URGENT REQUEST
I believe every Athenian
who has passed from Stadiou and Amerikis
streets (corner) in the heart of Athens
busiest streets, has noticed the
abandoned, derelict, neoclassic building
standing there at the junction of the 2
streets.
For a number of years
stray cats have been surviving in this
building, been fed by caring people.
Passing outside the building a few days
ago, we noticed that it had been
boarded up with some special plastic
material leaving no space for the cats
to get out if they wanted to, with dirty
green plates for water and old dry food
everywhere. Asking around, we were
informed that the building had been
taken over by Pireos Bank which will
renovate it. What would be the future
of those unlucky cats
then?...
Read more…
Diary date
Come and support Nine
Lives at the SPAZ charity carboot sale
on the last Sunday of every month at the
old Olympic airport at Ellinikon
(entrance from Poseidonos Avenue).
Shopping starts at 8am – come early for
the best bargains in nearly-new
clothing, books, DVDs, accessories,
household objects and much more. Every
cent from our stall goes to help the
cats.
9 LIVES
WOULD LIKE TO THANK....
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Nine Lives Greece welcome
you!
There are innumerable
stray cats in Greece. In almost every
part of the country – in the big cities,
at the island resorts, at the beachside
eateries and in the mountain villages –
you will see cats. Sometimes they look
healthy and well-treated; mostly they
are thin and shy, with runny noses or
eyes, scarred faces or torn ears,
limping or sneezing. Some are pets; some
are considered useful for catching mice
or cockroaches. But there are many more
that are simply seen as pests, like rats
or pigeons, which is why stray cats are
still poisoned in many areas, to ‘clean
up’ before or after the busy tourist
season.
We are a small group of
volunteers who try to promote
catch-neuter-release programmes as the
only effective, humane solution to the
stray cat overpopulation. We offer
practical aid to individuals and
organisations – helping them to trap
wild cats, fetching and carrying cats
from the vet etc.
As well as helping to
organise neutering programmes in Athens
and other areas of Greece, we provide
daily food and care for a large colony
of neutered cats in central Athens.
Because these cats are in danger from
packs of stray dogs, we try to find
good, responsible homes for as many of
these cats as possible - especially the
kittens, which would not otherwise
survive.
Cat-food tins roll in at film
fest!
Our first Four Feet on the
Screen cat- and dog-themed
film festival, held at Booze
Cooperativa in Athens on March
17, was a resounding success,
with cinema-goers donating
some 175 kilos of dog and cat
food in exchange for an entry
ticket. Of this
amount, 50 kilos were cat food
- in tins and sacks of dry
food - which will go towards
our feeding programmes for
stray cat colonies in Athens.
We especially thank the
British Council, which
single-handedly collected 17
out of the 50 kilos of cat
food. Warm thanks to all our
friends and supporters who
turned up to watch the films
and enjoy a drink with
like-minded people. Here's to
the next event!
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Happy endings
Katti:
Little Katti is one of
the lucky ones. During the August
holidays (the time we see most abandoned
animals), one of our feeders found this
small, frightened ball of
black-and-white fluff miaowing pitifully
under some shrubs in an Athens park. The
kitten was taken to our vet for a
general check-up before moving in with
one of our trusty foster mums. Two
months later, an elderly lady responded
to our advert. Her beloved cat had
recently died of old age and she
desperately needed another companion.
She fell in love with the
black-and-white kitten at first sight.
Now named Katti, the kitten sleeps in
the lady’s bed, causes havoc with her
knitting, chews the plants on her
balcony and generally has a wonderful
time, bringing great joy and new focus
to her owner’s life.
For more happy endings
see the Cat Tails page…
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