Support India's only dedicated Feline rescue network - Bangalore Cat Squad

*Ketto is not charging any fee on this fundraiser*

Bangalore Cat Squad - India's first and only cloud animal shelter, rescuing felines in need!

WE URGENTLY NEED YOUR HELP TO SAVE THE LIVES OF CATS AND KITTENS.

BCS receives over 100 requests every month to take in severely injured cats, hand-raise orphan kittens, and to support communities with population control of feral cats. And for the past 7 years, volunteers at BCS have rescued, rehomed, and rehabilitated cats and kittens in need.

The BCS cloud shelter model does three vital things –

1/ Enables cats and kittens in need to get the best emergency veterinary case

2/ Allows for a safe, infection-free environment where kittens have access to personalized care, nutrition, love, and attention. This process is vital in restoring health and keeping mortality rates low while enabling them to blossom and find their perfect adoptive family.

3/ Empowers volunteers to take in cases that are typically considered untreatable or ‘lost causes’. Not only has this meant that countless lives have been saved, but a considerable body of knowledge has been built to empower rescuers across the country.

BCS’s model keeps costs to the minimum (and operates at 1/10th of a traditional shelter cost) since it has no overheads – no shelter premises and no staff salaries. Every bit of money goes directly towards supporting the medical expenses, food, care, and transport of felines in need.

BCS educates, empowers, and enables citizen volunteers to create a growing group of people and communities sensitive to the needs of animals. This is the only way to create lasting and sustainable change. This is done through physical and virtual adoption camps, learning programs for kids, and public awareness initiatives.

What do we need funding for?

While we attempt to fund most of our costs ourselves, as we grow and manage nearly 100 cats and kittens a month, we are in need of funding to meet the costs of medical care, food and supplies, and local transportation. Since our partnership with Samarpan Foundation, we have been able to receive more support that over time has significantly increased the amount of work we are able to deliver. But much more is needed. Typical bills include:

1/ Emergency medical bills – Annually we get 200 + cats who are victims of road accidents, dog attacks, electrocution and there is a substantial cost associated with emergency care.

2/ Transportation – Pick up cats and kittens from locations across Bangalore to veterinary clinics and foster homes.

3/ Supplies – Food, litter, blankets, OTC medication that supports fosters who are unable to manage expenses. This is common in the case of large litters and cases needed long periods of covalence.

How can you help?

Donate online to support us. You can also donate your time and expertise.

Your donation, no matter how small, will directly help an animal in need. 

THIS IS WHY WE NEED YOUR DONATIONS

 To help you understand the scale of what we do and the financial implications, here is a snapshot of our average annual expenses:

1.   Emergency and trauma care, cost per year: INR 9,50,000

2.   Permanent care for disabled cats, cost per year: INR 5,00,000 

3.   Trap-Neuter-Release for one cat, on average is: INR 3,400, and annually we support 100+ community cats.

4.   Starter kit for 50 new fosters: INR 3,000 each

5.   Top-up kit for fosters taking in new cats: INR 2,000

WHY WE EXIST?

Over the last decade, Bangalore has grown into a booming technology-focused metropolis, and the dangers for its stray cat population have increased proportionally – more traffic and fewer places to hide and rapid depletion of their natural food (birds and rodents), within a widening concrete jungle. In this situation, BCS was founded in 2015 in response to the urgent call for an animal welfare organization purely focused on helping felines. We are a group of volunteers (many with full-time jobs, families, and domestic responsibilities), who generously dedicate time, effort, and money to rescue cats across the city.

 It took hard work and tears of frustration to get to a point where we now have 40 active members consisting of rescuers, foster parents, experts who thoroughly screen potential adopters, adoption camp organizers, artists who create BCS collateral and posters, social media managers, and those who document our process and the progress of every single rescue (over 2000 to date). 

After years of digging into our own pockets to bear all our expenses, last year we partnered with the Samarpan Foundation, an NGO that does tremendous work in education, health and nutrition, slum development, women’s empowerment, and animal welfare. They have been a godsend, enabling us to scale up our operations through much-needed financial assistance. This still isn’t enough.

HERE’S HOW WE SAVE COSTS

1.   Our operational interactions are mostly through WhatsApp, a Facebook page, and phone calls.

2.   Our foster network works like a well-oiled machine, allowing us to care for and rehabilitate at least 40 rescues at any given time, in the homes of our highly committed foster parents.

3.   All this means that we do not incur infrastructural costs – no shelter to run, no staff salaries, and no rent to pay. Every single rupee donated to us goes towards the costs of food, litter, medicine, vaccinations, neutering, other vet bills, and transport.

4.   We often realize that we cannot find suitable homes for disabled cats (amputees, blind, and partially paralyzed kitties who we rescue). We do not abandon them. Instead, our own team members take on the added responsibility of looking after them for life.

