minding my own business.... a neighbour walks past with a heavy bin bag....we pass the time of day.... Only one thing.. I can hear a persistant meaowing, it's only when she passed I realised the sound was coming from the bin bag that she was the throwing into the communal refuse bins across the road.
With Leonie and Judith, we foraged in the smelly bin and amidst the maggots and other daily rubbish we found 4 kittens tied inside another bag.
But why, oh, why, didn't this woman, if she didn't want the kittens,drown them at birth.. they were well fed, cared for and tame and 5-6 weeks old. Instead she stuffed them in a plastic bag and then piled all her other rubbish on top and walked down to a refuse bin with them squealing..
The charity V.O.C.A.L. arranges fostering (which I'm doing, much to Dewi's excitement) and adoption. They also arrange neutering of cats .
Neither Geoff or I are cat lovers but hate the fact that people here are reluctant to have their cats and dogs neutered, claiming it weakens them. or, best of all, the males are not so macho!!
p.s.
As some of you may know Greece tried for the 3rd time to go smoke free from July..
We thought it was going really well, until we went to a reopening of a pizza restaurant, owned by a local Cretan . Brand new premises in the centre of Neapoli (not a tourist area)
The guy at the cash till, next to the sevice area, lit up!! He was serving all the takeaways with a cigarette hanging from his bottom lip..
It's count down to wedding now..5th Sept..
Really excited, Geoff has time off, we have the tickets to Manchester..
I've NOT got my outfit
I'm NOT at the weight I expected to be
but I'm still walking miles up mountains at 6.30 in the morning (and enjoying it)
Geoff is working every day with the Jeep Safaris, which is better than we expected at the beginning of the season.
I'm still cooking all the fab produce from our kypos and am planning to make jars of tomato sauce tomorrow.
44 comments:
Hmm, grim isn't it? Such a different attitude to animals than we generally have here. off for a catch up now x
Hmm, certainly not the ideal way to deal with unwanted animals. Well done for saving them.
Oh a happier note, good luck with all the wedding preparations.
What gets me is how she could carry on a conversation with you, however brief, with those poor kittens in the bag.
Thank goodness you rescued them in time.
those poor babies! I wonder where is the Mother cat? she will be having more. we are adamant here to have your pets neutered. you were there at that time for a reason!
oh what a sad story about these dear kitties. so glad you rescued them. Hope the wedding goes well and is grat fun.
That's incredible that anyone can be quite so callous.
Get on with your wedding outfit prep, girl. Although the permanent tan will be good. I had a try-on of the wedding outfits yesterday and have gone back to choice number one, the £10 charity shop purchase.
This kitty story is so sad...thank you for rescuing these...how do you manage to get them to other countries? Do people come and get them? Do they have to be in cars? Wondering.
So cute the one standing in his food dish.
Hope the smoke issue clears up.
And you will be a stunning mother of the bride/groom (I forget which) just as you are!!! Enjoy. Don't fret too much. It will be a day to remember.
We had a similar experience whilst on holiday in Crete. My daughter (now in her twenties) was only about 9 at the time and has never forgotten it. (We are cat lovers). Good luck with outfit hunting. x
That is so heartbreaking! I'm SO GLAD you were there when she walked by. Can't imagine how these little ones would have slowly died if you hadn't been there.
We have had some problems here with getting stray cats that people feed neutered too. This lady who is a good friend of ours also believed that the male she had almost adopted needed to "experience life", and so would let him out at night un-neutered for ages before she got him neutered. She just wouldn't listen to our arguments.
Anyway, enjoy the wedding preparations!
Not a cat lover myself but that is just awful. Better send that recipe for tomato sauce to Lindsay, they are coming thick and fast now and very big!
throwing them in the bin is simply disgusting - i have experiences of this myself. why couldnt they just drive a little further away and leave them somewhere? a friend of mine leaves them at the fish market.
the smoking ban in crete is a laugh, the law should be written: if you don't smoke, stay at home. i went into a bank - the teller was rolling a joint for goodness sake...
I am so glad you rescued those kittens. That would have been a horrible death for them.
