The story of EKEY ry
The South-Kymenlaakso Animal Welfare Association (EKEY) is a non-profit, volunteer-run association whose purpose is to help animals in need and homeless animals throughout the South-Kymenlaakso region.
The association was founded in 2019 and the animal shelter for homeless animals opened in Kotka Hovila in 2020 and was named Ekey’s Animal Shelter. From April 2023, Ekey started to take care of the recovery of found animals in the South-Kymenlaakso region in addition to its other activities.
During its years of operation, the association has rescued hundreds of animals and found new homes for them. This has included population cats and animals that have come to the association as rehomed animals. Ekey cares for nearly 300 animals a year. Of those found animals that return to their own homes, around 70-80 are found.
Monetary donations, proceeds from the sale of support products, flea markets and cat adoptions are used to cover the costs of veterinary visits, medication, maintenance and the Ekey Animal Shelter for homeless animals. The lost animal service is a service purchased by cities and municipalities, but the association does not receive regular funding from any official body to help homeless animals.
All activities are based on voluntary work.
Ekey currently (4/2024) has around 45 volunteers in various capacities.
Of these, eight are board members.
– The fundraising team plans and implements events and bazaars.
– The Animal Care team provides basic animal care and cleaning during the morning and evening shifts at Ekey’s Animal House.
– The cat whispering team socialises vulnerable animals on two shifts daily.
– The trap team is in the field rescuing cats.
– The health team takes care of animal health issues, including veterinary visits, medications, etc.
– The foster care team selects foster homes and looks after the welfare of the animals in foster care.
Below we have collected stories and excerpts from diaries from Ekey’s different divisions.
The stories are from animal welfare work over the years.
MORNING SHIFT AT EKEY'S ZOO
The clock reads 8.00 when I open the front door of the zoo. A few kilometres on the bike in the pouring rain. I was like a bathed dog in a cat house! But what you wouldn’t do for homeless animals. The hard bike ride was soon forgotten when the first resident of the house ran up to me and kicked my legs asking for ironing…well yes and breakfast of course and right away! Quick ironing for this tame house-sitter and the shift got underway.
First thing I do is read the report from the night before so I know to note any quarantine areas. Clean everywhere, great!
So I’ll start my tour by visiting all the rooms on the clean side. I’ll turn on the lights and wish the residents a good morning. In the summer, I open the mesh ventilation window so the kitties can smell the fresh air.
When all the rooms have been toured. I move to the kitchen to prepare meals for 25 cats.
I line up 25 food bowls. I mix the right amount of food in a large bowl and divide it equally among all the cups. According to the instruction board on the kitchen wall, two cats seem to have special diets, so I put their food aside on a separate tray.
I go room by room to take care of the cats on the clean side. The last quarantine room is where the timid cats trapped in the cat population just the day before yesterday live. The rooms are numbered and the cat dwellings (high cage units) in the rooms are also numbered.
One of the apartments in the first room is occupied by a fearful jet-black male cat who huddles in his litter box. Hanging on the mesh door of the second apartment in the same room is a striped cat, clearly wanting to get out of the apartment and into the room to roam. The food bowls were empty and there was sand from the litter boxes all over the flats.
Nice story… Clearly the cats have been partying until the wee hours of the morning, with the clean up to match. But that’s what I’m here for. To help them. I get all the cats in the first room breakfasts given, fresh drinking water changed, apartments swept, litter boxes cleaned.
Time to move on to the next room. It’s been the same routine as the room next door. The other kittens are hiding in their nests. Others are eagerly waiting for their breakfast. The same routine is repeated in five different rooms until I reach the last one, the quarantine room.
One by one, more fearful kittens watch me through the screen door in their apartments.
Excitement is in the air. I’m nervous and I’m sure the cats are just as nervous. With calm movements, I open the door of the first apartment in the quarantine. The cat in the apartment starts to dart around the apartment, hissing loudly. It’s time for me to back away. I set the food tray down on the floor and close the door. Food is the most important thing now for these new cats who are not used to people. Small steps and on the cat’s terms.
I finished with all the cats and decided to vacuum a few more rooms before leaving home.
