“7 Days Ago Everything Changed”: War In Ukraine Through the Eyes of a Housecat
War is hell – you’ve probably heard that saying. But it’s actually much worse.
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When you think about it, who goes to hell? Only those who deserve it.
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This means there are no innocent people in hell. In war, it’s the innocent souls who suffer the most, regardless of whether they are humans or animals.
The war in Ukraine has caused immense suffering for both people and animals. Here, we have a chance to see what it looks like through the eyes of a rescued kitten.
She thought she was finally safe when she found her forever home. But within one week, everything changed.
Her owner, Anna, wrote on Kusia’s behalf:
“Hello, world. My name is Kusia (which means Bitey, from “bite”). I’m a 1.5-year-old cat from Kyiv.
When I was very young, I thought I wouldn’t survive. On the night of August 8, 2020, I was hiding under a car, and that’s when I thought a big black cat, three times my size, would kill me.
I don’t have much courage, but I was so afraid that I started screaming out my fear as much as I could. I cried so hard.
Some people were walking by. They saw that I was sitting under the car, pushed away from the angry cat, and told me not to be afraid anymore.
I went to their hands, and from that moment, these people became my parents. When they brought me to their home, they saw that all of my paws were white.
Despite the fact that, for some reason, one sock slipped off my back foot, they still fell in love with me. And they gave me my name — Kusia.”
Just over a week ago, Kusia, a regular house cat, was startled to the core.
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“I’m really into playing fetch and bringing the ball. My parents say cats don’t do that.
But I love it! Especially when my parents are still sleeping; I can bring a ball in my teeth and throw it at their noses.
To definitely wake them up, because c’mon, let’s play! If they don’t respond, I can basically become a barber and start licking my dad’s beard.
That’s when he wakes up and strokes me. Then we’d play and have breakfast.”
Kusia wished to leave the shelter and return home, but she realized she couldn't.
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“But seven days ago, everything changed. We all woke up to a very loud siren.
The sky was still grey. My parents quickly began to gather things.
At first, I followed my mom everywhere and purred, still waiting for her to give me a treat. But it didn’t help.
I had never seen my mom like this. She was panicking.
And Dad was very serious. I became very scared again.
Just like when I was hiding under the car, waiting for a black cat to kill me. So I crawled under the bed and refused to go anywhere.
But the sirens didn’t stop. My parents forced me into a cat carrier — they said we needed to evacuate to a bomb shelter.
I didn’t know what that was. Until now. Since then, this has been my new home.”
Kusia finds comfort in her parents and siblings
“At first, I couldn’t calm down, and I was looking for a way back home. I checked all the cracks and flaws of the bomb shelter, trying to find a way out.
But my mom took me in her arms, hugged me, and cried. I don’t like the taste of her tears; they’re salty. So I tried to purr louder because then my mother smiles through her tears.”
And she still wants to play
“I’m not bored here. Three more cats live in my new house – Stepan, Kuzya, Mutya, and Gerda the dog.
All the cats are also adopted from the streets, just like me. From the very beginning, Kuzya annoyed me; I hissed at him a lot.
But now we are friends, and we can even play together. Those games distract us, so we can almost not hear the explosions and sirens.
My mom doesn’t cry as often anymore but tries with all her might to find insulin, and Dad is on the phone all the time, even more serious. I think his hair has gone silver.
I miss my favorite cozy bed; I’m tired of sleeping on the floor. I really want to go back home and live in a world where no evil, unbearable black cat can attack.”
She has a sibling, Mutya, to keep her company
Kusia can’t wait to go home
Here’s what Kusia’s owner said:
Anna added:
“Here’s a little update on the situation in Kyiv:
Tonight was insane; we couldn’t sleep at all because the city where my grandmother lives was under attack. It’s a really small city called Izyum (which means “raisin”) in Eastern Ukraine, and there are only civilians there.
We couldn’t reach her by this morning. It’s impossible to explain how I felt the whole night, but it’s like your heart doesn’t belong to you anymore, and your mind is so shocked that you feel like you have already lost someone you love… you’re trying to suppress those thoughts, but it feels like a tsunami.
With all hope and prayers, we finally reached her; she was also hiding in a bomb shelter with her dog. That night, there were a few huge explosions over Kyiv, and we could feel them very close.
Animals were shocked, and they were trying to hide everywhere. Kusia usually sleeps with me, and she really was trying to calm me down that night because I was beyond my limit.
She’s an angel and the best kitty depressant ever. For now, we’re okay with supplies like food; I think everyone has seen some apocalyptic movies, so it’s like this — high-carb food and water are a must.
But we still have some problems with medication. I hope that with the logistics, it will soon improve. A lot of people usually underestimate the power of the vibes animals can give you, but right now we’re all in one place, living through this hell and hoping it will end soon.”
Unfortunately, there are many stories like this:
Many animals are in the shelters
Their owners try to protect them
And be strong
Animals don't understand what's happening
How can an animal understand?
Some cats are taking this well...
Some are afraid
Animals don't wage wars. They don't kill for pleasure. They don't lie about higher goals.
Poor little thing hiding
They need to be evacuated
We hope that this madness ends soon. War brings destruction, death, and suffering.
So many lives are lost, and the survivors carry trauma for the rest of their lives.
We truly thought we had moved on from killing each other over a piece of land or ideas, and this has caught us off guard. It turned out that we must work on peace.
It should not be taken for granted.
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