Sandy is part of Greek and Swiss Animal Help (GASAH) [www.gasah.ch], a Swiss animal charity based on Kos. She did a mercy dash on the overnight ferry to help us avoid a three-day delay to our trip.

Several coffees and a nice chat later, Animalcouriers felt we’d made another new friend in Sandy.

Daisy

What a pretty girl she is

Gnasher and Midget

Walking on the beach in front of our hotel

An early morning swimmer, in what must be very cold water, wearing a woolly hat!

Cordelia explained how Nine Lives found and rescued Madge:

“Madge, a very pretty tricolour appeared in the National Gardens in central Athens where we have been feeding and neutering a colony of cats for some years. Madge was friendly but confusted; and had clearly only recently given birth, but despite searching all around the gardens, her kittens were nowhere to be found.

Our feeder took Madge to the vet where she stayed for two weeks, which included being spayed. She became increasingly frustrated at being indoors and less interested in human company. As there was no immediate offer of a home for her, we decided the best option was to put her in the safest spot in the National Gardens— a fenced area where dogs can’t get in and kill cats.

However, other cats living there took against her and started chasing her. The morning our feeder found her outside the fenced area being snarled and snapped at by three dogs, we took Madge back to the vet and started a vigorous campaign to find her a foster home, at least.

Katharine took Madge in temporarily. After spending the first month under the sofa, Madge started gaining some trust in Katharine and her boyfriend Niko, and hanging out with their cat Blackie. But as she grew more confident, she started territorial peeing in the apartment despite the selection of litter trays, so Niko said it was time for her to leave.

So Madge went to stay with Angela who is a wonderful rehabilitator of nervous and traumatised cats. Madge flourished with her and within weeks was sleeping on Angela’s bed, following her around the apartment, and watching films with her in the evening. And she never failed to use the litter tray. But we knew it was only a foster arrangement, as Angela is leaving Greece and can’t have a cat in her home in England.

So you can imagine our joy when Andy got in touch with us about Aslan and mentioned he might be up for adopting a second cat. We told him Madge’s story, including the fact that she had, at one point, had a habit of peeing outside the litter tray. Andy made all the right sympathetic noises, told us about his secure garden where Madge could hang out if she preferred to be outside, explained that the house was large so she could have space to herself if she had issues with other cats, and told us he was booking a flight to come over and meet Madge and Aslan! And the rest, as they say, is history.”

Madge in chilled form onboard the trip

Over a glass of wine we had a lovely chat — about Millie (of course), animal welfare in Athens, and life in general.

Millie, settled in for her journey

Liz with Millie's pet passport

A strike in Italy meant we arrived too late at Piraeus port to catch the ferry to Kos. The knock-on effect of that would probably have added three days to our trip!

Fortunately, Sandy on Kos has been very flexible. She’s been looking after Daisy, Midget and Gnasher, three dogs who are travelling back to the UK with us. To save time, she boarded the overnight ferry from Kos with the dogs last night and will meet us at Piraeus this morning. Thank you, Sandy!

We were pleased to see signage reminding dog owners of their responsibilities:

Once on board the ferry, we noticed more signs in the same vein, with even more detailed visual instructions:

And here’s the view from the back of the boat, looking out over a calm sea:

Last night we stayed in a 14th century manor house in Perugia, Italy, which is now a hotel called Lo Spedalicchio.

We know that dressing well is very important to Italians in general, and our dining companions last night were no exception: the groups of men were all dressed smartly in dark jackets, tidy jeans and nice shirts.

This morning at breakfast we realised they were all workmen: in their reflective jackets and waistcoats and with matching toolboxes, they all left the table together and headed out on a job.

We were in Quinto, Switzerland, just down from the Gottard tunnel.

Barney strides out...

...on a snowy, cold and murky Swiss morning

Cordelia, the coordinator of Nine Lives Greece, told us about Molly’s history:

“Seven-month-old Molly is playful, curious and very sweet. She was found as a kitten in an Athens suburb and taken in by a family who then decided they couldn’t keep her. She was rescued by a Nine Lives member, who fostered her until leaving for Australia. We’re glad to have found a good home for this sweet, sunny-natured and surprisingly trusting (given the disappointments she has already had in her short life) little girl.”

Every day the group feeds around 200 stray and abandoned cats. They also work with local vets to provide routine care, vaccinations and parasite treatments, and care for ill and injured cats.

Wherever possible, Nine Lives tries to find caring, responsible homes for as many of the cats and kittens as they can, whether in Greece or further afield. Animalcouriers is on the way to Athens to bring Molly, Madge, Bobs, Ilios and Rupert to their new homes in the UK.

At the same time, we’re collecting another dog, Fifi, from the Filozoikos Shelter in Athens.

Here is blind Ilios at his Greek foster home. Despite being blind, he’s very active and rarely stays still long enough for a photo to be taken!

Andy, Blondy, Lord, Max, Meggie, Porto, Ronnie, Rony, Roxy and Yoga were delivered safely to Wiccaweys Rescued Border Collies who are assisting with their rehoming.

Couriers M2 and R were impressed by how well behaved all of the dogs were on the journey. Courier M2, who was particularly taken with three-legged Max, says:

“Considering what they’ve all been through it’s hard not to love them. You can understand why people do this for the dogs, they all have very sad stories. I’m very glad I did this trip.”

Three-legged Max

Rony

Roxy

Blondy

Yoga

Meggie

Lord

Ronnie

Andy

Porto