Help a Naxos Stray
Donation protected
https://www.gofundme.com/spay-a-naxos-stray
Facebook Page: Help A Naxos Stray
Instagram: @help_a_naxos_stray #helpandspayanaxosstray
Hello, and welcome! Thank you so much for visiting my page, and for reading my story. I’m Sophie and I am raising money for the Naxos Animal Welfare Society, http://naws.on-naxos.com/Rescued_EN1.html ,
https://www.facebook.com/FilozwikiNaxou/,
a local charity on the island of Naxos, Greece, and my upcoming trip to volunteer to help them.
I'd like you to meet my kitten, Athena.
She is gentle and affectionate, and loves nothing more than cuddling up on my lap and purring. Until two months ago when I was able to rescue her, Athena lived on the streets in Naxos, Greece, under the boardwalk in the exact spot in this picture:
Each time I visit Greece, my heart breaks for the many stray cats and dogs who rely on tourists for food, who come to trust again and again, only to inevitably be left with no home, often ill, and with no food in the winter.
Whilst on holiday in the beautiful Greek island of Naxos this summer, the day before I was due to fly back to the UK, I found 3 month-old Athena curled up on a boardwalk next to a dirt track. She was hungry and was waiting for food. When she saw me she meowed, came towards me, and started purring . I got the impression she hadn’t been fed for several days. My heart instantly melted at this beautiful, trusting, gentle and friendly kitten who was at the mercy of the occasional tourist who would give her food. I knew I had to help her, but had no idea what to do – my hotel would not let me bring a cat to my room, and my airline wouldn’t carry a cat either. Furthermore, the UK, where I live, has a strict policy on letting animals into the country that requires at least 21 days’ fostering. I simply couldn’t bear to leave her there, but what could I do?
Fortunately NAWS, the Naxos Animal Welfare Society, a local charity set up and run by volunteers, came to the rescue. I contacted them and they fostered Athena, giving her food and love as well as arranging the required vaccinations and microchip that she needed to obtain a pet passport, and I was able to return to take her home.
I was extremely touched by the kindness and relentless hard work of the NAWS volunteers whom I met. They work around the clock to help the animals of Naxos island, which includes looking after very young abandoned kittens and puppies, some of which have been dumped in bins, feeding them special milk every hour through the night as they are too young to eat, taking stray animals to the vets for medical treatment and neutering/ spaying, and setting up regular feeding stations around the island in order to feed the cats and keep them alive through the winter when the tourists are no longer there.
They show compassion to animals desperate for food and love, rescuing them when others are not there to hear their cries. They also work hard to rehome as many animals as possible, both within Greece and abroad in Europe. NAWS pays for all of this and their only source of income is donations. They also run and maintain kennels (again, on a purely voluntary basis), which house and foster stray dogs on the island. They care so much about the animals and work so hard to help them, but they are overworked and in urgent need of help and funds.
I desperately want to be able to help NAWS and the animals of Naxos, but to do this I need your help. I will be returning to Naxos in three weeks’ time to help NAWS and to collect two more stray kittens that I will be bringing to the UK – Tarzan and Tula. I will be volunteering my time for one week to do as much as possible to help NAWS and the beautiful Naxos stray animals during that time. I am raising money for my transportation and most importantly for NAWS. My aim while I am there for seven days is to bring at least 30 cats to the vets for neutering or spaying, as well as relieving the NAWS volunteers in their daily duties such as feeding stray animals at feeding stations and looking after sick animals. The money I am trying to raise will cover the cost of neutering/ spaying 30 cats (at a discounted rate of €35 per cat offered by the local vets) and buying enough food to feed throughout the winter the cats at feeding stations and the rescued kittens that are currently being looked after by NAWS.
A breakdown of the money I am trying to raise is as follows:
- €1, 050 (30 x spaying/ neutering charges at €35 each)
- €440 (20 x 20kg bags of dry cat food at €22 each)
- €150 (5 x sacks of kitten food at €30 each)
- €301 (my flights to and from Naxos)
Any additional money I receive will be given to NAWS to fund the spaying and neutering of more cats over the winter. I am focusing on cats as there are currently no kennels or catteries for stray cats on the island and so they are on the streets.
