Our story
Stray Safe is a volunteer-run program helping stray cats in Belgrade through TNR, emergency care, and adoption. No paid staff, no overhead — just people who care and a city full of cats that need help.
Stray Safe launched on August 14, 2024. Not with a strategy deck or a funding round — with a handful of people who were already helping street cats and realized they could do more by working together.
Belgrade has tens of thousands of stray cats. The traditional response — catch and euthanize — doesn't work, Belgrade has a city program trap-neuter-return which is not doing enough. Populations rebound within months.
Since then, over 200 cats have come through our program. More than 60 found permanent homes. Dozens of colonies are stabilizing. And our team has grown from a small group into a structured network of 40+ volunteers with real roles, real training, and real impact.
We're registered as a program and working toward full NGO status — because permanence matters. The cats need an organization that will still be here in ten years.
Trap-neuter-return isn't just a method. It's the only method backed by data. Here's why we build everything around it.
Lethal control creates a "vacuum effect" — new cats move in within months. TNR stabilizes and gradually reduces colonies because sterilized cats hold territory and don't reproduce.
Sterilized cats stop yowling, fighting, and spraying. Nuisance behaviors linked to mating disappear. Residents who complained often become supporters.
One sterilization prevents dozens of future cats. Compared to repeated catch-and-kill cycles, TNR is significantly cheaper per cat over any meaningful time horizon.
These aren't just words on a wall. They're the decisions we make when things get complicated.
Every cat we place goes to a home with window and balcony protection or them being closed. No self-roaming. FIV/FeLV status is always disclosed. We turn down adoptions that don't meet our standards — even when it's uncomfortable.
We care deeply about cats, but decisions get made on data and veterinary guidance, not instinct. If we're wrong about something, we change course. We document, we learn, we improve. And we welcome feedback
Every donation and expense is tracked and published. Receipts are documented. We don't hide our numbers — we're proud of how we use every dinar. See our public financial report →
Stray Safe is a safe space for everyone — volunteers, adopters, and caretakers — regardless of identity, background, or belief. We use non-violent communication and have zero tolerance for discrimination.
Our 40+ volunteers are the program. There's no team without them. They trap cats on cold evenings, clean litter boxes on weekends, drive to vet clinics on their lunch breaks, and write adoption posts at midnight.
We take volunteer structure seriously. Every role has a clear description. Every person has a mentor when they start. We give feedback, we ask for it, and we try to make sure nobody burns out carrying more than they signed up for.
This isn't a hierarchy — it's a network of people with different skills, showing up in the ways they can.
And more: adoption interviews, SMM, finance, PR, event coordination
Donate, volunteer, foster, or just share what we do. Every action moves the needle.
