Pass between the twin stone elephants on Jalan Ambarawati in Lotunduh, Ubud and enter the world of Villa Kitty. Born in 2009 in the corner of an established dog shelter, Villa Kitty officially began life as a refuge for Bali’s destitute cats and kittens in 2011. Today, it is a busy, colourful and ordered village where the disadvantaged feline, and yes, canine residents are honoured, treated, loved and ultimately adopted.
Greetings at the front door are enthusiastically delivered by Kanga dog, who oversees the adjacent, spacious Boarding facilities. Venture into the building proper amid the gowned, proficient staff and vociferously vocal cats and dogs, where specifically designated rooms accommodate their residents, according to their needs. The Retirement Village, where mature mothers rest and await adoption and the West Village, where eligible young cats dream of their new families, both offer day beds and restful cushions. Two legged visitors to Villa Kitty are urged to lie back, spend time and enjoy the ridiculous play or soothing comfort of these healthy beauties.
The front line of animal welfare sees many casualties and Villa Kitty has resources to assess and manage the wounded and damaged. Our vets operate in a clean and safe surgery and those cats and kittens requiring quarantine have a discrete wing of suites. Respiratory sufferers are cared for separately and there is a dedicated hospital nursery for tiny patients. And then of course there is the ward that all our visitors, adult and child, love: the nursery, where heart-meltingly beautiful babies gaze with hope toward a safe and loving future.
Finally in the middle of our village, is the Playground Bale. Colourful outdoor furniture and adventuresome outdoor cats are there for your enjoyment. Sit down, chat with a cat, look about. There might be local school children, participating in Villa Kitty’s educational program. There will be Villa Kitty staff, cleaning, feeding, nursing and nurturing their charges. There might be a happy family, finalising their adoption of a new family member. There will be the boisterous Villa Kitty dogs, asserting their right to cohabit with the hundred and fifty or so cats and kittens for whom the village is named.
Villa Kitty has come a long way in a few short years. We have a long way to go. Take the journey with us: become part of the Villa Kitty story.