Georgia

Georgia, the lone survivor of a small feral litter, has no eyesight but she is the sweetest, most joyously playful of all the kittens who have come to stay with us at our Center. Georgia is a confident kitten in spite of her blindness and she loves to be with people and receive their hugs and caresses. 

Because of Covid-19 it has been difficult to send Georgia to her new home in Holland but the family has been patient and now, after almost seven months, Georgia is a Dutch citizen and is enjoying the love of her new family. 

We want to thank the Mirtos Animal Project and their amazing team for their help in finding a new home for Georgia. Ruben and Lennie were kind enough to escort her to her new home in Holland, and our great great thanks go to Marein and her family who have opened their arms to this beautiful and sweet girl. 

We wish Georgia a long and happy new life in Holland.

Our work on Amorgos depends on your donations. Please help us help these innocent creatures and make a contribution today! https://tinyurl.com/Donate-AZI

Bonnie and Clyde, Two Orphaned Kittens

About a week ago, a group of children came to our Center to tell our program director, Litsa, about three newborn kittens whose mother had been killed by a car and were alone and starving.

When Litsa found them, sadly one had already died and the other two were motionless, dehydrated, with sores on their soft paws from trying to walk on the hard asphalt, but thankfully, still alive.

She brought the two survivors to our Center where they received nourishing treatments and constant attention. Now, these two little sweethearts have opened their eyes and are becoming friends with our rescue dog Casper, looking up to him as if he is the mother that they lost.

We have high hopes for long and happy lives for these two innocent kittens!

Two Blind Kittens

In May, we received a report of two small kittens with serious eye infections. The kittens were still with their feral mother in Kastelopetra, next to the main road to Katapola-Chora. When our program coordinator arrived, she found a mother cat with four kittens, two of which were healthy and who scampered away when the coordinator approached.

Sadly, the two other kittens did indeed have severe eye infections and were obviously unable to see. We brought them to our Center where we immediately began treatment with antibiotics and eye drops. We were hoping to save their sight but unfortunately, it was too late.

So now we are looking for a forever home for these two-month-old blind babies. Orfeas is a beautiful red boy and Evridiki is a three-colored girl. They are sweet and playful despite their handicap and they would thrive in a loving home.

Please consider adopting them if you are able, or if not, won’t you help us care and feed them in the meantime, by making a donation on our donation page? Orfeas and Evrdiki deserve a happy and safe life!

Winter Program

Our winter spay/neuter program took place over a three day period in February, and, with the help and dedication of Dr. Adriana Alexandropoulou, we managed to sterilize sixty-seven stray cats.

Thirty-one males and thirty-six females came to us from the areas of Katapola, Chora, Vroutsi, Arkesini (Kato Meria) and Aegiali. All of the cats are in good health and after a recovery period they have been released back into their native areas. One female kitten from Katapola is still with us at our Center due to a few problems that we wanted to clear up before she will be released back into her home area.

We want to thank our amazing vet, Dr. Adriana Alexandropoulou, who worked from morning to night with dedication and goodwill. We thank also the Municipality of Amorgos who covered the expenses for medical supplies and offered a van and driver, Konstantinos Grispos, to transport cats from the Aegiali area to and from our Center.

We also want to thank our amazing volunteers who worked hard in order to help collect and transport the cats as well as to assist at the clinic during the surgeries. We thank as well the awesome Dr. Manos Vorisis and his team “Aegean cats, we live together” for sending extra surgical tools.

We are grateful to all of those who helped us—without you we could never have accomplished this important work. And, good news! We have renewed our appointment for November.

Frou Frou

On the fourth of May, a tiny kitten came to our Center from the region of Aegiali. She was only one month old and she was very frail and wobbly, having been taken away from her mother and abandoned.

The kind Samaritan who rescued her did his best to help but this young kitten was in need of expert care and so he brought her to AZI’s Center.

We named her Frou Frou and with intensive care and proper nutrition she began slowly to improve. After that we began to search for a home for her and Vassiliki responded.

She brought Frou Frou home to be a companion to the sweet dog that Vassiliki had also adopted from our shelter and now these two lucky members of the animal kingdom are in love with one another and keep one another company while Vassiliki is at work. We believe that Frou Frou has found her forever home and we are grateful and thankful to all the kind humans who have intervened in her young life.

The Danger of Empty Cans

Please beware! Discarded cans from pet food pose a deadly threat for stray animals. For this reason we must always compress them before they are discarded.

Some days ago we were called to help a cat with his head trapped in an empty tin. The woman who found him struggling did her best to free him but was not successful. Understandably, the cat was in serious distress and so she contacted us.

The poor cat was exhausted and starved for oxygen. He was extremely fortunate to have been freed from the can and has now returned to his normal life, hunting for food and water. But please keep in mind that an empty can is just another danger in the life of these vulnerable creatures. So please do what you can to prevent this in the future!

Thank You Perfect Pet!

We want to warmly thank Perfect Pet (http://www.perfectpet.gr/) for their donation of cat food.

