This diary will hopefully provide an insight into the lives of some of the homeless, often neglected, stray/abandoned cats and dogs that we come across on a regular basis.

I want to try to tell their story, as all too often, these poor strays are overlooked, their suffering ignored…treated with such indifference. It’s important that we acknowledge their lives, and their struggle to survive…

 

I’ll also try to include some of the ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ of our many resident rescued cats and dogs – the "Furry Greek Gang"
Also our foster furries - those we care for until forever homes can be found.

 

I’m hoping to be able to add entries at least weekly, more frequently if possible.

Thursday - 26th December - 2013





















Monday - 23rd December - 2013

Here's our unexpected Christmas "guests" Hope that's the lot now as we are full! No more room at the Inn! Merry Christmas!
















Saturday - 21st December - 2013

I can't believe it! We have two more furry "guests" for Christmas.
Two stray kittens, both tabbies but different ages just turned up over the last few days. It's very strange as the resident rescue cats and dogs that go outside in the front garden don't seem at all bothered about them, intruders are usually chased off, not these two though. Oh well ... as if we haven't got enough mouths to feed!  Photos to follow... 

Monday - 16th December - 2013




These gorgeous pups are now on their way to a new life in Germany.

Bye bye Maisie & Max!

Miss you babies! xx




Tuesday - 10th December - 2013

More updates - more furry friends rescued over the last few weeks/months...

Back in August we received a call asking if we could help a tiny abandoned kitten that was found alone, no sign of mum-cat.
Little 'Matilda' also known as 'Tilly the Gonk' was only about 7-14 days old. We thought we might lose her early on as she had difficulty feeding, it was touch and go for a while. Thankfully she slowly improved and started to thrive. She's now a very healthy happy, naughty 4 month old...

 

















Lovely little 'Tigger' (6 weeks old) was also rescued in August. He was under a car parked on the road near a beach. He was lucky not to have been killed as the car slowly pulled away. The poor little fella continued to wander in the road. He came home with us and he's still here!





These two cuties, Maisie and Max were abandoned beside the road outside town early in November, they were only 4-5 weeks old at the time. Left alone without food or water to fend for themselves...
Luckily these dear pups will soon be heading off to new homes abroad. Will update when they are on their way...


We found these poor little pups a few days ago (about 4 weeks old)
Abandoned among the rubbish beside a busy road. They were huddled together trying to keep warm crying their little hearts out...

They are now being cared for by friends (temporarily, many thanks to them for helping these babies)

Desperately seeking loving forever homes as usual...


Sunday - 1st December - 2013

I'm back to update ... the work continues, it never ends. I've struggled over the last few months ... It really is hard to keep going at times...

Anyway, updates on some of our rescues/fosters - happy endings! Much love to them all. xx


Gorgeous Tango and Daisy have been adopted together. They went to their lovely new forever home in August and are both doing very well. They don't live too far away so we can have regular updates which is lovely.


Beautiful Bess and Bonnie (rescued back in January) have been adopted.
Bess went to her new home in Norway at the beginning August. Bonnie left us at the end of August for her new home in Germany. Both girls are settled and happy. We've had some lovely updates.


Lovely Tommy (rescued back in April) went off to a new home in Austria in September. He was the last of a litter of three to be re-homed. A happy ending for him and his sisters.




Lovely little Luna (5-6 weeks old) was rescued from the road one evening in October. Sadly she was pawing at the remains of a dead kitten that had been hit by a car. She was very lucky to have survived herself.
She has since been adopted and is now settling in to her new home in Athens. 
She's now enjoying life as a pampered house-cat.  




Some sad news...

We found our dear little stray friend, Kit-Kat dead on the road on 25th November, she was only a couple of years old. We've been feeding her and her mum (Mum-Cat) since she was a few weeks old, she is already much missed... Sweet dreams little girl. xx

















More updates to follow over the next few days...