I get the vacuum cleaner in the middle of the floor when Ekey’s emergency room calls to say they’re bringing a dog they found outside to the shelter soon. So the vacuuming got left behind and I moved to the hallway to wait for the dog to come. The gentle little dog appeared in the hallway, escorted by a concerned human. The dog had been found lying drenched on the side of the driveway. I picked up the dog and thanked the finder for his selfless care for a dog in distress. I headed with the dog to the lost and found area of the animal shelter, where I dried the dog with a towel, gave him water and a soft bed. I used a chip reader to check the chip and the chip was found on the dog, but not in the register, so I took a photo of the dog and put the photo on the association’s facebook page. The dogs usually go back home within a few hours.
While I was doing that with the dog, the doorbell rang again. The postman was there and announced that the cat litter delivery had arrived. 74 bags of litter were now in the yard. Huh!
I’ll send a note to the association’s volunteer help group about the need for help carrying in the bags of litter. I returned to the dog who was crying hard, surely homesick.
I sat down next to the dog on the floor, picked up the crying dog in my arms and said to him «I just had a break». We sat there for a while until a message came on the phone saying that the owner had been found and would be back to pick up the dog in half an hour.
The same routines are repeated on a daily basis but it is good to be able to adapt to changing factors.
always be prepared. It could be said that although the work is routine, no two shifts are the same.
Vacuuming is now a thing of the past. The cat whisperer came in and I set off pedalling home.
Fortunately, the rain had stopped, and the bike ride home was a pleasant one, with birds singing.
THE CAT WHISPERER
At EKEYN Animal Shelter, cat whisperers are a common sight. Cat whisperers are socializers for cats. They are present to monitor the well-being of the cats, engage them in play, and even sing to them, so that the cats associate the presence of humans with something positive, despite their bad past experiences.
EXCERPT FROM A CAT WHISPERER'S DIARY
I rushed through work again today, hurrying to make it to my lash appointment by four o’clock, and then headed straight to the animal shelter to do some whispering. After all that running around, it felt so good to just sit and relax for a few hours, chatting away and getting a bit of paw therapy.
I started with our new little one, Salama. There he was, crouched next to his litter box, staring at me with those incredibly beautiful eyes. I openly admit that red cats are my weakness, and here was this small orange-striped furball gazing at me—absolutely adorable! I changed my clothes because we don’t know if the kitten has been vaccinated yet. I had brought a pink outfit with me on my previous whispering visit, thinking that maybe light colors wouldn’t be as scary as dark ones. So there I sat in my pink clothes, staring at the little ball of fur, who bravely stared right back at me.
I offered a feather toy for him to sniff. His tiny nose pressed against the feathers for a moment. I tried to move the toy carefully. No interest. I switched toys, still nothing. How about a ball? No. The little orange bundle by the litter box just kept staring at my pink-clad self. I offered my hand to sniff while quietly talking: «There’s nothing to worry about, everything is fine now. We’re going to be friends, believe it or not.» And the kitten sniffed my hand, sniffed it again before lifting his gaze to meet mine directly. I squinted my eyes, and the kitten squinted back. Slowly and cautiously, I moved my hand to gently pet the little head. I softly hummed a lullaby from Lapland as I gently and slowly stroked the tiny head. I could feel the kitten’s body relax under my hand, and soon I could pet his neck, then his back. Oh, little one, what have you been through in your short life?
When the kitten had fallen asleep to my petting and singing, I quietly changed my clothes and tiptoed out of the room. Now I moved to the room where our cats suffering from feline flu were staying. I greeted everyone quietly, calmly. Max and Miikka came to the front of their cage, and Max meowed his greeting. Could it be snack time? Another meow—treats are always welcome! So I dropped a few treats through the mesh for the boys and chatted with them for a while. Miikka figured out he could bat the treat back to me from under the cage door, and I would drop it back into the cage. We kept up this game until Max ate the last treat.
Ren, the lovely red boy, was already meowing for my attention. I promised that next time I’d spend time in his cage. I soothed his restless mood with some treats. Don’t worry, little one, this quarantine won’t last forever; soon you’ll be healthy and able to run free again!
