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Animals in Greece: What I've seen during my holidays in August 2002

I stayed in Greece for 10 days (8 days in the countryside - 2 days in Athens) :In fact, in Athens I saw a lot of stray dogs and cats, apparently they seemed to be fed by people and tourists….. but in the countryside it was a real nightmare. Here is some information :

Kitten under a car
We were walking in a street with dense traffic and suddenly I saw a skinny kitten under a car. I stopped and tried to bring him onto the pavement… but he was too afraid. Suddenly the owner of the car (2 young persons - approx. 20 years) nervously came to me and checked what I was doing to their car; they were afraid for their car (just in case I was some tourist who came in Greece just to scratch their car!). When they noticed I was trying to catch the kitten they started to talk to each other.I asked them to help me and of course they REFUSED. The boy was not interested at all in helping me and the girl didn't want to be scratched by the kitten… because her beauty was more important than the kitten…. So, alone I managed to take him away… I left the kitten away from the road (in a market place) with some meat….. But I'm still thinking about him…. He was too weak to survive! Where is he now?

Injured dog (1)
We came back from a tourist tour and we stopped in a small village.
Of course there were a lot of dogs wandering around and my eyes noticed an injured and particularly skinny dog. I called him and he came over to me… he/she was very kind. I stroked my hand over his head and gave him a sandwich (I was carrying food all the time in my bag).

Injured dog (2)
One day, we were in a town. While my husband was talking to a shop tenant, my friend saw an injured dog. She turned to me and said "Oh god I can't see this". I went to try to help the dog. In fact, it was a female skinny dog and she had some problem with her paw… she couldn't put it on the floor. Apparently she had puppies and she was looking for food. As usual, I gave her some meat and biscuits…. Because the weather was hot, I asked the shop tenant to give me some water for the dog…. His answer was clear and direct, he replied "NO". Fortunately, I used to carry a bottle of water in the car and I gave her. I poured the water in my hand and she licked it!

Traffic of animals
We spent one day on an island. All dogs and cats seemed to be OK. But in the evening when we were talking with friends they told me that from this famous island some people kidnap cats and bring them onto the continent just to get rid of them…. Acting like this in order to keep their island clean! What a super mentality to have !

Old couple who are supposed to love cats
Before my departure for Greece, my friends told me they know a couple who LOVE cats very much. So, I was prepared to see 2 persons who really love animals in Greece….. What a Big disillusion ! They have about 20 cats. 4 or 5 adults …. and the rest were kittens ! Their cats are "skeletons with fur" ! They are really skinny. As I was carrying food with me I tried to give them some biscuits…. And they were fighting for the biscuits. And the worst come at the end of my stay! Few days before my departure, I saw in the back of their garden 2 more suffering kittens Their eyes completely stuck together with infection…. They couldn't move because they were too weak… For 3 days, I cleaned their eyes and I put some cream that I bought at the pharmacy. I tried to explain to this couple how to take care about them… They strongly refused. This was their answer : "My husband and I decided that cats should make babies and they should take care of themselves. If we start with veterinary care and injections, etc, they will not be cats anymore. Humans and all this medicine CANNOT change their bodies; if we do, they won't be cats anymore. If they die, they die and if they live, they live, That's it " For me this was the biggest shock of all ! I'm still thinking about them…. They are probably dead now !

The 10 days I spent in Greece were a real disaster. Even the sun and the weather couldn't give me back the happiness or a smile…. The only thing visible on my face were tears ! Usually, when I go on holidays I take with me a lot of money to bring presents for all my family. This time I've brought back all my money…. Just because I DID NOT want to spend my money in such an awful country. I'm sorry, Greece will never see me again ! And I will definitely spread the information around just to prevent other people from having the same BAD experience.

For my next holidays, I will choose another country where people at least have some more respect for the animals.

August 2002
Vicky