The victory of the rescue on 16th of January might have saved all of the cats from being slaughtered for their meat and fur, but the real work of keeping the cats safe and giving them a brighter future has just started for us.

We can only imagine the kind of challenges and the amount of work the activists must undertaking in a rescue as large as this one.  The challenges, however, have served to bring out the dedication of the activists and volunteers, generosity and kindness of all of the animal-loving people in China.

The cats were placed in a temporarily rented warehouse near the rescue site. While the volunteers were moving all of the 2,800 cats out of the tiny cages and into bigger kennels, they did basic health inspections and separated the cats into different categories based on their health conditions, genders and sizes.  All of the cats that appeared to be ill have been quarantined and treated by the volunteer veterinarians.

While the volunteers were going through all the cats, they found out that many of the cats were wearing collars, many of which even had name tags attached. Not all of the cats were strays; many of them were obviously well-loved family pets that were stolen from their families.

While the onsite volunteers have been numbering and recording each of the 2,800 cats, we have created a Lost Cat/adoption page on our Chinese website (tacn.org.cn) with pictures of photographed cats (The page is still being updated with new cats as volunteers are continuing their work on profiling cats).  Through this page, we hope the lost cats will be reunited with their families, and that the other rescued ones will find a human who will protect and love them forever. In just three days after the rescue, over a hundred loving people from different parts of the country showed up at the rescue location looking for their lost family members or adopting a new family member.

All of these have been made possible thanks to the dedicated on-site volunteers who have been working restlessly for very long hours, as well as the love and support from people from far away.

The volunteers who took the shift overnight, set up tents onsite, so they could monitor the site, and also wake up during the night to patrol the site and check on the sick and injured cats.

Donations both in the form of money and supplies (kennels, food, water, medicines, etc) have poured in from all over the country over the course of a few days during the rescue. These donations have provided the frontline volunteers the fuel and hope to continue their work on not only saving these cats’ lives, but also creating a future full of love and hope for each of them with a potential of a forever home.

Onsite volunteers have spent many sleepless nights taking care of the cats. They have provided their own vehicles to transport the cats and supplies. They have kept the rescue site clean and organised.

Their hands, arms and even faces are covered with scratches and bites from the terrified cats. Yet, no one has complained, and more volunteers are arriving every day.

Our partner team, V-Cats, who has dedicated themselves to protect both stray and pet cats and fighting against the cat meat trade, traveled from Beijing immediately after the cats were rescued and joined the rescue effort with Wuhan Small Animal Protection Association (WSAPA).

Due to the huge number of the cats involved in this rescue, it is a mission impossible for WSAPA to take in all of the cats on their own while they are waiting for adoptions. A call-out has been sent out to all animal rescue teams, shelters and individuals in China to help out with housing/fostering some of the cats. Both TACN and V-Cats will be taking over a number of cats. A total of 69 of the 2,800 cats are due to arrive in Beijing later in the evening of 22nd January.

Despite the tremendous amount of work and many sleepless nights, the leading organisation of the rescue, the Wuhan Small Animal Protection Association (WSAPA) has been keeping a neatly organised record of donations received, as well as a clear and detailed list of spending during the rescue. A summary of donations and spending of the rescue will be made public on our website after all of the cats are properly relocated and housed.

Most of the donations will be used to treat injured cats, as many of them are enduring serious injuries caused while being snatched. Most of the injuries were caused by the traps that were set up by the snatchers. The trap severely damaged and even broke the limbs of the cats. They then had to suffer many hours before being shut in tiny cages and continuing the journey of horror with the other terrified cat victims.

If you want to help these cats, you can make a difference!

We have set up this fundraising campaign to give the world outside of China a way to directly influence the outcomes of the rescue and contribute to the success of the Chinese animal rights revolution:

DONATE NOW

Your donation via our online fundraiser will help provide food, shelter and medical care for these cats.

ATTENTION: TACN is the ONLY organisation that is officially authorised by the Wuhan Small Animal Protection Association (WSAPA) to collect donations outside of China for the 2,800 cat Rescue on their behalf.

No help is too little to help animals in need.  Every dollar raised through your donations will be fully and publicly accounted for on the TACN website tacn.org so that you can see how your gifts are helping to make China a kinder, more humane place for all animals.

One of our main goals is to unite people from across the world with these brave activists as they fight to ensure a better future for animals in China. The incredible outpouring of support that has come from around the world has warmed the hearts and fortified the resolve of the brave individuals who are fighting right now to save animals.

Money is not the only way to help these cats who are in desperate needs. You can help them by getting as many people involved as you can. Please spread the word and share this post. Thank you!