Ukrainians with cats flee to neighboring countries seeking safety

April 5, 2022

When the Russian invasion of Ukraine began three weeks ago, residents in Kyiv were urged to take up arms against Putin’s forces.

While thousands of Ukrainians began to flee their country, many are refusing to leave without their pets by their side.

Cat mom seeking safety carrying her cat tucked into her coat

Many residents wanting to avoid the fierce fight have been flooding into subways to shield themselves and their pets from the attack.

A cat dad tries to calm his terrified cat as he joins hundreds of people seeking shelter underground in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Citizens caught in the crossfire are grabbing their suitcases and their cats as they seek safety in bomb shelters or neighboring countries.

A worried cat mom with a suitcase and her cat in the carrier in Kyiv.

Even the pets are not spared the trauma, they are having the worst time of their lives.

Many Ukrainians are taking their cats with them underground into metro subway stations to seek shelter from Russian airstrikes.

There are still many animals in Ukraine in need of food, medicine and care.

Others are fleeing to nearby countries. According to recent reports, Poland, Romania and Slovakia are allowing Ukrainians to bring pets across borders without veterinary paperwork.

A woman with her cat in a bag waiting with other Ukrainian citizens at the railway station in Poland.

Ukrainian soldiers are being comforted by homeless cats and stray cats that have found shelter in their trenches…

while heroic volunteers and shelter workers are staying behind in the face of missile strikes to care for homeless animals.

A Ukrainian man carries a fish and a cat he saved from the residential building hit by the Russian missiles earlier today in Kyiv.