Happy Luna!

Anyone involved in re-homing cat or kittens to Germany will tell you how hard it is to see them go. Even though they're going to the wonderful Carmen and Michael in Hamburg who work hard to find them loving 'forever' homes you still miss them. This was most definitely the case with little 'Luna', as I'd built up such a bond with this lively black kitten whilst fostering her that it was hard to take her to the airport and leave her with Monika who was accompanying her to Hamburg. See the story here.
Michael and Carmen found her a home very quickly...though anyone seeing Luna would have had their heart captured immedietely, such was her personality. One of the reasons why this sweet kitten just couldn't live her life on the street...she needed someone to love.
It was fantastic to get Michaels email a couple of days after she'd gone telling me she'd found a home with a young couple and that the woman had always had black cats from being small...so knew them well. I was thrilled!

When you've fostered you love to find out how the cats or kittens are doing in their new home. Although it doesn't always happen that new owners send photos to Michael when it does it sort of helps complete the circle.
So imagine my surprise and delight when this morning Michael emailed me some photos of Luna happy in her new home!
I was over the moon to see her and especially loved the photo of her in bed with her owner! Isn't that where every cat should be? Snug and cosy warm?
I just had to share them with you - hope you like them as much as I did!

The Story of little Luna

Luna and her 3 brothers and sisters were born in my cactus patch to a feral cat I had thought was a male. Silly me! 2 were black, one was a white siamese like mum and the 3rd was calico (or tri-colour as they say here)

Only 3 survived because 'mum' insisted on moving them to the garden next door where there was a pond. We tried twice to move them back to our garden but to no avail. The innevitable happened - one of the kittens drowned. That probably saved the others as she moved them to our neighbours house across the road where his children started to feed and play with them.
All was well.
Children being children they got bored and the kittens were abandoned. So in August I had to start feeding kittens that had never been feral and had no idea how to get food.
The siamese kitten was always the bravest...he was first to the food and very easy to love. The calico (who we named tiny tilly after one of our own cats who was also calico) was quite sweet, but very shy. The little black one always nipped me! So with her it was a love/hate relationship!

Eventually they were old enough to have them neutered - phew, no more kittens! Over the weeks I also noticed the little black one was only nipping me because she wanted me to give her a stroke. Once she was being stroked she was in heaven. Even when I fed them she wanted love first and food second. She used to chase me down the street and only stop once I'd picked her up for a cuddle.
I named her Luna Meaning 'moon' in Spanish.

Her brother (siamese) had managed to be taken in by the neighbours across the road. Well he was the prettiest of them all. Little Luna and Tiny Tilly continued to be fed by me and I was desperate to re-home them both in Ibiza as I have too many cats already. Of course I failed.
Then Angela rang me from care4cats to say there was availability on a flight to Germany for the kittens. I couldn't believe it...they could both go together! Unfortunately it turned out only to be one place and I had the decision to make. I choose Luna because I knew she was deperate for love and attention and life on the street wouldn't suit her personality. So that was it. She was off - thanks to care4cats.

I took her to the vets to get her chipped and her passport arranged and then a month later I took her to the airport to meet her flight partner Monika. I was heartbroken at having to take her as I felt so disloyal, especially when she was sat in her basket en-route looking out at me with her paw on my hand. I nearly turned back from the aiport twice.
However I knew I couldn't give her a home and that this was her only chance.

Fast forward 3 days and she arrived in Germany to the wonderful Michael and Carmen who settled her in to their house and quickly found her a 'forever home'! FANTASTIC! 
So little Luna now has a life full of love and affection in Hamburg thanks to care4cats and their contacts in Hamburg Michael and Carmen.
Her sister, tiny Tilly is sits in my garden waiting and alone - but thanks to care4cats she is due to go in February.
Don't you just love a happy ending?

