It's been super busy with new arrivals and some departures, feeding, sterilising. nursing and cuddling even more than usual

Winter as always brings in more new faces and this year there are a lot of kittens that have come for shelter, food and safety from the elements and other dangers. Several kittens are living outside the house under cover and enjoying the comfort of a protected cat bed I have made up with blankets donated by Ingrid, while a couple of others (including Viktor who spent a month hiding in the house when he first arrived) have moved into the 2 storey cat hotel that Jo donated. Another bunch of kittens are being cared for inside the house due to their special needs. Blossom for example had an infected eye which sadly was not able to be saved and had it removed surgically. She has been treated since then with cortisone and antibiotics and has bounced back amazingly well.

Spyridoula who I called Odette initially is a young cat that lost both her eyes due to a disease process the vet thinks and was with me for a relatively short time having been brought to me by the kind hearted Zoltan who found her and was concerned about what kind of life a blind kitty would have in the wild and winter set in, I had her sterilised, wormed and flea treated and cared for her indoors. I had very low expectations of getting her a forever home but shared her story anyway and was thrilled that this resulted in her being adopted by Elizabeth all the way over in Devon, England. After vaccination, passport, microchip and other preparations, Spyridoula made the long trek from Greece to England by road and ferry through the generosity of Courtney who was driving there and this little blind cat who not long ago was wandering about alone in the wild now has a wonderful forever home! These are the outcomes we dream of!!!!

The sterilisation program has continued with Titch, Faith, Spyridoula and Lacey all being recently sterilised (I'm sure I've forgotten someone....) but with more still on the list... I am still trying to catch Callie (Lacey's sister) who is proving to be quite evasive...

A number of kittens and cats here are perfect for homing. Michael Jackson who has been here around 6 weeks and was initially quite frightened and wild is now a regular cuddle pot and needs to put on some condition would make a wonderful companion, as would Lucky who has found all the new arrivals rather annoying since they compete for my attention. In the evenings if I sit in front of the TV I become a cat tree as the kittens all vie for a spot to snuggle on me. Courtesy of my experience with Spyridoula I will not give up on finding these guys a forever home, but in the meantime the day to day work of caring for them continues. Sadly, Diamantis, a little one that came to me from the vet clinic after being treated for gastrointestinal issues and seemed to be settling so well passed away suddenly; this is never easy to take :-(

This year, 4 of the cats that have come to me at the end of the summer have been cared for by seasonal workers from overseas who have returned to their home countries and have been desperate to get somewhere for the kitties they feel a responsibility for. Apart from Viktor, more recently I collected a mother cat (who I called Faith) with a gorgeous coat and her two beautiful grey kittens and brought them here. Faith was not at all happy about being cooped up inside the house and howled almost incessantly, but I stuck it out until I could get her sterilised as I was not going to release her into what would have certainly been more pregnancies. Once she was done she was freed and disappeared for a few days but is now back in the garden and feeding with the other cats. Her kittens on the other hand have decided they quite like it here; one a beautiful fluffy grey that I've called Ash hangs with the other kittens and loves cuddles with me while his sibling continues to hide like Viktor used to...

So many stories, so much going on; but you get the idea :-)
Once again I am grateful beyond words for the support I receive; it really does keep me going both in practical ways and in terms of my morale.
Bless you all xo