Hi everyone,
Today’s guest post comes from Caitlin:
The Aegean Sea is a place of lost cities of mythic proportions and a playground of the world’s foremost adventure seekers. Thankfully, though, it is also home to the unforgettable cat lady of Mykonos.
I visited pristine beaches and explored ancient ruins. I hiked active volcanoes and raced rental quads. I sailed sapphire seas and smashed porcelain plates. Despite all these amazing memories, the most cherished day was spent with an elderly Greek woman doing what she does every day, feeding cats.
A few days into my stay on Mykonos I found myself wandering the maze of streets that were finally familiar. I strolled along the shore, waves crashing and wind howling, towards the iconic windmills. Up on the hill where the windmills proudly stood, an elderly lady sat holding her hat with one hand while cats ate at her feet. She called out to me to adopt a cat. I wanted to, having already fallen in love with one in particular.
I sat down beside her and instantly a handsome tabby lay on my lap. I stroked the purring cat as we chatted. After the cats finished eating, she asked if I would join her and I couldn’t resist. This tiny woman picked up her tattered bags full of cat food and bottles of water. We wandered through the streets lined with white and blue buildings with cascading bougainvillea vines. She called to the cats in Greek as we made our way through town as if she were the Pied Piper. Sure enough, cats came running from all corners to follow her.
After putting out food and water, we stopped for coffee in a quaint café run by an Italian family. She spoke about her life; she was an actress and never married. She had devoted 30 years to feeding strays, spending over half her pension on cat food. Her days are spent feeding cats all over the city. She was the ultimate crazy cat lady and certainly looked the part. She had a large white hat to keep the sun off her face. She wore an oversized knitted sweater and an azure scarf with faded jeans and red canvas shoes. She carried around ragged bags that looked like they weighed more than she does.
Six stops and dozens of starving felines later we made it to my favourite spot. The cats gathered outside a timeworn church with a scarlet door and blue shutters. We put down food and sat silently on a bench, watched the sun start to set against brightly coloured fishing boats. Only sounds of cats chewing and waves crashing filled the air, a perfect setting to reflect on my spontaneous day with the cat lady of Mykonos.
We hope you enjoyed her story and don’t forget to check out her blog. If you’ve got your own story to share why not let us know?
Thanks,
Marc
What a wonderful lady 🙂
Sadly, she died this year, in her bed surrounded by her beloved cats.
Oh no!!! :'(
That is so sad but at the same time it’s lovely to hear that she passed away in the company of her beloved cats. <3
That’s so sad, but still, she had her beloved cats with her right to the end x
That was exactly my relief <3
Oh I’m so sad to hear that! She was such a special lady, really inspired me.
Glad you liked the guest story. ^^
We need more people like this lovely lady… The story is breathtaking! :-)c
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Reblogged this on Rattiesforeverworldpresscom.
Thank you!
“She called out to me to adopt a cat. I wanted to, having already fallen in love with one in particular.”
And? Caitlin, did you? We need to know!
I loved the one on your lap and the grey and white little one. I wish there was a spay/neuter-return program available.
I didn’t ? I was going home to my parents place after and they wouldn’t have appreciated me bringing a cat!
Thanks for the update!
Handbags! Need a big enough one to hide a cat and if anyone questions the meowing… just pretend you’ve got a weird cough. 😀
great story!
Glad you liked our guest post
bless her. she’s a human angel! =^:^=
that’s a wonderful story. It’s really necessary that somebody takes care of the stray cats in Greece because they really have a hard life there. I always feed some strays when I’m in Kefalonia/Greece. Wonderful photos.
Thanks! There are so many strays, it’s very sad. In Athens they have organizations taking care of them but not on the islands. ?
I couldn’t get the link to her blog to work. Maybe it’s not working anymore.
It seems to work fine for me. Can you try again?
Yes they do 🙁 one of my best friends lives in Athens and he already adopted a bunch of kitties.
I would do the same if I lived there:)
What a wonderful heart warming story.Such a loving,caring beautiful person.Im going to follow her blog.Bless her.??????
Such a beautiful lady! We need more people like her. Willing to help those who need it, and not only animals.
We do indeed! <3
She is amazing and human lady! Great post and beautiful pictures. I will share the article.
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Thanks for sharing my story! I’m thrilled at all the feedback, it means a lot. ?
You are most welcome. And do email me if you’ve got any other cat related posts you’d like us to share. :). We can set up your own guest blogger account as well! Info@katzenworld.co.uk
Fantastic woman!! There is a wonderful filling from helping kitties through a tough time. In spite of not knowing these beautiful cats, a bond is built where love shows through.
Jean
It’s amazing to see people’s love for the strays like they are their own
Indeed!
Im so sorry this amazing lady passed.RIP.
I wonder about the kitties who will take care of them?
That’s what I was thinking as well. :”(. I hope someone has taken over her role. :/
Hopefully there will be another caring and loving lady to take over.What sad news just when we had only heard about this wonderful lady.RIP
I know. :”(. I had no idea when I scheduled it in.