5.   We firmly oppose the relocation of healthy community cats and certainly do not attempt to rescue or rehome these kitties. Instead, we work with potential caregivers to trap, neuter, and release them, so they can continue to live in familiar territory, in harmony with humans, without an increase in population. This frees us up our resources to provide aid to cats that really need help.

AN OVERVIEW OF OUR TRAP-NEUTER-RELEASE PROGRAM

 We are keenly aware that a single female cat can litter at least 3 times a year, sometimes bearing up to 6 or 7 babies per litter. Do the math and you’ll soon realize that the stray cat population can get way out of control if we do not trap and neuter at least some of them, before releasing them back into their territories.

 BCS continues to work with the community to conduct neutering camps in collaboration with some of the finest vets in Bangalore, who generously discount their regular rates for us. Using a special trap that will not injure the cat, our volunteers ensure minimum trauma to the trapped feline, and even provide post-operative care in their own homes, before release. Naturally, we take every precaution to ensure that cats brought in for neutering are examined by a vet to ensure they are healthy and fit enough for surgery. We do not promote the notching of a cat’s ears to mark it as spayed. If there is any doubt that a female cat has already been spayed, we ensure that a scan is done before any surgical attempt.

OUR EDUCATION AND AWARENESS DRIVE

We start early. Our adoption camps are fun for the kids as well as educational. We teach them how to make cat toys and show them how to gently handle kittens – no grabbing or tail pulling. Have you ever noticed how cats gravitate towards children with a great deal of trust? 

 Awareness leads to empathy and experience. When we receive a call for help, from a location miles away from any BCS rescuers, we patiently guide the reporter to take immediate action to keep the sick or injured cat secure and if possible take it to the nearest vet. Most people have good intentions, they just don’t know how to put that intent into action. With a little handholding, many of them come through like champs for the kitties and even go on to become regular rescuers or fosters.

 BCS members have constant access to advice on the basics of good cat care – both behavioral and medical. Fosters and rescuers often reach out to our senior members for guidance and they are given all the assistance they need.

 We encourage those who adopt kittens and cats from BCS, to talk to us about their fears and concerns. We understand there are challenges when introducing a new furry member into the family and we do our best to guide new pet parents through the process. Our biggest reward is when they in turn share pictures of healthy, happy kitties who have fully integrated into their homes and are receiving tons of love.

 COVID-19 has been a hurdle, but it hasn’t stopped some of our enthusiastic members from launching a series of online webinars with live question and answer sessions, to address some of the common concerns that pet parents face.

 Finally, we always advocate the practice of neutering cats. In fact, when screening potential adopters, if we sense resistance, we do our best to help them understand our reasons and reject them if they continue to disagree.

‘Every individual can be empowered and enabled to be kind and courageous to rescue an animal in need, the Bangalore Cat Squad provides the know-how, resources, and support to change not just the lives of felines in need, but individuals who seek to make a difference. Everyone can join the movement to make India kinder and more animal-friendly’ - BCS’s Founding team 

APPRECIATION FROM BANGALORE’S FINEST VETERINARIANS

 “In my career as a veterinarian, I have come across many animal rescue groups but rarely a responsible rescuer. The Bangalore Cat Squad is really an exception...they are a dedicated team and truly care for all animals in pain. They take on some really challenging cases and find amazing homes for rescued pets.” 

Dr Shiyad K K - Veterinarian in Bangalore

 “Bangalore Cat squad is an organization you can trust implicitly. Having worked with these amazing people, I would highly recommend it to anyone in need of help. I have personally seen various rescues being taken care of, by them, in an upstanding manner. They provide the utmost care possible for the best outcomes. They have genuine love for these animals and an unbreakable spirit to see it all through. They also help in fostering and adoptions and are the best I have seen so far!”

“Kudos to this passionate bunch of feline enthusiasts who are always prepared to go the extra mile. Truly a blessing for all these unfortunate kitties”

Dr Varun - Veterinarian in Bangalore

 “I’ve been seeing Mrs. Vijaya ( founder BCS ) since the past 10 years when she used to bring sick dogs and cats from the roads with the help of a dog catcher to treat them. She used to nurse them and once they are fit and healthy, either adopt herself, or look out for good caring homes. Sometimes when overburdened she would search for like-minded people to foster them. One day she got a cat perilously close to death with all 4 legs charred due to electric shock. She willingly agreed to amputate and take care of the cat for life. But for her, would have euthanized it. All expenses were borne by her. I suggested she form a group so that she can care for more pets. I wish her all the best and congratulate her for whatever she is doing and wholly support and at the same time thank her on behalf of the pet world.”

Dr Srikanth - Veterinarian in Bangalore

 “Thanks, Bangalore Squad for doing a commendable job of rescuing, treating, and rehabilitating homeless and sick cats. I will be happy to be a part of your mission to help these voiceless creatures in whatever small way I can.”

Dr Ajitesh - Veterinarian in Bangalore

 *All photos were taken by Sivaraj, BCS official volunteer photographer who has covered every event with us for 6 years :)

Here's a quick update