Persik escapes war to be with mom in the US

It truly took a village to save Persik and reunite him with his family. The compassion of fellow Ukrainians, several airlines and the HSI team carried him all the way from his war-torn home to his mom’s loving arms, thousands of miles away.

When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, Persik’s mom was away visiting her family in the United States. Unfortunately, Persik was not ! He was back home, in Ukraine, in the middle of a war zone.

His mom managed to contact some people who were willing to help her and they could successfully evacuate the cat as far as Warsaw in Poland, but without a way to be reunited with Persik or a long-term solution for his care.

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Persik’s mom was quickly losing hope but thanks to the Humane Society International team on the ground in Poland, and the people who saw her social media post asking for help, now they’re finally together!

For Persik, whose name means “peach” in Ukrainian, it took three long flights—Poland to Boston, Boston to Chicago and Chicago to Fayetteville, Arkansas— to be finally safe in her mommy’s arms! A lot of treats and reassuring chin scratches, helped Persik feel home again.

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“I want to express special gratitude to the people who took part in saving my cat from the war in Ukraine, to everyone who provided help and care in Warsaw for several weeks. Heartfelt gratitude to those who were able to bring my cat to the USA — team Humane Society International for their work in saving and protecting animals and for bringing my cat to me, and to everyone who participated in the rescue in saving Persik,” said his mom.