Wednesday - 31st July - 2013

I had to take a break from updating this diary, It's been a very difficult year so far with much sadness and loss...

A few words for a very brave puppy, 'Eddie'  (RIP) Thanks to everyone who worked together to try to help him.
Poor abandoned Eddie (4-5 months old) was found seriously injured on a beach, he was desperately trying to drag himself out of the water but was unable to move his back legs.
On 8th July we volunteered to take him to an experienced vet outside our area. Sadly x-rays showed that Eddie had a broken pelvis and spine, nothing further could be done to help him and he went to sleep ... rest in peace Eddie... xx

We also received some very sad news last week about a lovely gentle sweet natured dog we rescued and re-homed in 2010.
Poor Mr Barker lost his life due to poisoning... Our thoughts are with his family... Rest in peace Mr Barker... xx

Two more abandoned kittens desperately in need of forever homes...
  























Sweet little Tango and Daisy were abandoned without food/water at rubbish bins beside a busy road at about 4 weeks old. Poor things were very distressed and dehydrated, they would not have survived for long in the heat without help. 
At 7 weeks both are doing well and gaining weight and confidence.

Friday - 21st June - 2013





A happy ending for gorgeous Goldie. She's now enjoying her new life with her forever family. Our thanks and best wishes to them.

Bye bye Goldie, be a good girl!
                           xx




Tears for our Josh ... Rest in peace sweet boy... xx























Such a shock,  just can't believe we lost him so suddenly, he was only 2 years old and in good health, or so we thought...
Josh was rushed to the vet after becoming very poorly overnight, he'd been fine up until then...
We lost him two days later, Friday 7th June... He'd had an acute intestinal infection and bacteria had spread to his blood, he didn't respond to treatment ... wish we had known he was so sick...

Little Josh (10-14 days old) was found in a plastic bag in a rubbish bin back in 2011 with his sister Jemma, and brother Jake. Sadly baby Jake lost his battle a few days later. Josh is now reunited with his little brother... much love to our dear boys... xx
 
Sunday - 2nd June - 2013

Great news!  Adorable Amber has been adopted J




Lucky Amber is now with her new family. Many thanks to them for offering this lovely girl a forever home.
Wishing them all the best.

Be happy Amber!  
              xx



All being well, gorgeous Goldie will be off to her new forever home soon too...

Tuesday - 28th May - 2013

Lazy little lovlies - Rescued pups, Tommy, Amber and Goldie relaxing in the shade...

                    FOREVER HOMES NEEDED...

Monday - 20th May - 2013

Been so busy!  Young puppies are so cute, but hard work!
Bess, Bonnie, Tommy, Goldie and Amber are still desperately seeking loving forever homes... All are waiting patiently with us...

Little Miss Minnie has made lots of new friends, she seems very content with her new furry family.
She's gained strength and her balance has improved, we're really pleased with her progress.

Well done Miss Minnie!


Wednesday - 1st May - 2013















More abandoned babies... These two beautiful girls (Goldie and Amber, about 6 weeks old) were left alone in a car park on a busy road. Forever homes/foster homes desperately needed, there are many homeless puppies and not enough caring people willing to help...

Tuesday - 23rd April - 2013
Great news!

2 0f the 3 puppies that were dumped at the bins have been adopted. Lucky girls, Cleo and Nera. Many thanks to all who helped find forever homes for these lovely little ladies.




Gorgeous little Tommy (Cleo and Nera's brother) is still looking for a forever home of his own. This sweet affectionate 8 week old is just adorable.

Please contact us if you can help little Tommy find his happy ending... 





Sunday - 14th April - 2013

Introducing little 'Minnie' a sweet 'special needs' kitten all the way from Northern Greece. She was found in a terrible state by a kind lady who took her in, but was unable to care for her long-term. We tried to contact local rescues but ... no response. Minnie has a congenital spinal deformity and neurological problems relating to this. Sadly the long-term prognosis is poor as her condition will no doubt deteriorate over time. 
See 'Rescue Stories' page for Minnie's full story, so far...  

