Luka, the First “Kotor Kitty”

from April King, co-founder

We awoke to a thunderstorm and downpour on our first morning in Kotor. Taking our coffee onto the covered veranda of our vacation rental, we found a bedraggled little cat comfortably settled on one of the cushioned chairs, grooming to dry himself. Once he realized that he was still welcome on the settee, he settled back down to enjoy the attention and ear scratches as we watched the thunderstorm move through. We later learned his name was Luka, meaning “port” in the language of the Balkans.

Luka was a young male tabby with a white “tuxedo”. He was very thin, with scabs and sores covering him. Fleas crawled all over his body–into his eyes, his nose and mouth, across his belly. And he was very hungry, so of course we fed him. But as much as he liked the attention, the ear scratches, and the food, he was very polite about not trying to slip into the house!

When the downpour stopped, my friends and I set off to explore Kotor. Before the trip I had developed a plan: visit the various shops raising money for the street cats in Stari Grad (Old Town) and see how I could get involved with their spay-neuter programs. I would donate on the spot, instead of buying gifts and souvenirs to take home. And I would figure out how to help with fundraising or resources once I returned home.

One fancy, well-advertised shop didn’t know anything about sterilizing the cats. They said the money they raised went to food but wanted only to sell me things. The next place, same story…

But then I arrived at a little gift shop overflowing with real, live kittens and cats. I met Danijela, the owner, and had a lengthy conversation about her efforts to spay cats and the hurdles she encountered. She got it! She was doing it! She understood! OMG, I had found a kindred spirit and certified cat lady!

Danijela loaned me a carrier without blinking an eye or asking for a deposit so Luka could safely go to the vet to be neutered. I was SO happy and relieved, but time was running out on our 2-day visit to Kotor, and I still hadn’t found an organized group to undertake a spay/neuter project.

Enter our wonderful Airbnb host. She didn’t want to be identified publicly, because ANY association with helping the street cats in Kotor is synonymous with CRAZY CAT LADY. I messaged her, apologetically, and was relieved to find she knew of Luka and was willing to take him to her family vet for neutering! Even better, she called her sister to drive from Podgorica to meet me that evening!

So I came to know two wonderful sisters, both concerned about the Kotor cats. One had already tried to talk to the mayor; the other, it turned out, had volunteered and fundraised for a TNR program in Puerto Rico. They were well aware of the obstacles to such a program—government, vets, apathetic public—but we came to an agreement to raise funds to help Danijela sterilize 10 cats around her little shop… and then see what happened…

The sisters’ family vet, Dr. Relja Četković, agreed to spay and neuter the cats at a substantial discount from the prices set by the Veterinary Chamber of Montenegro. Affectionately known as “Relja” throughout the community, we later learned of his long-standing compassion and generosity with community animals in need of care.

After spaying the cats around the Airbnb, everything slowed to a crawl. Having just one local resident quietly spreading the news of free sterilization, we had a slow trickle of cats for sterilization. More funds were raised but sat unused… until we told Relja about our intention to spay some more, and our frustration that the funds were not being used.

Involving Relja in our bigger vision, and how to share it with the community, was what truly launched Kotor Kitties! In discussing program models for large-scale sterilization, he was a passionate advocate for local vets learning the techniques and becoming a model for a nationwide high-volume sterilization program.

Relja explained that Montenegro is a small country, blessed with a good number of well-distributed vet clinics because the farmers require care for their animals. By building the interest and skills of existing small-animal vets, and by interesting and training some honest, skilled, and hard-working large-animal veterinarians, we could avoid the need for a large centralized program, or outside vets running large “spayathons”.

By the end of 2018, 39 cats had been spayed or neutered, and Kotor Kitties had added a second veterinarian, Dr. Marija Georgieva, of RoyalVet, doing a small number of sterilizations in Podgorica, the capital city.

In January 2019, we held our first full “Spay Day” in Kotor. Relja invited his friend and colleague Dr. Nebojša Gorašević to help make sure things ran smoothly. Our “Dynamic Duo” of spaying and neutering sterilized 57 cats over 2 days, and Kotor Kitties added Dr. Gorašević as one of our vets soon after.