We thank Jill and everyone at VOCAL for their wonderful work and are very grateful to them for all they do to help give a better life to the suffering cats of Crete.
We would like to send our thanks to GCWS for your continuing support for our neutering programme here on Crete. A quick rundown of what we were up to in 2022:
Last year we ran 16 neutering clinics and sterilised well over 1,000 cats. Neutering is, and always will be our main focus. Increasingly the local Greek population is catching on to the idea that kittens don’t have to be born just to die a tragic death from disease, accidents or starvation, and we are dealing with more and more requests from local folk.
We also rehomed cats and kittens that were unable to survive on the street. It would be wonderful to be able to do this for every friendly cat that gets dumped, but because of limited foster places those that we take in are usually in a very bad state.
In 2022 we had several semi-paralysed cats which we were able to nurse back to health and find forever homes for, and numerous small kittens with flu, diarrohea, viruses and a general failure to thrive. We couldn’t save them all, although our foster families and our vets do their very best. Every time we lose one a small part of your heart goes with them, but we rejoice in those that survive and we see them loving life in their forever homes.
VOCAL continues to act as a resource for smaller local initiatives and individuals in the Agios Nikolaos municipality by lending equipment when needed, giving advice, and helping with medical and food costs where we can – as well as, of course, offering allocations for neutering at our clinics. Last summer we received cries for help from many visitors, most of them out of our area. In many cases were were able to help by pointing people in the right direction to find local assistance, but in some cases we took in the cats or kittens concerned and fostered them until they were old enough and healthy enough to travel.
It is wonderful to see how people fall in love with a cat and will move heaven and earth to take him or her home to adopt – how can we not help towards the happy ending?
Once again, without your amazing support none of this would be possible. We, and the cats, thank you all so much!