Finally, the time had come: After we had just celebrated the first feed a cat delivery, the next delivery went abroad: The destination: The city of Imperia on the northern Italian coast. 

Even before we set off on the long journey, it was clear to us that this was not going to be a normal visit to an animal shelter. Even the name of the place we were going to feed sounded unusual: "Salomon's Park". Not an animal shelter, but a park where former laboratory cats with an often terrible past had found a new home. 

The park is run by Marita, a Berlin native, and Augusto, an Italian. We ourselves were made aware of the work of the two animal welfare activists through the "Association for Animals in Need of Help", which supports the project from Germany. 

We were correspondingly excited on the day we were finally able to visit the park. To do so, we had first arranged to meet Augusto at the port of Imperia in the morning ⚓️ - because the hidden park is practically impossible to find without help.

The amiable animal rights activist immediately gave us a warm welcome. Before we went to Salomon's Park, however, we had to be patient: First, Augusto wanted to show us some places that are regularly supplied with food for free-roaming cats.

So we met a lady near a big department stores' who has been feeding the cats in the area for almost 15 years. For years, the food was repeatedly thrown away by security guards of the supermarket - although there is a large distance to the building and no rubbish is left behind. The kittens ate all the food anyway. But the situation has improved: now the animal welfare workers even have access to a small shelter for their food and can feed the animals undisturbed.

These places are not only urgently needed to provide the kittens with food. As a contact point for the strays in the area, they also offer the animal welfare workers the opportunity to catch and neuter the cats here before releasing the animals back into the wild. 

After these first impressions, we continued our journey: out of Imperia and into the surrounding mountains. Augusto had already warned us that the road to Solomon's Park was a bit narrow in places and not easy to drive on. In fact, countless potholes and roads so narrow that we could hardly get far even with a small Fiat Panda awaited us. 

But the little tremor was worth it: up in the mountains, a true idyll was waiting for us - "Solomon's Park" was really going to live up to its name. In a small oak grove, which provides shade in summer and lets in enough light in winter, there is room for up to 80 animals. The majority of the animals are cats, but dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs have also found a place in this little paradise. 

Every part of the park is lovingly designed: The kittens have plenty of opportunities to play or rest in the lovingly painted shelters. The cats can decide for themselves how much contact they want to have with Marita and Augusto. ❤️

Because even if you can no longer see it on most of them: Almost all of the animals have a terrible past behind them. They have been hit by cars, shot or infected in laboratories with diseases such as leishmaniasis or FIV ("feline AIDS"), only to be researched. Many of them need daily medication, and Marita in particular makes sure that each animal takes the medicine that is essential for survival.

Despite these restrictions, the animals have the greatest possible freedom and can leave the park at any time to explore the surrounding mountains. At the latest when there is something to eat, the four-legged friends come back. And the fact that Marita and Augusto can continue to fill the kittens' tummies in the future is also thanks to the incredible commitment of the feed a cat community! 

We would like to thank you for this commitment on behalf of the cats of Salomons Park, for Marita and Augusto and of course for the association for animals in need of help. With your donation of food, you are helping to maintain this paradise in the future. ❤️

Please help us to send the next food pallets to Solomons Park soon. Select the association for animals in need for your next food donation:

If you would like to donate food now click here: https://app.feedacat.com/futter-fuer-katzen?profile=40883