The problem of stray cats and dogs living on the streets in Greece is one which deeply saddens me and I am excited to be able to do something to help, as many times I have felt so helpless. I wish I could take all of them home with me, but I can't. I’ve spoken with vets in both Greece and the UK, and it is clear that the only way to reduce the number of stray cats and dogs in Greece is to spay and neuter as many animals as possible, prioritising females, which is why this is a priority for my trip. As many of you know, a cat can bear four litters a year, and as there are between 3-5 kittens in each litter, every unspayed female cat can have 12-20 kittens each year. Out of those litters, many kittens will go on to have their own litters the same year, and many will fall ill early in life, unfortunately being left blind and or deaf, or starving to death. Spaying/ neutering stray cats will also mean that those who are spayed and neutered will lead better and longer lives, only having to think of feeding themselves, which can mean the difference between life and death on the streets when food is scarce.
Sadly, the average lifespan of a cat in Naxos is only 1.5 years (as opposed to 12-18 years in the UK). I want to help change this, and your kind support will help me to do so. I would be so grateful for any amount that you can spare, no matter how small, as every bit will help to feed and care for the homeless animals of Naxos. I’ll be doing daily updates during my trip so that you can see how your kind donations are directly helping the animals. Thank you so much for reading and for supporting these gentle and sweet animals. Please spread the word on social media, using the hashtag #helpandspayaNaxosStray
https://www.gofundme.com/spay-a-naxos-stray
One of the many kittens needing medical treatment and care from NAWS. 
One of the feeding stations operated by NAWS to help keep stray cats alive during the winter. 
A very young and skinny kitten being given TLC by a NAWS member. 
A young mother cat waiting for food near a wooded area next to the road with one of her three kittens. She was already pregnant again.
This cutie who had lost sight in one eye due to illness found a home in Germany thanks to NAWS.
Tarzan and Tula. Both were found at four weeks as their mothers had sadly passed away, and they have been fostered by NAWS ever since.
Facebook Page: Help A Naxos Stray
Instagram: @help_a_naxos_stray #helpandspayanaxosstray
Hello, and welcome! Thank you so much for visiting my page, and for reading my story. I’m Sophie and I am raising money for the Naxos Animal Welfare Society, http://naws.on-naxos.com/Rescued_EN1.html ,
https://www.facebook.com/FilozwikiNaxou/,
a local charity on the island of Naxos, Greece, and my upcoming trip to volunteer to help them.
I'd like you to meet my kitten, Athena.
She is gentle and affectionate, and loves nothing more than cuddling up on my lap and purring. Until two months ago when I was able to rescue her, Athena lived on the streets in Naxos, Greece, under the boardwalk in the exact spot in this picture:Each time I visit Greece, my heart breaks for the many stray cats and dogs who rely on tourists for food, who come to trust again and again, only to inevitably be left with no home, often ill, and with no food in the winter.
Whilst on holiday in the beautiful Greek island of Naxos this summer, the day before I was due to fly back to the UK, I found 3 month-old Athena curled up on a boardwalk next to a dirt track. She was hungry and was waiting for food. When she saw me she meowed, came towards me, and started purring . I got the impression she hadn’t been fed for several days. My heart instantly melted at this beautiful, trusting, gentle and friendly kitten who was at the mercy of the occasional tourist who would give her food. I knew I had to help her, but had no idea what to do – my hotel would not let me bring a cat to my room, and my airline wouldn’t carry a cat either. Furthermore, the UK, where I live, has a strict policy on letting animals into the country that requires at least 21 days’ fostering. I simply couldn’t bear to leave her there, but what could I do?
Fortunately NAWS, the Naxos Animal Welfare Society, a local charity set up and run by volunteers, came to the rescue. I contacted them and they fostered Athena, giving her food and love as well as arranging the required vaccinations and microchip that she needed to obtain a pet passport, and I was able to return to take her home.
