I can’t believe how busy it is round here. I have to keep my wits about me to make sure I monitor everything that’s going on. Mum’s builder is back and staying with us, so he’s been renovating some of our sheds to make sure they don’t leak. We haven’t had any rain yet, but it feels cooler, so it won’t be long. Everything is very dry. One of the runs that the kittens use had a collapsed floor. It didn’t matter for the cats, but wasn’t good for the humans. So, it was moving time for everyone until the floor could be repaired. But it’s concrete this time, so should be better.

We’ve had lots of visitors too, friends, followers and drop-ins. We’re pleased to see them and my mum is very patient, even though they all seem to ask the same questions. Lots of them give us a donation, and maybe take some lavender bags, so my mum is busy making more of them as well. Our lavender field, where we all love to play, is very dry too.  I hope she’ll have enough lavender for us next year…

We’re all sad about Mikis, the elderly cat who went missing for a while. When he came back, he was sick and we all made a big fuss of him. But he died earlier in the month. He’s buried among the lavender bushes and the volunteers decorated a nice stone for him.

But we always have new cats arriving. My mum got a call from a tourist saying two kittens had been dumped on a beach, near a taverna that was just about to close. She went over to pick them up, but could only find one. They have called her Olive. She’s in a bad way, with a horribly infected mouth and very bad teeth, even though she’s less than two months old! She must have had a really hard time. She’s very dirty, because her mouth is so sore, she can’t clean herself and she can barely eat. So, she’s very thin. She started breathing badly too and is now staying at the vet, where she had x-rays, which showed she has pneumonia. They have a tank there, where cats can get extra oxygen – we’re all hoping she will get better.

The next morning, when we already had lots of visitors and the humans were sitting down for breakfast, the same tourist came. She had found the other kitten. It was so tiny and had been shut in a derelict house. They had to break down the door to get her out. They only found her because she was crying so much. She arrived in a carrier bag and had come on the bus. This one is very young, only about four weeks old. The volunteers tried to bottle feed her, but she’s feisty and was having none of it, she prefers to get her mouth around real cat food, even though she gets in a mess. Luckily, some other visitors bought us very soft kitten food, so she’s enjoying that. It’s a bit cool in the evenings now, so my mum has set up a cage for her in the house. They have called her Ouzaki. Of course, we’re all a bit curious, but she won’t be allowed to run around and mix with us until she’s had her vaccinations.

Now it’s cooler and bars and tavernas are closing for winter. I’ve decided to move back inside the house and sleep on my mum’s bed again – it’s very comfortable, even if some of the other cats have the same idea. But we all have our own spots and mostly we respect our distances.

So, it’s time for my mid-morning nap. Until next time, help or adopt a stray if you find one and keep cuddling your own pets. They are very lucky to have a loving forever home.