Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/persik-reunion/

Since the war in Ukraine broke out, Humane Society International has been working to help displaced people and refugees with their pets.

One of those people is a Ukrainian woman named Larysa who was fortunately in the United States when the war began. But sadly, her cat, Persik, was still back at home in Odessa.

Thankfully, Larysa’s cousin managed to safely transport her beloved Persik from Ukraine to Warsaw, Poland. Now that Persik was safe, he needed to get back to his human.

When Kelly Donithan, director of animal disaster response for Humane Society International, was in Poland helping people, she connected with Larysa on social media and learned of her story. She immediately agreed to help bring Persik to the United States so the two could finally reunite.

“Larysa nearly lost hope of ever seeing Persik, but someone always jumped in to assist and bring this cat out of the war and ultimately to his mom,” Donithan said. “I am grateful that I was able to help finally get him home. While incredibly special, this is not a unique story. We are seeing compassion every day across Ukraine, Europe and around the world. It is a painful and horrific time, but all of these small acts of kindness are keeping and bringing families together when they need it most. Even during the darkest times, it is clear how much pets mean to their families.”

Ukrainian animal shelters cannot access basic resources like food to care for displaced pets, and refugees who lost everything need food and support to care for their cats and dogs.

Greater Good Charities is helping to move large quantities of pet food directly to the people and pets who need it. Together with our partners at U-Hearts and The Animal Rescue Site we are purchasing truckloads of emergency food to send to shelters caring for pets within Ukraine and distribution centers in neighboring countries helping refugees with pets.

You, too, can help support these pets affected by the war. Every dollar donated will provide a minimum of 10 meals to feed hungry pets affected by the Ukraine crisis, giving relief to their families and those caring for them. Click here to donate.

Watch Persik’s story and reunion with his mom in the video below:

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog