Funding request.

Thank you for visiting our crowdfunding page for Koukla Cats where you can, if you wish, choose to support our cats.

The funding requested is to pay for the following: - Ongoing basic care of Koukla Cats. It costs almost 700 euros per month for just the staple food to feed the cats. This does not include their toppers and treats.

There are over 140 stray cats that live in Porto Koukla, Zakynthos. Each of these cats has a unique personality, a name and lives a healthy, dignified, safe and comfortable life. Porto Koukla is their home and will remain so for the rest of their lives.

Background

There are an estimated three million stray cats in Greece. The lives of most of these stray cats are bleak. They are totally alone in a very hostile world. Many of them live short, distressing lives. They are constantly searching for the next meal, are at risk of injuries with no medical care and live in constant pain and fear of attack. These vulnerable cats can spend their entire lives without any vet care, shelter or positive human experience. Many live in garbage bins, are malnourished and not neutered. Female cats can have twenty kittens per year, which totally ravages their often young, bodies and produces sickly kittens who do not survive. This is a very sad picture to paint, but it is the stark reality of many stray cats in Greece.

Koukla Cats - The Story so far.

Five years ago, the life of many of the stray cats living in Porto Koukla was similar to any average stray cat in Greece. The cats lived and died in garbage bins, open fields, hedgerows, sewers, drainage ditches, abandoned buildings and olive groves. A small percentage of the "lucky" ones lived in hotels or in the grounds of villas and apartments. When the summer season arrived, some kindly tourists may have fed them, but when the season ended, they were alone again. Many sadly perished. Their average age was only two years old. Then Vivienne Mills retired to Porto Koukla and was both shocked and horrified to see the plight of the stray cats across Zakynthos. She decided to do what she could do to make the lives of the Koukla Cats a much better one. She and Karla Ferrians, without hesitation, opened up the gates of Koukla Sunrise, their home, and welcomed the cats of Porto Koukla in. They now had a furrever home, too.

Aims - Five-year plan. Vivienne put together a five-year plan to create healthy, happy, dignified lives for the Koukla Cats.

This included -

Providing shelter, warmth and protection from the elements

Providing daily all year-round nutrition and access to clean, fresh water

Neutering both males and females

Vaccinations and regular treatment for parasites (internal and external)

Regular grooming, eye and ear cleaning –

Access to toys for play and stimulation - and, most importantly of all, love and positive human interaction.

Achievements.

We have achieved a strong support network across the globe through our Facebook page. We have developed our Amazon wish lists. Neutering is ongoing. This summer over 30 more kitties have come to live in Porto Koukla. Some Kitties were pregnant when they arrived, some Kitties arrived with their Cat Mum, and some tiny kitties were found abandoned.

Neutering programs are ongoing as soon as Kitties are well enough, old enough or stop feeding their babies. Their babies are then neutered when the time is right for them. This means the figures keep changing. Currently we have achieved 80% neutering with all 140 Koukla Cats. Koukla Cats are vaccinated and regularly treated for parasites. They are well nourished. They have a home that protects them from the elements, provides shelter and warmth. They all have a name and are loved.

Thank you for reading our story and for supporting Koukla Cats.