Perfect Pet responded directly to our request for cat food by sending us a large quantity of food that fulfills our immediate needs to feed hungry stray cats.

During this difficult time in Greece, one of the main challenges faced by animal welfare associations like ours is supporting and feeding the huge number of stray cats under our care. The tremendous generosity of Perfect Pet is an example to be imitated!

From all of us in New York and Amorgos, a huge thanks to Perfect Pet!!!

Sara

In mid January, Sara came to our Center with a serious respiratory infection as well as with a number of other problems. This small kitten had been living in the garden of a kind woman who tried to help her but when the problems grew too serious she came to us for help Sara.

For twenty one days we cared for Sara and treated her many problems. Now, She is a playful kitten and has gained enough weight to go back to her garden where she will be cared for with kindness.

We have donated a special food for kittens (Royal Canin Kitten) and we hope and pray that Sara will remain healthy and grow strong so that she will be able to survive the hard winter seasons that are so difficult for our island cats and kittens.

MICHOS

A tiny kitten in great distress was rescued by Anna, our Volunteer in Chora, and brought to us at the Center in January.

Michos was frail and thin and suffered from many of the problems that cats born on the street are prone to, so many in fact, that we were not sure that we could save him. But Michos, this small miraculous fellow, not only survived but thrived and he has now fully recovered and is ready for adoption.

In March we will neuter Michos and we hope and pray that he will be adopted so that we do not have to return him to the place where he was found.

He is a sweet, sweet boy and clearly has great strength since he managed to come through a storm of neglect. Now, we hope that his sweetness and strength will find a loving home.

Please contact us if you are interested in welcoming into your family!

Mao

Mao, a blind cat who lived for years in Chora of Amorgos, was rescued by the owners of the Jasmine café-bar and by a young girl named Venia.

A few days ago, Venia found Mao lying in the street in agony after having been poisoned. Venia, with her two friends Christos and Despina, rushed to call us and ask for our help.

Mao was brought immediately to our clinic where extraordinary measures were taken and today, sweet Mao is purring again and asks for affection. This sweet and innocent creature was saved because someone cared, because three friends acted with kindness and generosity.

We give our thanks to Venia, Christos and Despina, and we feel blessed to have been a part of this beautiful moment. Venia will be back in her neighborhood, cared for by the owners of the Jasmine Café and by all those who have been touched by her story.

Petra and Pinelopi

It's been two years since Petra and Pinelopi were adopted! Back then they were two small kittens; now they have become gorgeous, healthy cats.

Petra and Pinelopi were adopted as a pair by the owner of an orchard near to our Center. Together they enjoy freedom and being out in nature and live well in the big orchard they call home.

Bella

Now a sweet beauty, Bella came to our Center on 1st of November when she was only 2 months old. She was a tiny, sick kitten full of skin problems. Now she's become a healthy, plump, beautiful kitten.
Please donate NOW to help us continue her care! 
And, in due time, she will be available for adoption. Won't you welcome this gorgeous little beauty into your home?

Koutco

When Koutco arrived in our Center this summer he was FIV positive and had already lost the vision in one of his eyes. Since the other eye was severely compromised, Koutco was struggling to survive on the streets but after an accident that left his front right leg paralyzed his future appeared bleak.

Lamia, the benevolent woman who took care of the colony in which Koutco was living decided to contact a friend in Holland and together, Lamia and Juliette, found a shelter for him in Belgium. This is a wonderful shelter and we have sent another cat from Amorgos, the handsome Plume, to find a home with them.

The people of Vzw Zwerfkat in Belgium do tremendous work with cats in severe need and we salute them and hope that you will visit their website https://www.zwerfkat.com. They have given Koutco a second chance in life and, now, he is looking forward to his true and loving forever home.

Our Seasonal Sterilization Program

Our goal for sterilization was set at sixty stray cats with a maximum of seventy, but, with the brilliant help and dedication of Dr. Manolis Vorisis, we managed to sterilize 48 females and 34 males with a grand total of 82 felines who will now go on to live healthy lives without adding to the homeless cat population of our islands.

For two days, Dr. Vorisis was aided in his work by the generosity of Dr. Anna Alexandopoulou, a veterinarian who came to us from Syros and kindly volunteered her help in this crucial program.

The cats came from all the villages of Amorgos—the areas of Katapola, Kastelopetra, Chora, Kato Meria and Aegiali (Langada). They are now in good health and after a recovery period they have all been released back into their native areas. One small female is still with us due to a wound that we are treating but she will also be released into her home area of Langada.

We want to thank our amazing vets, the scientific officer of our clinic, Dr. Manolis Vorisis who repeatedly helps us not only with these surgeries but also with advice and help for the wounded and sick cats that we continue to receive at our Center. We thank Dr. Anna Alexandropoulou who worked alongside Dr. Vorisis during those two challenging days. Doctors Vorisis and Alexnadropoulou do all of this from the goodness of their hearts and we thank the hotel Minoa for hosting them during this time.

As well, we thank the wonderful volunteer who came from Canada to assist us and we thank all of our local volunteers as well as the Municipality of Amorgos who covered the expenses for medical supplies. We thank them for their continued help in our project and we also want to thank all of our donors who help us continue this most important work.