Mooses coughed sadly. Oh Mooses, did you go to the vet today? The medicine will help soon, and you’ll get better. Mooses clambered down from his top shelf to greet me—or was it to ask for treats? Sometimes I wonder if the cats see me as anything other than a vending machine for tasty treats. But either way, the cats know me, and they don’t fear me. That’s the purpose of whispering, to relieve stress and fear and to help the cats trust humans.
And finally, there was the ever-patient Takeo. I changed clothes again, because in the sick bay, each cage requires different clothing to prevent spreading the illness. I opened Takeo’s cage door, and courteously, Takeo stepped back slightly to give me space to enter his little room. I sat on the chair—this had become a habit for us—and patted my thigh, «Come, jump Takeo, jump,» and soon my lap was filled with a big, heavy tomcat. How wonderful it feels to be held! Takeo kneaded with his paws and purred loudly. I rocked the cat in my lap, stroking him and chatting, «What have you been up to today? Are you feeling good? Have you eaten yet? Oh, there’s still food in your bowl. I had chicken today, do you have chicken in your bowl too?» I rocked the cat and remembered the many lullabies I had sung to my children and grandchildren. I rocked and sang. The whole world, all the rush, all the noise, all the unpleasant things disappeared. I sat in the cage, singing a lullaby and rocking the cat in my lap. We both relaxed. Takeo’s eyes closed, and his purring faltered, his paws kneading only occasionally. I wish you would soon get a good home! You will be a wonderful cat for someone who wants to hold a cat in their lap and enjoy a peaceful moment.
The clock ticked on, and my own matters came back to mind. I still had to go shopping… carefully, I stood up, placing the warm and relaxed cat from my lap onto the chair. You keep sleeping, I’ll head out into the cold, rainy world. I changed my clothes, and with them, the relaxed and calm cat whisperer turned back into a busy homemaker who still needed to go shopping today and remember to buy bread and cat food and and and… A final glance into the room, good night wishes. We’ll see each other again soon.
VETERINARY DAY
Veterinary visits are an essential part of animal welfare work. Occasionally a vet will come to our Ekey Animal House to vaccinate cats, but more generally, volunteers spend ‘vet days’ on average once a week. At the vet, cats are chipped, vaccinated, checked, neutered, spayed or neutered, have their teeth treated, x-rays taken, ultrasounded or whatever else is needed to determine their health.
Today, Ekey’s volunteer health team met at 10am at Ekey’s Animal House. They started with a check of the transport stalls and a «patting down» of the cats. Sometimes a sensitive population of cats can be quite a challenge to put in a carrier. In this case, we talk about patting. The cat is intimidated by humans and the carrier, and of course the cat doesn’t understand that we are only doing what is in its best interest. That is why we always allow plenty of time for patting before the appointment with the vet. It is also a good idea to have two people with you when you are patting the cat down.
We took two cars to the Kotka City Veterinary Clinic, where the vet was waiting for us as usual. Some of the cats were shy population cats, some were already tame former strays and there were also some completely tame cats. To our surprise, the most challenging cat to care for this time was a fully tame cat!
Hilma-girl did everything she could not to be vaccinated. This is where a relentlessly experienced cat handler was really needed. No matter how difficult the situation becomes, you can’t leave a treatment unfinished. Today, seven cats from the shelter were admitted. All were vaccinated and some were also chipped.
Meanwhile, the morning shift had cleaned up the cats’ apartments ready for those coming from the vet and it was nice to put the cats in a familiar, clean apartment after a rough trip for the cats.
In the evening, the cat whisperer will come to spend time with the cats from the vet while checking on the convalescents.
PROMOTION
ONE AUTUMN TRAP STORY
At seven o’clock in the morning, the alarm clock wakes us up to the first frosty morning of autumn. The thermometer reads -3, the ground is white and the sun is shining. After our morning coffee, we pack three traps, six cat carriers and a lunch box for ourselves, and a good deal of hope. The hundred kilometres go by quickly in good company. We arrive at our destination.
We are met by a friendly and concerned person. In his outhouse there is a family of cats, not belonging to anyone living nearby. So our mission is to get the mother and five kittens to safety as quickly as possible from the harsher frosts. We set the traps and wait. We didn’t have to wait long when three traps were triggered in the wake. Hunger drove three of the cubs into the traps. We moved the kittens safely inside from the traps to the transport box to wait for any other cats to be escorted to safety.
Three more would need to be brought in. We waited for several hours, with no visual sightings of the cats. Until we had to leave to take the captured cats to the food bowls. And of course, the trapper’s actual pay shift was about to begin. We left one of the traps in place, and the concerned reporter promised to do a trap check and let us know when the cat was trapped. We would then pick up the cat and bring it to the cats that were already safe.
At the animal shelter, after a long day, the three kittens were let loose from the carrier to waddle around on the right floor. For the first time in their lives. The kittens were amazed and quickly curled up in a heap as they sought refuge from each other.
We slept peacefully through the night. The next day, in the afternoon, things started to happen. A caller called to say that the mother was trapped and two kittens were nearby. Ekey’s trap team members started the car from the stand and hit the road. This is made possible by multiple operators in the association. If someone is unable to attend, someone else can. Within a few hours, three cats were loitering safely, in addition to three cats. So the whole cat family is now safe. All six cats that were brought to safety from the outside. The animal control officers were in a very good mood.
The cats will then be taken to the vet for a check-up and basic grooming will begin with the care volunteers and socialisation with the cat whisperers.
One day at a time on the cat’s terms.
FUNDRAISING TEAM
The long-awaited weekend is finally here. A major animal welfare event has been actively planned on a daily basis for the past few months. It’s been five years since the decision was taken to hold the event. Five years ago, the MAJOR ANIMAL WELFARE EVENT was held, and now it was time for the Vol 2 MAJOR ANIMAL WELFARE EXPO.
In the fundraising team we held meetings to plan the event. First we set a date four months from now. We looked for a venue, got the official paperwork and insurance in order. We started planning the programme and looking for performers for the event. Invited animal welfare associations in the surrounding area to participate. A Facebook group was set up to promote the event and a WhatsApp group was created for the organisers, which was a hot topic for the next few months.
In the WhatsApp group we had 21 volunteer team members. Ideas flew and were implemented.
The planning took a step backwards when the perfect venue we found was cancelled for reasons beyond our control. The event had already been advertised on social media and invitations had been sent out. Panic set in. We started calling everyone we could think of to find a new venue. Giving up was out of the question. After dozens of phone calls, it worked. We were able to rent the local Seurant House for the event. The new venue was much smaller and plans had to be rearranged in terms of both the flea market arrangements and the programme.
Things were looking bright again.
Extract from the fundraising team’s diary
On Friday evening at 6pm, we met the venue’s landlord for the handover of the key. We went over the alarm and security issues at the Seurantalo. It was then time to move from months of planning to implementation. Two large vans drove into the Seurantalo yard, one with flea market goods, the other with merchandise and café supplies, event tents, traffic cones and flagging glue. In addition to the vans, passenger cars and bicycles also entered the yard. Each volunteer had his or her own role to play. And the organisation went very well.
Within a couple of hours, we had the venue set up. It was time to go to bed and we agreed to meet at 8am the next morning. One of us came at 6am to open the door for the sound and lighting technicians so they could set up a great setting for the performers to perform before the event started. At 8.00am on Saturday morning, the courtyard of the clubhouse was filled with volunteers from the association. The setting up of the event marquees and the preparation of the café began.
The event lasted two days, Saturday and Sunday, from 10am to 6pm on both days.
The spring sun shone brightly. Visitors started to arrive in cars and on bicycles from 10 a.m. There were pony rides, farm animals, pet dogs, various musical performances, a magic show, a poetry recital and several animal welfare associations telling about their important voluntary work, private flea market vendors at 20 different tables. In one room, a local tattoo artist did tattoos by appointment for visitors. Times were fully booked in advance for both days.
The café was crowded and the Wheel of Fortune was spinning all day long.
In the afternoon, the number of visitors dwindled considerably on both days, which was of course a pity as we had planned for a good number of visitors for the whole event.
But we learned something for the next event! With public events, you never know how people will move around, but overall the event was a great success. We received a lot of positive feedback on the organisation of the event and everyone was happy.
We Ekey team members worked for months on this event, and when
the event was successfully managed, the clubhouse cleaned up and the keys handed over to the landlord, the main thought on our minds was gratitude. The few hours of sleep and the bumps on one body or another were forgotten and we were just happy to bring together local and nearby animal welfare groups, private flea marketers and local artists. We were able to support important animal welfare work not only in our own area, but also in neighbouring towns and cities.
