Help Mishka: A Heartfelt Cat Rescue Story from Georgia to Moldova

Life sometimes throws us challenges that test the depths of our love and resilience. This was the case for Jon Cavitt and his beloved cat, Mishka. Mishka’s story is one of survival, devotion, and hope – a journey spanning multiple countries, endless obstacles, and an unwavering bond between a man and his feline companion.

Jon recently reached out to share his heartfelt story and ask for support to bring Mishka back into his care. With time running out and limited resources, Jon is making a desperate appeal to ensure Mishka doesn’t get left behind as he faces a mandatory departure from Moldova at the end of January.

In this article, I’ll share Jon’s letter and Mishka’s story, along with details on how you can help make a difference for this incredible pair. Let’s dive into Mishka’s journey, and together, we can help her find the happy ending she so deserves.

Mishka's Journey: Cat Rescue Story That Needs Your Help

The Story of Mishka

My cat Mishka was born a street kitten in an underground car park in Tbilisi, Georgia in May 2022. I decided to adopt her and rescued her from there in August 2022. I couldn’t keep her in the hostel where I was staying, so I put her on a farm where a friend was working, then I took her back to the city 3 months later.

After that we had to move many times, because I couldn’t afford a decent place where we could live together. Sharing a place didn’t work because always there was someone who didn’t like cats. When I lived in hostels they forced her to stay outside, or if inside she had to stay in the carrier.

I tried renting rooms a few times but they were overpriced, the conditions were horrible, and the landlords were cheaters. As an English teacher, my salary was too low to survive in Tbilisi, because the cost of everything kept rising but my salary stayed the same.

Finally, last summer I got the documents I needed to travel with Mishka and we moved to Romania, where I hoped to find a teaching job. However I continued to have serious problems finding pet-friendly accommodation and was forced to pay way over my budget.

As a result, the money I had finished too quickly and we had to camp in the forest for two months. I collected cans and bottles for the deposit money and this was enough for us to survive. But when it started getting colder, I realized we couldn’t keep living this way.

A friend of mine in France organized a fundraiser on a crowdfunding site to help support us (https://www.gofundme.com/f/aider-mishka-le-chat-a-quitter-la-foret-avant-lhiver). As of now, 1145 euros has been donated, but that is over a 3-month period, and over 100 of that was taken by fees before I even saw it. So it’s just been enough to survive, nothing more.

When my 3 months visa-free in Romania ended, we came to Moldova and I spent 2 weeks with her in an animal shelter, where I volunteered. We stayed in a room that belonged to a shelter worker, and when he returned I had to leave there, but the shelter agreed to keep Mishka until I could afford to take her back again.

After weeks of searching in Chisinau, I finally got some teaching work but then it stopped for the month-long holiday period. Now I am faced with another problem, that I am legally required to leave Moldova at the end of January when my 90 days is up, and I can’t afford to take her with me. I have made many appeals on her Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/mishkathecalicocatgoddess) for donations to my GFM to help, but the amount so far isn’t nearly enough.

Even if I can get a couple more weeks of teaching work before I leave, it still won’t be enough. With time running out, I am desperately trying to spread awareness on Instagram and asking for contributions.
I made a promise to myself that I would never abandon her, and I have kept that promise, taking her across 5 countries. But now I need some help to bring her back into my care. I love her and don’t want to leave her behind.