every cat on their street. This is exactly what TNR should look like. It is not about one person coming in, catching a few cats and leaving again. It is about working together with the people who are already caring for the colony and helping them prevent the situation from becoming impossible to control. They even surprised me with two beautiful handmade blankets for my traps. They fit much better than my big blankets and will definitely make our catching sessions a little more comfortable for the cats. This week, we started with a young female and managed to neuter her before she came into heat. Unfortunately, I was not able to catch the pregnant female this time. But I am not giving up. I will keep going back until I get her and the remaining cats. I also helped a young woman who recently moved to Cyprus. She had fallen in love with two sick cats living in her garden and asked me for help. We managed to catch both of them so they can receive medical treatment and be neutered. Every cat we neuter means fewer unwanted kittens, fewer sick and injured animals and a more stable colony. And this is only the beginning. Stay tuned for more TNR updates and, if you would like to support this work, every donation helps me continue catching, neutering and treating the cats who have nobody else to help them.