Today, Wednesday 21 November '12, we said fond farewells to our first 3 evacuees. The 3 gentle IRIA boys, as we always referred to. Dear Arthur, Archie, Arnie, you really will be missed. Their story is one of sadness and delight. We were alerted to many strays at IRIA camping beach, which is approximately 100 kms from Ermioni. Some German holiday makers spent their holidays during the summer of '09 and had befriended many stray cats. They came back late Autumn, caught 7, neutered them and took them back to Germany to be re-homed. It seemed to prey on their conscience that they couldn't neuter all the pussy cats. So they contacted the UK, who sent out messages to various bodies. We offered to help, but hadn't realised how far away IRIA camping beach was. Two journeys were made to try and locate these cats. The first proved negative. No cats anywhere. Well it was winter time, but even so, the weather was still pretty warm. The second visit proved more eventful. From the photographs sent, we were able to locate the cats in question that needed neutering. The vet was on standby waiting for the cats. However, the owner of this camping beach, wasn't happy that cats were going to be neutered. So we told him they were going for vaccinations and would be brought back. He was aware of the German holiday makers and did understand our reasons for being there. To be fair to this Greek man, he did care for the pussy cats. There was food and drinking water for them in a location behind the site.
Patience now needed in setting the traps and hoping the stray cats would just walk in. What seemed like hours, was probably just a couple of hours only. From trap to cage, then off to the vets they went. I walked into the vets with 6 cats, and it was only afterwards that I realised we had taken them to the wrong vet! Never mind though, she still neutered them all.
It was tiring continually driving back and forth, but the next day, when we collected and released the pussy cats, we noticed 3 little kittens roaming around. There home sadly was the toilet buckets, and it was in these toilet buckets that we were able to catch them. Into the basket and off to Ermioni.
In the 2 years they have been with us, living in the open countryside, they have been so loving and have very affectionate characters. Sadly the day has come, because of the cruel neighbour adjacent to the field, they are the first to move. Into the baskets they went. Some of the other pussy cats came to say goodbye to them too and off we went. Athens here we come, with 3 sad boys. The journey couldn't have been any worse. It just poured it down with rain all the way. When we arrived at destination point, it was a quick hand over to the new owner, without even saying goodbye to them.
We know they will be well looked after, but it will be different for them. Apartment living in oppose to open countryside, but the main thing is that they will get love, shelter, food and lots more.
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