Ibiza Heroes #1

Care4cats has come across a number of people on Ibiza who take the considerable time and trouble to feed colonies of stray cats and offer affection to those looking for love. Without these wonderful people it would be difficult for these cats to survive, and, as it's always hard to re-home stray cats, it allows them to have a decent life in the wild.

To start us off through on our recognition of these caring people is this lovely story of how 2 holidaymakers got involved with Ibiza cats.

n.b. we haven't mentioned the location to ensure the cats are safe...but if you'd like to know more please get in touch with Jaki who will explain how you can meet everyone.

Our Furry Friends in Sta Eularia

In November 1997 we were on holiday in Santa Eulalia and came across a beautiful white cat, obviously homeless. So we went back each day to feed him and another little grey cat we came across. I'm sure you'll understand we worried about going home and how the two cats would be.
On our last day it was pouring with rain, but off we went armed with four tins of cat food.
On our arrival there was a lady completely covered in a mackintosh feeding the white cat. I said “Excuse me do you speak English” she replied “yes I do, this white cat I call Arthur is going to a home in Germany along with the other cat” She was paying for both of them to travel over. She told us her name was Michele. We gave her the cat food. It was such a relief to know they were both going to good homes
Twice every year we returned to Santa Eulalia for a holiday and to the 'spot' where we discovered even more cats had been abandoned, including two beautiful tortoiseshell kittens. They were quite happy living by the river getting regular feeds from Michele and another lady who took it in turn each day to make sure they were looked after. Sadly they were also brought more cats, one found in a dustbin, one in the boot of a car...etc
4 yrs ago we moved to Ibiza. By then Michele was leaving Ibiza so we took over feeding the cats. At one point we had 12. Sadly this year 3 of the old ones have died so we're now down to nine, all have been neutered or castrated thanks to Angela from “Care 4 Cats” who also helped Clarence with his cancer of the ears. Angela caught him and the vet who solved the problem, he is now very happy and even though he's lost the tips of his ears he looks adorable. Josephine is our eldest girl at twelve (see photo)
We also have 4 living with us from this spot. We took Lulu, a little black kitten left there, then last year a kitten in a very poor state that we didn't think would survive but he has and is now a big healthy boy, we adore him he's called Ricardo. Later last year somebody left a lovely grey she cat by the river and in December a kitten was left too. Both were so affectionate we could tell they had lived in a home. We told care4cats about them, who said to take them to be micro-chiped and have the rabies injection and they could go to Germany to be re-homed. Unfortunately the kitten was too sick to travel and we feared the other one may be infected so we kept them in our spare room for several weeks waiting to see if anyone could accompany them to Germany. As time went on, we fell in love - so here they stay.
4 days a week we go down to 'our spot' and feed our little family, the other three days another person goes. We live quite a distance from it and it takes a half hour to get there. When we do we shout a cats name and they all come running to us. In the summer we get asked a lot of questions about the cats by holidaymakers who love to watch us feed them.
“Are these cats wild?” They will be if they don’t get something to eat!
“What’s the matter with that cats ears?” Poor Clarence is so proud of his new appearance, he thinks he is so handsome, and so he is.
We never take holidays together, Michael and me. It is impossible as we have our 4 at home to look after and our 'stray' cats, who wait for us at 3’oclock each day - they are very good time keepers!
The last young cat to be left by the river, is about seven months old a little ginger girl. She has been neutered by Care 4 Cats. She is very affection and loves to sit on your knee and be tickled. In August she is going to Germany to be re-homed, she will be accompanied by the daughter of Michael who runs the Care 4 cats in Hamburg. We would love to take her home with us but our four keep us busy.
Some days especially in the full heat of summer we think what a long walk as we get so hot, but when we arrive we know it’s worth it to see them all running up to us. We spend 100 euros each month on food for them. Christmas Day they have turkey and roast beef...and No they don’t wear party hats!
So if you'd like to take a stroll and meet our furry friends get in contact.

care4cats says: There are many loving stray cats just desperate for homes...so if you can re-home one of these loving cats please get in touch or leave a comment with your email address.