Are you willing to do whatever it takes to make this Santorini cat feel good somewhere else?

  • How about the integration with other cats?

  • What if “your” Santorini cat is FIV+ (cat “aids”)?

  • REMEMBER: To dump a Santorini cat in a shelter in your country is never ever an option!

21-day waiting period from the vet visit till flying out “your” cat

  • Where will the cat spend those 21 mandatory waiting days between the vet check (vaccinations, etc. for the EU pet passport/travel papers) and the earliest possible travel day?
  • What if “your” Santorini cat is FIV+ (cat “aids”)?
  • How will the cat feel during that period of time? Will she or he make it?

What if the vet check finds a contagious disease (FIV, etc.) with your Santorini cat?

  •  You have started to get involved with the cat and now you have to decide what's best:

  • Adopt

  • Return

  • Euthanasia (for extreme cases only!)

  • Please make sure to educate yourself on your cat's health condition as not all diseases are contagious or should be an issue for adoption. We have a lot of happy end stories with FIV and FELV strays!

Still want to take a cat home?

  • There are so many cats and kittens found in garbage bins who cannot be returned to the streets of Santorini! Adoption is their only chance! Contact us if you want to adopt one of our rescues. Note: There is no cat shelter on Santorini and all our rescues are in foster homes.

    If you found a stray that you want to take home, we will do our very best to help YOU & YOUR CAT/S as much as possible but please consider the following costs:

150EUR

STERILA special package (mandatory for traveling) includes: chip, passport, tests, vaccine, deworm, deflea

3EUR/day or a least a donation

for fostering during rehab or until the cat can travel (incl. all vet-transfers done by volunteers / FYI: pet-hotel costs 5-8EUR/day)

TRAVEL COSTS for person

we are trying to reduce costs by teaming up parents, volunteer’s flights etc.: STILL: the parents must mainly cover escort flying costs or fly themselves

TRAVEL COSTS for cat

depending on airline, season etc.: 60-100 EURO for cat in cabin and 100 EUR for 1 box in-hold (2 cats maximum inside)

  • If you CANNOT cover the expenses for your rescue cat: You will directly endanger the future of STERILA, the only cat aid, as all our funding goes directly to support local sterilizations, TNR week campaigns, expenses for rescued cats, and to buy food for feeding points for cat colonies around the island. Thank you for your understanding!

Do you want to take your Santorini cat home with you?

Make sure to do the below steps at the beginning of your stay:

  1. Get a transportation box (check pet shops)
  2. Book an appointment with a vet (preferably in the evening)
  3. Organize a home for the cat for the 21-day waiting period
  4. Organize the transfer (taxi, etc.) to the vet
  5. Catch the cat – cover the box – minimize the captivity time 
  6. Visit the cat daily at the vet, pet hotel, or foster home, etc.
  7. Organize the pickup/fly out of the cat – register “pet in cabin” with your airline
  8. Get the required soft box for transportation of pets in cabin and prepare it flat diapers for big kids and a blanket
  9. We recommend Zylkene natural pet tablets as of 3 days before departure
  10. Organize the smoothest transfer(s) possible for the cat to arrive home with you. Shorter transit the better!
  11. Know all about a perfect cat home and smart integration (read, get help, prepare well)
  12. Know all about “difficult cats” and the respective solution approaches
  13. Worst case: Contact us (we have done it – it is NEVER easy)

Note: Visit our Contact page to find suggested veterinary clinics in Santorini.

You can't take a cat home – but you do want to help a cat and have her/him sterilized?

  • BEWARE: The wild street cat doesn’t come to you! Whereas attached cats may even have some kind of home (locals/foreigners spending many months per year on the island, feeding and sterilizing free-roaming cats; these cats become tame, etc.).
  • Your “sweet” cat might be sterilized already! (without visible tattoo/ear-clipping mark)
  • Avoid an unnecessary operation and stress (capturing/captivity, etc.) in case of doubt!
  • Your “sweet” cat might be pregnant! Females should only be trapped from November till March!
  • LEARNINGS: Trap a clearly unsterilized male cat instead – or leave it!
  • NEVER trap a cat younger than 6 months!
  • Prepare and proceed as mentioned above.
  • Be sure to arrange for smart timing: Trap/transfer/sterilization are best in the evening!
  • Discuss the timing of release with your vet, depending on the health state of the cat. Make sure that the cat is being released exactly at the very same spot where caught!
  • Above all, do not proceed if you’re running out of time! Don’t proceed if you won’t get a chance to check up on the released cat for at least 3 days in a row (same hours, same feeding point, etc.).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WHEN ADOPTING STRAYS WITH INJURIES

We have lost cats during and after travel to their forever homes as all vets focused on outside injuries (mainly leg injuries). PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT FOR FURTHER ADVICE/INFORMATION -- CLICK THIS LINK TO DOWNLOAD

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