We have renewed our appointment for the spring!!!

Celine

Celine arrived at our Center at the end of August, a tiny two-month old baby in dire condition and now, after treatment for parasites and good healthy high-quality nutrition, Celine has become a beautiful, shinny and chubby kitten who never stops playing.

Celine is available for adoption and she will be a grateful and affectionate member of her new family.

Frinta has been adopted!

Frinta was found in May, abandoned and crying, on the streets of Amorgos. She was very tiny, only about a month old, and our program coordinator, Litsa, cared for her until we could find Frinta a loving home. Very quickly her sweetness attracted a new family and she has gone to live in her forever home in Athens.

We are blessed to know that Frinta will live a safe and happy life after her difficult beginning.

Frinta as a kitten

Relaxing in her new home

Potamoulis, a lucky survivor

When Potamoulis arrived at our Center on 20 of August, 2018 he was so weak that he could not walk, was completely dehydrated and just skin and bones, with a mouth infection and a severe wound in his tail with worms that were eating him alive. We were almost sure that he would not survive.

We immediately sent him to the vet in Naxos for a thorough examination and blood tests. His mouth infection was caused by eczema in the tongue and dental problems but he was so weak that we were concerned the anesthesia would be too much for him. 

So Potamoulis came back to Amorgos and we followed a course of treatment for his health. When he became strong enough he went back to the vet in Naxos who cleaned his teeth, amputated the dead piece of his tail who we suspected was the main reason of his problems and neutered him. In 1 month the turnaround in this animal was enormous; Potamoulis soon became a big, healthy, strong cat. 

Maria, the young woman from Aegiali who found him on the streets, couldn’t let him return to his old life so she decided to adopt him. Maria, thank you for saving Potamoulis!! 

We hope that more people will follow Maria's example and instead of simply passing by a creature in need will take action and help in a rescue and recovery.

If you can help, please consider donating so that we have the funds to do our work, including sending the injured and sick animals to the vet and paying for medicine and healthful food. It doesn’t take much to make a huge different in an animals life.

Support our sterilization program—HELP us make it happen!

Our next sterilization project will take place in the beginning of November (9, 10 and 11) and the only way to manage it is your generous help. Any amount of money from animal-loving people out there is most welcome.

In Amorgos there is no permanent veterinarian. Until there is a veterinarian on our island, we must either send them by ferry to the nearby island of Naxos, or arrange a visit from the vet, if need be. We then take care of them ourselves and release them back to their neighborhood once they are healthy again. For some who cannot live on their own, we do our best to find a forever home. Sometimes it happens quickly; other times it takes a while. Whatever the case, we make sure our cats are happy.

Twice a year we organize sterilization projects for the stray cats of Amorgos. We get help either from local or international volunteers while at the same time we try to find proper funding in order to pay everything necessary, as this is our biggest and most important project. Even more so when one thinks of the numerous cats that live on the island and whose welfare depends solely on us and the few people who help us.

While there are still people who are against neutering cats (even though they do nothing to help feed them or provide health care for them), we have adopted the global animal welfare community's recognition of neutering as the only approved method of controlling the stray population. Moreover, when we have to watch animals getting run over by cars or searching for food in the garbage bins, when we must resuscitate them when they have been poisoned or burry them when it has been too late, we realize that we still have a long way to go. 

To continue our work with the two sterilization projects per year, we must seek more ways of funding. The cost of four projects (covering about 250 cats) is 4000 euro, and therefore we are creating this campaign to raise this sum. Please help us, donate here: https://gogetfunding.com/stand-by-amorgos-cats

Aeneas

The morning and a parked car were hiding a pleasant surprise. We received telephone call saying that a kitten was hiding beneath a car and the owner of the car was unable to tempt the crying kitten out.

Once Litsa our coordinator arrived, with her knowledge of the language of cats, she began to meow and a baby boy came running out. Aeneas is a healthy long-haired boy with beautiful big blue eyes and he already shows signs of growing into a large and strong silvery grey adult.

It seems a pity to allow such beauty of live on the streets of Amorgos and, so, we are looking for a home for Aeneas. If you are interested, please, please contact us at: azi.amorgos@gmail.com

Update (10-18): Handsome Aeneas has found a forever home! He is living with a loving family in Athens. The daughter fell in love with him during a visit and the family couldn’t resist. We know them well and are so delighted that Aeneas will be with a caring family for the rest of his life. Updated photos are below.

The Rescue of Three Small Kittens

It is not always easy to tell the stories of our rescues. On the island of Aegiali there was initially a resistance to our sterilization program but we have carried on to great success.

Unfortunately there are still cats who give birth to unwanted kittens and a few days ago three small babies were abandoned in a garbage bin. By grace and good luck they were rescued by a kind man who heard their cries and brought them to our Center. Two small girls and one small boy are now safe and healthy and living in a foster home.

When they are strong and old enough to eat by themselves they will be available for adoption. Their little lives have now been saved and we wish for each one of them a safe and loving home.