I really appreciate the smoking ban in public buildings here in Canada - it's been in place for years now and really makes a difference.
Hi Jude
Firstly I wanted to say how sorry I was to read about your uncle - how sad it was to read of his death. Now however, I am feeling angry, having read about those poor kittens - how cute are they? If I didn't have 2 pesky cats already, I may have been tempted... Although they would make unique favours/or bridesmaids gifts don't you think? Wedding & Diet? - Two words that didn't go together for me either... Just buy a huuuuge hat that will take up all the attention! - not long now!(Eeek & Squeak sound being sent to you)
Enjoy the tomato sauce making
Love Lydia xx
Oh heartbreaking - I am a cat person so would have found this phenomally distressing. Well done you for following it through and for the fostering.
Good luck with finding an outfit. Don't worry about the weight it is only one day!
CKx
Hi Jude, they look like they are coming on fine. Catch up with you soon
I never fail to be amazed and deeply saddened at the cruelty that exists toward defensless animals in the world. Thank goodness for people like you. Even for my good friend Lisa who has ended up having anti~rabies shots for her good deed rescuing a kitten.
Oh dear. How sad.
Manchester!!! 45 MINUTES FROM ME BY CAR.
Hello to you Jude, this is a marvelous posting. (I am definitely a dog person, rather than a cat lover, but all the same, kudos to you!)
I want to think that I would have done just as you have done.
Beautiful!
Everytime that I click over here and find how easy it is to be in Crete, I then discover that I am in the neighborhood of a lady who I wished lived right down the street from me.
Your posts are always wonderful! xo
Just read about the passing of your uncle, my sincere condolences for your loss. I am a cat and dog lover and hate to see any treated so poorly. Glad you rescued them, maybe they will find homes soon. You still have time to find that nice outfit and still drop a few pounds...that's awesome that you are taking such a walk every morning!!!
Jude you're a saint! Poor kitties, I find it hard that people there are so cruel where cats and dogs are concerned. Glad you got your flight, not long to go now!
Well done...saving those poor kitties. I still can't believe how indifferent people can be here. Disgusting.
I could rant, but I won't. We know the deal. It's exhausting.
As for the smoking...they're still lighting up at health clinics over here. But, we went to a pizza restaurant in the city and I actually saw the owner ask some smokers to take it outside. That was a surprise.
Glad to hear you're still walking everyday, it's so inspiring.
You're wonderful Jude!
Hi Jude, This is the third awful story I have read/heard this week. Maybe the financial crisis is making things worse, but it is just awful that people can have so little empathy for other creatures.
I am sure the wedding will be wonderful and that you'll have a great time. Julia
Thank goodness you did stick your nose in. This lady obviously thought that it would be better for the mother cat to let her keep her kittens for a few weeks, but it's hard to understand how she could treat the kittens like that. I try to be sensitive to other culture's views on these things, but it's so hard to understand.
I'm so glad to have found your blog on the Friday shootout roll. Great post. Thank you so much for saving the kittens!
Have a ball at the wedding, and keep walking up those mountains.
Terrible the animal attitude ....and for sigarets we'll see.
have fun in Manchester!
Hei and thanx for your comments on my piggy hat. You can buy it at Ebay's. My name there is naurak!
~❃~
Oh, those kitties, they look so skinny! Something I really don't like at the people of the South: how they deal with animals.
Already Ghandi said:
You can judge a culture by how they treat their animals...
Well done that you could save them and hope they will survive further.
I am already a follower in your blog and found you on Ravelry!
Have been on Crete long time ago, but it is not an area that touches me...
~❃~
Beatrice
I was so glad to see you back, Jude.
Good for you for investigating and finding those kittens. I hope they all find good homes.
Less than a month until the wedding - you must be getting excited. Good luck with finding your perfect outfit - it's out there waiting for you.
Jude, what a great thing you have done. I am Secretary of our local CATS PROTECTION BRANCH and I will be sharing this story with our members at our meeting tonight. I presume that you are fostering them at your house? Please let us know how they are doing and when they get new homes. I know you are busy with your wedding plans so it is wonderful that you have found time for these babies. I wish I could adopt them!
