Five years in the past, the story of a small haven for cats and their caretakers in Syros, Greece grew to become identified the world over. A job posting in search of a cat caretaker at a sanctuary on a tiny Greek island went viral, amassing over 80,000 purposes. World media protection of the phenomenon turned the sanctuary right into a vacation spot, resulting in a Netflix episode and a newly launched e book.
Sanctuary founder Joan Bowell nonetheless can’t fairly imagine it.
From her present perch on the beautiful Greek island that homes the sanctuary, she recollects a formative childhood second. “My mom introduced dwelling a kitten…and it was ‘real love’ at first sight that caught with me ever since!” she laughs.
Although born and raised in Denmark, Bowell and her husband had dreamt of constructing a refuge on the Greek island of Syros for themselves and their two cats—however after they moved into their dream dwelling in Greece, they discovered different four-legged locals have been becoming a member of the brood out of desperation.
“There have been sick and ravenous cats in all places and the cat inhabitants was so uncontrolled with treasured few individuals responding to their plight,” she tells Fashionable Cat. From there, the sanctuary organically started to develop as Bowell started caring for an increasing number of of the cats—totalling 30 within the first yr.
“There isn’t any means we might have ignored their plight, and our place in a short time went from only for ourselves, to us opening up principally our complete property to create a secure haven for the cats.”
She dubbed her cat sanctuary “God’s Little Individuals.” The title, she says, comes from a quote by thinker Pythagoras which says, “animals share with us the privilege of getting a soul.” He referred to people as “God’s large individuals” and animals as “God’s little individuals,” which strongly resonated with Bowell. “People are Gods to animals and so each time people mistreat an animal—that might be how the animal experiences God. This understanding lodged so deeply inside me.”
Her sanctuary may need continued to fly below the radar have been it not for the job opening they posted to Fb in 2018, seven years in:
“PAID JOB OFFER WITH CATS! (that is real and NOT a joke — pals, please be at liberty to confirm!),” the posting learn. “A really particular place and dwelling circumstance on supply on a bit Greek island known as Syros (a small paradise no much less!)” (Syros is situated within the Aegean Sea to the Southeast of Athens, Greece.)
They thought they’d get a handful purposes. They couldn’t have been extra improper.
“Properly, it was a very surprising expertise, and we solely grew to become conscious of it as a result of a buddy advised us he’d simply seen the information of it working throughout the display on BBC information! We had put up a Fb put up in search of somebody to tackle the caretaker position right here at our sanctuary, anticipating that if we have been fortunate, we’d get possibly 20 individuals making use of for the job,” Bowell recollects.
Picked up by main media retailers like BBC and CNN, it took on a lifetime of its personal.
“We had no concept it was about to go viral the best way it did…The eye was completely mind-boggling,” she laughs. In only a month, Bowell and her husband received a whopping 80,000 purposes for the place—an expertise that she particulars in her new e book, God’s Little Individuals: Emotions That Join, and in episode 5 of the Netflix collection Cat Individuals.
The part-time, six-month place supplied simply €500 euro per 30 days (equal to about $530 USD), however the perks have been many—for the correct particular person. Requiring about 4 hours a day of labor, it concerned feeding, cleansing up after, medicating, and loving on the 55 cats on the sanctuary. Housing, tranquility, and beautiful surroundings have been included.
The posting learn: “From expertise, the job is best suited for somebody 45+ years of age, who’s accountable, dependable, trustworthy, virtually inclined—and actually, with a coronary heart of gold! Aside from feeding the cats, the cats may also want heaps of affection and a spotlight. You’ll at occasions be anticipated to entice or deal with a feral or non-sociable cat, so understanding one thing a couple of cat’s psychology too is essential and cat-whispering expertise ought to come naturally to you.”
If this sounds such as you, there’s nonetheless an opportunity you may stay the dream of caring for cats on a Greek island. For the reason that preliminary job posting, the Sanctuary has been selecting a brand new particular person for the place yearly.
Most lately, Melinda Rundström, a vet nurse from Stockholm, Sweden, held the place.
“I noticed the Netflix particular and simply fell in love with the surroundings from a distance and I admired Joan and Richard’s values and concepts,” says Rundström, who started following the sanctuary Fb web page. “Immediately the job put up was there. It was as if it was directed at me.” The lately minted veterinary nurse had additionally been doing feline rescue work for about 20 years. “I assumed it an ideal match. It was additionally superb timing as I used to be feeling fairly confused and overwhelmed in my private {and professional} life and will simply profit massively from a break and an journey.”
The expertise was “wonderful. It was pretty and unusual and fairly overwhelming and wonderful. I didn’t know to the complete extent what I’d be dealing with and it actually grew to become the journey I used to be in search of.”
Rundström has already been again twice since final summer time. In June she’s returning for a month.
“The environment are really spectacular and enjoyable. It’s so stunning and with the ocean fairly close to, the idyllic small cities of the island, the slower tempo…. it provides me peace of thoughts. The cats of the sanctuary and the stray colonies and I’ve fashioned a particular bond—it’s like visiting good pals each time.”