Monday - 8th April - 2013



















More puppies dumped with the rubbish... 1 male, 2 females, about 5 weeks old. They were hiding in the stinking pile in the photo, we managed to coax them out with food. 
They are now safe, a friend kindly agreed to care for them short-term. Forever homes /foster homes desperately needed for these, and many other puppies. Please contact us if you can help...

Friday - 5th April - 2013

More heartache...
Another sweet soul has passed over to the Bridge. Elsa lost the battle, sadly the infection had spread 
deeper and was just not responding 
to treatment. She was having difficulty eating yesterday, we could see that she was really struggling and it was only going to get worse for her. She was put to sleep
yesterday evening...


Rest in peace now little girl, no more pain. Sweet dreams... xxxxx 

Sunday - 31st March - 2013


Some much needed good news. Foster dog (Buster) has been reunited with his owners. It was only by chance that we found out he was  lost/missing.
So pleased for him and his family J


Elsa cat is still battling the infection, it's not as bad as it was but we really need it to clear up before anything else can be done to help her ... if positive thought alone could heal, she would be well, but we can only do so much, it's out of our hands ... still hoping and praying for a good outcome for this sweet brave girl, she so deserves it...

No sign of the pregnant dog ... will keep looking for her...

Friday - 22nd March - 2013






















Sadly we lost lovely Lady Melina on Wednesday night. We knew she was living on borrowed time and probably wouldn't be with us for long. She passed peacefully and was comforted right to the end. This sweet gentle old lady is already much missed...

Sleep well dear Melina - sweet dreams... xxxxxx

Sunday - 17th March - 2013

No new news on Elsa really. She's on an intensive course of antibiotics for a severe infection in her wound, nothing more can be done until the infection is under control. Only time will tell if the wound will heal. It's looking better but there's still a long way to go. She's on cage rest and is coping exceptionally well with being confined. She's underweight  (2kg) but has a very good appetite, she eats everything we put in front of her.
Everything crossed for this lovely girl...

We're keeping an eye on this poor stray girl, she's heavily pregnant. We can't take her in as we're really struggling to find forever homes for our four foster dogs. We also have five resident rescue dogs plus all our cats. We and others are feeding her and the rest of her pack. Wish we could do more but we are overwhelmed as usual...

Saturday - 9th March - 2013

Sadly there's a possibility that Elsa might have advanced skin cancer... we should know more once we've seen the vet again, she's due to see him again on Monday evening. We are anxiously waiting and hoping and praying for the best...
Elsa is just adorable, she's already touched our hearts...
Just a week or so ago we were struggling to get near her. We can now stroke and gently fuss her. She 'talks' to us and lets us know that she is ever so grateful for our help ... bless her...

Sunday - 3rd March - 2013

We found a badly injured stray cat in town on Thursday. We caught sight of her as we were leaving the market car park. We went straight home to collect our catch cage, thankfully we found her scavenging around the rubbish bins when we returned.
We managed to catch her and took her straight to the vets. She has a severe head injury, probably caused by being hit by a car. She has a large wound and has lost an ear, she also has a damaged eye and infection.
We really don't know if there will be a happy ending for poor Elsa, one day at a time...

 



















Tuesday - 26th February - 2013




















Lovely new photo of our feral friends, Mum-Cat & Kit-Kat. All is well with these gorgeous girls. We didn't see much of them for a few days, as they had taken shelter from torrential rain storms. The sun is shining again and all is back to normal. 
They are usually always waiting up the tree or come running from the field. We've gained their trust now, both have become very friendly over the last few months. I'm sure they appreciate our help.