I was extremely touched by the kindness and relentless hard work of the NAWS volunteers whom I met. They work around the clock to help the animals of Naxos island, which includes looking after very young abandoned kittens and puppies, some of which have been dumped in bins, feeding them special milk every hour through the night as they are too young to eat, taking stray animals to the vets for medical treatment and neutering/ spaying, and setting up regular feeding stations around the island in order to feed the cats and keep them alive through the winter when the tourists are no longer there.
They show compassion to animals desperate for food and love, rescuing them when others are not there to hear their cries. They also work hard to rehome as many animals as possible, both within Greece and abroad in Europe. NAWS pays for all of this and their only source of income is donations. They also run and maintain kennels (again, on a purely voluntary basis), which house and foster stray dogs on the island. They care so much about the animals and work so hard to help them, but they are overworked and in urgent need of help and funds.
I desperately want to be able to help NAWS and the animals of Naxos, but to do this I need your help. I will be returning to Naxos in three weeks’ time to help NAWS and to collect two more stray kittens that I will be bringing to the UK – Tarzan and Tula. I will be volunteering my time for one week to do as much as possible to help NAWS and the beautiful Naxos stray animals during that time. I am raising money for my transportation and most importantly for NAWS. My aim while I am there for seven days is to bring at least 30 cats to the vets for neutering or spaying, as well as relieving the NAWS volunteers in their daily duties such as feeding stray animals at feeding stations and looking after sick animals. The money I am trying to raise will cover the cost of neutering/ spaying 30 cats (at a discounted rate of €35 per cat offered by the local vets) and buying enough food to feed throughout the winter the cats at feeding stations and the rescued kittens that are currently being looked after by NAWS.
A breakdown of the money I am trying to raise is as follows:
- €1, 050 (30 x spaying/ neutering charges at €35 each)
- €440 (20 x 20kg bags of dry cat food at €22 each)
- €150 (5 x sacks of kitten food at €30 each)
- €301 (my flights to and from Naxos)
Any additional money I receive will be given to NAWS to fund the spaying and neutering of more cats over the winter. I am focusing on cats as there are currently no kennels or catteries for stray cats on the island and so they are on the streets.
The problem of stray cats and dogs living on the streets in Greece is one which deeply saddens me and I am excited to be able to do something to help, as many times I have felt so helpless. I wish I could take all of them home with me, but I can't. I’ve spoken with vets in both Greece and the UK, and it is clear that the only way to reduce the number of stray cats and dogs in Greece is to spay and neuter as many animals as possible, prioritising females, which is why this is a priority for my trip. As many of you know, a cat can bear four litters a year, and as there are between 3-5 kittens in each litter, every unspayed female cat can have 12-20 kittens each year. Out of those litters, many kittens will go on to have their own litters the same year, and many will fall ill early in life, unfortunately being left blind and or deaf, or starving to death. Spaying/ neutering stray cats will also mean that those who are spayed and neutered will lead better and longer lives, only having to think of feeding themselves, which can mean the difference between life and death on the streets when food is scarce.
Sadly, the average lifespan of a cat in Naxos is only 1.5 years (as opposed to 12-18 years in the UK). I want to help change this, and your kind support will help me to do so. I would be so grateful for any amount that you can spare, no matter how small, as every bit will help to feed and care for the homeless animals of Naxos. I’ll be doing daily updates during my trip so that you can see how your kind donations are directly helping the animals. Thank you so much for reading and for supporting these gentle and sweet animals. Please spread the word on social media, using the hashtag #helpandspayaNaxosStray
https://www.gofundme.com/spay-a-naxos-stray
One of the many kittens needing medical treatment and care from NAWS. One of the feeding stations operated by NAWS to help keep stray cats alive during the winter. A very young and skinny kitten being given TLC by a NAWS member. A young mother cat waiting for food near a wooded area next to the road with one of her three kittens. She was already pregnant again.This cutie who had lost sight in one eye due to illness found a home in Germany thanks to NAWS.Tarzan and Tula. Both were found at four weeks as their mothers had sadly passed away, and they have been fostered by NAWS ever since.Organizer
Sophie Egglesfield
Organizer