I shall be making a donation to the charity via Paypal following your link.
You were obviously meant to be there! Well done for saving those kittens. I always want to take Greek cats home with me - they look so skinny! Have a fabulous time at the wedding!
Oh gosh, my heart just aches for them, i agree with you, there are certainly better ways of keeping numbers down, if only they'd consider neuturing them to begin with also, poor little things, thank god you were there and so lovely that there is a chairty that helps rehome them! 2 of my cats are rescued and it's always nice to have a happy ending for them!
P.S My word verification on here for today is "unpoos" where do they get these from?!!
The kitten thing is totally disgusting! How can people be so heartless? Even if she had turned them loose I think it might have been better for the poor babies. I'm glad you were there and that you heard them.
I can tell that you are excited about the wedding. Getting close!
So happy that Geoff is staying busy.
oh those poor kitties - so glad you rescued them. Yes, we allow overrun of animals that then gripe about taking care of them - I wish people would see the light about neutering.
A wedding is a lovely thing to look forward to...
Aww, just look at the little kittens. My 'Kitten' ( fully grown now, but the name stuck-she also goes by 'Chili' but only at the Vet office). . . anyway, she had been left by someone at a park-poor thing, but is living the life now here at the Beach Hut. Well done to you finding homes for those little ones. Best of luck finding something for the wedding, surely you will and I bet it will be just perfect. :)
I came looking for the Friday shootout but discovered these charming kittens instead.
That was a fair trade!
Ohhh how horrible this woman put the cats in the bag,,,, how would she like to be placed inside a bag then another. Im pleased you and your freinds were able to rescue them and one day they will find good homes I can see you will have cats as well as dogs.
Good luck with the wedding hope everything goes to plan
faithx
I couldn't have left the poor little things either -- well done you and your friend for rescuing them
It makes my blood boil to hear of such things. I know it goes on everywhere but it still brings high emotions.
Well done for rescuing the poor little mites.
CJ xx
Pleased that you heard the kittens and saved them. Agree with what you say about the strays on Crete. A resident told me all the strays dogs and cats are shot at the end of the season.
Hello Jude! This is my first visit to your blog (which I had caught sight of through Menopausal Musing) and I couldn't resist a closer peek at the picture of the kittens.
I felt rather choked that you, as a self-confessed-not-exactly-cat-lover, could have rescued these beautiful little creatures when others had so callously abandoned them to a slow, certain and terrifying death. I feel sure that your intervention and undoubted care will be repaid ten-fold by the little beasties!
I cannot understand why people will not have their cats neutered. Ours were never affected, other than in a positive manner - our Tom cat remained an absolute tartar, when the fancy took him, throughout his very long life. Also a lot of people don't realise that (particularly in dogs) castration can actively avoid particular problems later in life (prostate, etc), as I found out to my cost with my elderly lurcher.
A huge great big gold star to you and a great big Thank you from Cat lovers everywhere!!!
Don't get my started on this issue!
I hope your diet is coming along a bit. We have a family wedding coming up in October and I have optimistically asked my mother to bring me a dress from M&S. Now I have to make sure I'll fit in it!
Liz
Oh good lord! How can people be so unfeeling??!!! And so blatantly ignorant too - I think animals have souls, I can't even squash a teeny tiny bug, so this tears at my heartstrings and bless you for being the caring, lovely woman that you are, rescuing them and giving them a chance of a happy life somewhere.
Good luck with the wedding
I would really love to see some one serving pizza in this country with a fag hanging from their bottom lip !!
Jude,
I know what you mean about the treatment of animals...here in Puerto Rico people leave their animals in the country. We have 12 dogs because usually when you rescue one- it turns out she's a pregnant female! Imagine that! We have to arrange all of the details...it can be overwhelming. You are such a good soul to save those kittens...your compassion is all the more beautiful because you're not really a 'cat person'.
Btw Pizza seasoned with ash...not so delightful!
Wow such a cute cats these are awesome photos!!
Carol
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