Sunday - 17th February - 2013



















Hubby's old dinghy has been sitting in the garden for ages now, so foster dog, Lizzie, is making good use of it. Whenever she's outside she's straight in there, she loves it!
She will not share, as far as she's concerned it's now her dinghy, so KEEP OUT!  J

She's not too happy at the moment as we've had awful weather over the last couple of days. Her dinghy bed has taken on water and needs bailing out ... oh dear... poor Lizzie  J  
 
Tuesday - 12 February - 2013

I'm a bit late with this lovely update ... remember Fella, our fuzzy faced friend?  We received some lovely new photos/update in January. He's now called 'Boomer' and is settled and happy in his lovely new home  J  
It's wonderful to receive these lovely updates, it makes all the hard work and heartache so worthwhile. We struggle at times, and question whether or not we can carry on doing what we do...
We do make a difference. Thank you to those who take the time to send updates, it is always very much appreciated.



















Tuesday - 5th February - 2013

It's finally sunk in that Ali-Cat has gone. Although we knew we would have to say goodbye sooner rather than later, it still rips your heart out. I take comfort from knowing he is not alone. I'm sure many of our dear furry friends that passed before him were there to meet him ... sending much love to them all. xx

Vet visit for Lady Melina. She's one tough old lady but we can see that she is slowly starting to wind down now. She's a rarity; you don't see many old street cats here...
She's almost blind and is a bit unsteady on her feet. She also has a pronounced heart murmur and early stage renal failure.
She's just started a new course of strong 
antibiotics for her respiratory problems, she's been picking at her food as she hasn't been able to smell it.
She's still enjoying life as a lady of leisure. She's taking it easy now and making the most of her comfy bed and room service.      

Friday - 25th January - 2013

We lost a very special brave boy today ... lost for words ... rivers of tears and unbearable sadness...

Our beautiful Ali-Cat ... rest in peace sweetheart. xxxxxx

Saturday - 19th January -2013

Happy Day!

Feral, George is back! J

We haven't seen him since September last year. We thought something had happened to him. He's fine!
He was waiting with Mum-Cat and Kit-Kat when we did our feeding rounds earlier today.  
So pleased to see him!


Tuesday - 15th January - 2013


More abandoned puppies…
We found these two adorable little girls in Lidl supermarket car park at the weekend. They were huddled in a corner desperately trying to keep warm; as usual people were just walking by…
Both girls (Bess & Bonnie – about 6 weeks old) are doing
well. Little Bess is much smaller than Bonnie, but she has a good appetite and plenty of energy, I’m sure she’ll soon catch up.

We really don't have the space, or funds to take these girls in, but, what could we do?
Pretend we didn't see them like everyone else..?  No... We couldn't just walk away, even though we know it's going to be a struggle... We will do our very best, that's all we can do...

Friday - 11th January - 2013

More update photos - I have so many! Here's Elmo, Tino and Mayo (all rescued last year)  Big beautiful boys now... J  
 

































Here's a lovely photo of our Jessie-cat with foster dog, Lizzie...



















Poor Lizzie has not been too well over the last couple of days. 
She's picked up today though so hopefully she's starting to feel a bit better now.
We're really worried as Lucy-Lou (blind kitten) and Siamese, Melina are also unwell. Lucy- Lou has an eye infection and sickness; as yet she hasn't responded to treatment... Melina has chronic rhinitis and has been really uncomfortable. She seems to be improving since she started another course of medication.
Hopefully they will all be feeling much better soon...
  
Saturday - 5th January - 2013

Updates on some of our rescues/fosters from last year...  J 

 


We fostered these two gorgeous girlies, Cassie and Cleo in Sept/Oct.
Both now have forever homes here in Greece.
Sending love and best wishes to them and their families xx  J 



We received this lovely photo of Jess (now called Julie) in the snow from her family in Germany... Big girl now!  J
Wishing them all the best for the new year xx

















  



Jess - 4/5 weeks old.

This photo was taken shortly after she was rescued along with her brother and sister in July last year.

It's lovely to see her all grown up J 






Tuesday - 1st January - 2013