Rundström’s day begins with feeding the sanctuary cats, her favorite half. “The cats are throughout, looking forward to meals, and the solar is rising,” she says. “There are little teams of cats all through the sanctuary that want attending to.” Some people want medicines or particular diets. Others are in quarantine attributable to medical remedy. She’ll clear their crates and litterboxes, then feed the 2 stray colonies close by. “We attempt to spend as a lot time as we will with them too,” says Rundström. “After the feeding, there is perhaps scheduled veterinary visits or errands to run, like shopping for cat meals. Often, although there can be a couple of hours free for seashore time or sightseeing across the island.”
Spending time with the cats, the sensation of doing good work, and the sheer great thing about the place are the very best components, says Rundström, although she’s fast to notice the work part could be very actual. “The job is for someone keen to work,” she cautions. “It’s for someone with a real love for and understanding of cats. It’s for someone dedicated to the place… You should be invested. It’s an journey however NOT a trip. It’s NOT a meet and greet with the well-known couple from Netflix or a photoshoot on your social media. This job is for someone who desires to do good. For individuals who need to contribute to a greater world. It’s a job for givers, not takers.”
Nonetheless, the sanctuary has no scarcity of candidates. “The job place has grow to be extraordinarily standard and fascinating,” says Bowell, who has expanded the unique single place to a crew. Caretakers keep for 3 to 6 months and rotate, with each new and return caretakers within the combine.
Along with the caretakers, the sanctuary additionally accepts common volunteers to assist out with completely different aspects: the cats, the gardens, upkeep and upgrades—“principally individuals volunteering with a wide range of expertise,” says Bowell.
5 years in from the viral posting, the sanctuary remains to be seeing blessings from the media consideration—together with extra volunteers and extra cat sponsors—however maybe the largest profit was renewed religion.
“A very powerful factor we derived from this complete expertise was realizing simply how a lot goodwill there’s in the direction of cats on this world! So many individuals wished to volunteer, and we realized simply what number of sources there are on this world to need to do good for cats,” Bowell says, wanting again on the final 12 years.
Thus far, over 3,000 kittens and cats have discovered refuge at her no-cage, no-kill sanctuary, which additionally operates as a registered charity and adoption heart. Chronically unwell and semi-feral cats even have houses for all times at God’s Little Individuals.
Whereas serving to cats was her first precedence with the sanctuary, Bowell additionally hoped to point out others that it was attainable to stay in concord with the felines. By offering water and meals, in addition to spaying and neutering, “it was attainable to remodel the outlook on the cats from being the ugly sickly and emaciated pest they clearly have been to the locals—hanging across the dumpsters scouring them for scraps,” says Bowell. Because the state of affairs improved for the cats, locals started to take discover, and attitudes in the direction of the cats modified, finally inspiring extra neighborhood members to get entangled in caring for the animals.
Bowell shares extra of her emotional journey in her e book, which she accomplished in eight intense weeks.
“Beginning a cat rescue was a serious step outdoors of my consolation zone, she says. “On the identical time, it additionally felt like future was taking me by the hand and displaying me that one thing so simple as love for cats can carry you on such a life-altering journey.”
She hopes to encourage others to comply with their hearts in relation to their passions and beliefs.
“I’m not the primary particular person to have executed so, however I do imagine that following your coronary heart is the easiest way you may probably ignite and encourage individuals round you to need to do effectively too…we would not all be capable to do one thing on a big scale however we’re all able to small acts which collectively can result in an enormous change.”
Go to or Volunteer
The Cat Cuddling Café is open June, July, and August. Throughout summer time weekends, friends get a guided tour of the sanctuary, then can sit and luxuriate in a spectacular sundown whereas cuddling cats and having fun with a refreshment. Visits are solely upon request and might be booked at: godslittlepeoplecatrescue.org
Rental Villas Guests may also e book one of many rental villas on the sanctuary grounds. “We now get probably the most superior friends staying in our villas,” says Bowell. “They love being in a spot the place Greek cats are deeply cared for and cherished. It’s not unusual that the sanctuary cats will go contained in the villas and go to our friends—a lot to the delight of each our friends and the cats. A 100% win-win state of affairs!”
Sanctuary villa reserving: sanctuaryvillasdelfini.com
Volunteer “We put up on Fb each time we’re in search of caretakers and volunteers, so the most suitable choice for anybody is to truly comply with us on social media,” advises Bowell. “Our caretakers and volunteers are from all over the world and anybody with prior expertise can apply, though we do get much more particular close to expertise for our caretakers. We put up about new caretakers a few occasions a yr.
“I encourage individuals to persist if genuinely because the curiosity is large, and it’s clearly restricted what number of we will invite, however I’m nearly to have a volunteer who’s written many times for the final two years, so endurance pays off!”
This text initially appeared within the award-winning Fashionable Cat journal. Subscribe as we speak!