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Aim: Help us neuter many stray cats in the towns of Methoni and Koroni to reduce the numbers and stop them starving and suffering.
In May of this year I was totally horrified to see the state of the feral cats in Methoni where I was staying and in Koroni a nearby town I visited in the Peloponnese region of mainland Greece. The cats were skeletal, some barely alive, wounded, limping and scarred and all desperate and starving. The young females were nearly all pregnant and the kittens undersized and weak. I just could not understand how local people or tourists could watch their suffering and not be moved to help them. I know some kind souls do feed them as I did , but they desperately need to be neutered to reduce their numbers.
I have always been passionate about improving the welfare of animals in Greece ever since my honeymoon in Santorini 40 years ago. Starving, pitiful feral cats were everywhere and on our first evening sitting looking over a romantic bay in the moonlight I realised I was sitting next to a plastic bag of suffocated kittens. It carried on like that and I spent all our holiday feeding the starving cats and tending the wounds of a poor dog who had been hit by a car.
But that was 40 years ago. Ever since then I have been a contributor to Greek animal charities, in particular GAWF or Greek Animal Welfare Fund which is now called Animal Action Greece. These charities have done a lot of good work and their tireless efforts carrying out TNR or Trap, Neuter, Return have really improved the health of both dog and cat feral colonies throughout Greece and in particular the Greek islands. Basically local volunteers trap as many feral animals as possible ( usually hundreds in one initiative), neuter them , let them come round then return them to where they were. This practice means the endless cycle of kittens and puppies stop, the existing population stabilises , and because there is more food to go round and less fighting for food and mating, the animals quickly become healthier and happier. It has happened in Corfu, Paros and Antiparos and recently in Kalymnos and many other island and towns with incredible results.
Determined to make this happen I have been in touch with the major Greek animal charities and one of them has said that they will provide a vet and funds for the neutering if I can coordinate local municipal agreement, and the support of local people who will help with trapping the cats, transporting them and with finding accommodation for the vet. Funding is needed for traps and cages and all the expenses to do with transport and accommodation for the vet and medical team. I have found out the details of the two majors who are responsible for the towns and the fact that mass neutering is now a statute of Greek law ( though not automatically carried out) and I have also found a local group of people who care for animals and are prepared to help out practically. This Crowdfund is how I hope to raise the ancillary funds needed.
I am hoping that this can be an ongoing thing and that every year more animals will be neutered resulting in fewer healthier cats who will live happily alongside their human neighbours and the beneficial effects will be evident for decades to come. If I can get this thing off the ground then the quality of the feral cat's lives will be permanently improved.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 15th September 2025 at 2:37pm