Ekey is involved in monthly events, either by organising events at Ekey’s Animal House itself or by others, as it is important to have a presence. Encounters with people and open discussion bring important animal welfare information to the public.
FOSTER HOME FOR A HOMELESS CAT
I was asked if I could serve as a foster home for homeless animals. I had been thinking for a long time about how I could contribute to animal welfare work, so it didn’t take long before I answered affirmatively. Ekey’s foster home coordinator visited my home to ensure it was suitable as a foster home. I received valuable advice on what to consider while being a foster caregiver.
I was also well briefed on what fostering for Ekey entails. It wasn’t long before the organization’s people brought not just one cat to my home, but an entire cat family consisting of SIX cats! Of course, we had agreed on this in advance.
With the cats came a load of food, litter, toys, and a climbing tree. I’ve received assistance at any time of the day when needed, and the organization’s health team member takes the cats to the vet. All I had to do was care for the cats as if they were my own: provide food and love, keep the litter box clean, and socialize the kitties.
It’s wonderful volunteer work, and best of all, I can do it in my own home. Here, the cats get used to the sounds of a family with children, which is, of course, beneficial when they are searching for a permanent home. I’ve also noticed that my almost three-year-old daughter is learning to respect animals and the importance of animal welfare work from a young age. I had to ask for advice a couple of times and cautiously called with the attitude of «sorry to bother you.» But on the other end of the line, they were very helpful, and I got the feeling that my call was anticipated. It made me feel good, and I immediately received sound advice on how to proceed. The cats I was fostering at the time were somewhat shy but incredibly playful and always present, without being aggressive in any way. The cat family was taken to the vet, and all of them found their forever homes. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to them, but I was happy that they all now have a loving home for life.
Afterward, my home felt empty, and soon a new cat came to us to wait for its home. This time, I got to know a very timid feral cat who had already found a home once but was returned to the organization because it didn’t get along with the other cats in the new home. This cat needs a home where there are no other cats. Thus began our nearly year-long journey together with Hertta, the cat who left a special pawprint on my heart.
THE WORLD'S MOST LOVABLE HERTTA
One day, I brought home a very scared black long-haired cat for fostering. Her name was Hertta.
It was winter, and we were waiting for Christmas. Time passed. The hissing furball hid behind the sauna stove and only came out secretly at night when people were sleeping. On Christmas Eve in 2020, I placed a gift next to the sauna stove and was rewarded with a hiss in return. This was our life for months until one beautiful midwinter morning, as I was making coffee in the kitchen, I felt something furry against my legs. I cautiously looked down—there was Hertta, rubbing against my legs! I continued with my morning routine and spoke to her calmly.
We repeated this on several mornings until one morning, when the rest of my family was still asleep, I sat down on the floor next to Hertta. I began to pet the softest fur in the world, and in return, I was met with purring. This purring will resonate in my mind for the rest of my life as a beautiful note of gratitude. Together, we had achieved something I hadn’t expected. We got to enjoy these shared morning moments for a few months until some lovely people came to see Hertta, with the intention of giving her a forever home.
In 2021, one morning, I called Hertta over, and she trustingly came to be petted. But today was different. After petting her, I gently placed her in a carrier. Hertta didn’t understand. The purring turned into crying, both from her and me. Hertta looked at me with her big eyes as if to ask why. I told Hertta that today is the first day of her new life. Today is a day of happiness. Someday, Hertta will surely understand this. And I had my own conflicting thoughts as well. I wished Hertta a happy life and thanked her for everything I had learned from this wonderful personality. I will never forget her.
Hertta found a loving home with a retired couple who promised to accept her just as she is: shy but trusting in her own people, a gentle cat. Hertta has now lived in her home for three years in 2024. I have been able to visit Hertta, which I think is fantastic. Hertta is still herself, loving her people’s petting, grooming, and waking them up in the mornings for breakfast. Even though three years ago, it felt like I had betrayed Hertta’s trust, today I see that wasn’t the case. Hertta, the former feral cat, now gets to live the best and safest life as a house cat with loving people. I am happy and grateful for Hertta.
