Guest Star: The Finding of Filipos

A year ago, I had little interest in Greek cats, but after seeing an article in a blog I started following a Facebook Page, God’s Little People which is a cat rescue in Syros, a little Greek island. I fell in love with one of the cats, Fanta, a sweet cream and white boy. I was surprised and rather taken aback when the lady who runs the charity, Joan Bowell, invited me to adopt him when I commented how much I liked him.

In my mind, adopting cats from overseas was something you did if you had transport and a lot of spare cash. I am disabled and unable to travel and my resources are limited, so I was certain I wasn’t the person they were looking for. I was told none of that mattered if I loved the cat, and would care properly for him, funds and transport could be arranged. I agreed to adopt Fanta after much careful thought.

Meanwhile, some of the people I know were proving hostile and telling me I had taken leave of my senses in wanting a Greek cat. I was undeterred. I had given my word. If anything, they made me more determined.

Sadly, when the logistics of bringing a cat to the UK were looked into, it proved to be too difficult to transport a nervous cat like Fanta. He hated being in a cat carrier and would have spent many hours in the hold of a plane before being handled by strangers on arrival and then facing a journey across the country to my home in the North.

By then, the idea of adopting a Greek cat had grown on me so when Joan suggested a kitten in place of Fanta I agreed. She told me that the local vet often rescues stray kittens and that they travel much better than adult cats. I said I would wait until next year, though, as I already had a young kitten and two adult cats. I had been shown several kittens, all beautiful, but none felt like my special kitten.

On September 4th 2017, I happened to glance at the vet’s Facebook page and saw the most beautiful kitten with huge eyes.  He looked rather like Fanta, save that he was ginger and white rather than cream and white. I was instantly smitten and my carefully planned timetable was instantly discarded. I don’t understand Greek. Facebook translate informed me the kitten had been found in a car engine but was unclear whether it was a boy or a girl. I messaged Joan who agreed the kitten looked very special. She contacted the vet who told her it was a girl. I was very disappointed as I felt I had found my special kitten, but my cats are all boys and I didn’t know if a girl would fit in with them.

Photo credit: Joan Bowell

The next day I returned to the vet’s Facebook Page and there was another video, this time in English where the vet was holding the kitten and saying “It’s a boy!”

I immediately contacted Joan and told her I had found my kitten. He was so beautiful, though, I feared there would be many offers to adopt him. Indeed, the comments on the video included adoption offers from people who could transport him themselves.

The next day, I found a message in my inbox from the vet. The kitten was mine. There was still a long road to travel, though.

TBC

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20 thoughts on “Guest Star: The Finding of Filipos

  1. spanielpatter14 says:

    Great story; and I’m looking forward to hearing more about the young Greek kitten, and how his journey to you was managed.

  2. Pingback: Preparing for Filipos - Katzenworld

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