May/June 2024 – Marie’s parents traveled to Andros again

Arrival and Day 1


After their trip to Andros in April 2022, Marie’s parents were drawn back to our cat island. As always, well-prepared but as always, with surprises.
The journey already turned out differently than planned. They wanted to see Andros again as soon as possible, so they aimed to take a flight early enough to comfortably catch the last ferry of the day.


However, the first delays occurred at Berlin Airport. In Athens, it also took some time before the travelers could finally set off. Eventually, they got caught in rush hour traffic, so the drive from the airport to the ferry port wasn’t completed in under half an hour.


Thanks to smartphones and Airbnb, the stranded travelers quickly found accommodation and at least could look towards the ferry port.

 

The next morning, they boarded the first ferry right away! Since the ferry to Andros also stops at Tinos and Mykonos, docking at each port for a maximum of fifteen minutes, everything has to happen quickly. After all, numerous cars and supply trucks need to be loaded into the ferry’s steel belly and then sent back onto the roads. Signs with the island names under the windshield wipers ensure the correct order for loading the vehicles; the Andros cars need to be at the very front:

 

After a smooth crossing, the paths finally diverge – the car climbs the island’s mountains while the ferry disappears on the horizon towards Tinos.

 

The blooming bougainvillea at the holiday house greets our travelers.

 

But there’s no time to dawdle! Marie’s parents want to pay a quick first visit to the feeding stations.

First, they encounter the group that includes the black-and-white Kirian and the red Dante, who were recently neutered.

 

Tiffy and Zora also show up to greet them.

 

And Tigre also makes an appearance.

 

Then, the first arrangements for the coming days were made with our Greek friends, and more food was bought at the supermarket. Soon, the first day of the trip to Andros ended.


Days 2 and 3


While the first day was dedicated to arrival, getting an initial overview, and brief contact with our friends, today marked the beginning of real activity.


The feeding stations were visited more thoroughly, a visit to S. was planned, and additional food for the days ahead needed to be procured.


At our feeding station 1, the largest group still resides:

 
 

Taking a closer look here: on the left, a newcomer, and on the right, Medea…

 

…and on the left, Dante, and on the right, Arabella.

 

During the journey to feeding station 2, these stunning views unfold:

 

These views are also needed for motivation, as the feeding station is located in a small settlement inaccessible by car. At the foot of the mountainside, there’s only a small parking lot, so it’s quite a walk from there with all the supplies:

 

Today, only Tiffy showed up here…

 

…and Gin

 

Later at S.’s place, there was once again one of the familiar „Where’s Waldo“ scenes. Who can spot Athina, Hektor, Nikita, Tebetan, Yuki, Kalea, Kaskader, and Katerina? Feel free to guess as always; you’ll see the answers in the second picture!

 

 

With a look around the surroundings at S.’s place, we conclude the summary of the feeding stations over the past two days.

 

However, the third day of the trip held a special event as well, because our travelers met up with our friends A. and S. from the southeastern side of the island, and H. & I. from the northwest!


You can imagine that such a gathering with all our friends together involves a lot to discuss and that such a meeting naturally gives an important boost to further collaboration!


A gathering among cat friends looks like this (symbolic image):

 

Unfortunately, H. is missing from this photo, as she was taking the picture.

 

With many new impressions and the certainty that each of us, in our way, pursued the same goal together, our travelers then returned to their lodging. The landscape bore witness to weeks without rain. Long grass appeared straw-like. However, the lush yellow flowering shrubs seemed to thrive despite the dryness.


Days 4 and 5


On these two days our travelers on Andros continued their routine of feeding the cats at the feeding stations both early in the morning and the evening.
However, something unexpected occurred that even a tourist without major commitments wouldn’t wish to experience:


„Have you heard about our bad luck? Our car just broke down. It stopped running. S. spent the whole afternoon on the phone. Luckily, we managed to get it to him. We noticed unusual noises yesterday. The breakdown service found that the car hadn’t been maintained. It was neglected. We’ve never had this happen before. But we were lucky it didn’t happen yesterday. Today, the reverse gear stopped working. It could have been worse.“


They then took a taxi back to town from S.’s place and at least visited the feeding stations there. Unfortunately, feeding station 2 (the one up the mountain that requires climbing) is outside town, so they had to skip visiting it today.


Here’s a loose collection of images from the fourth day:
Günni

 

The group at feeding station 1, with Medea and Chará in the center of the picture.

 

At S.’s place, Kalea and Nikita are present.

 

On the left, there’s Nikita again, alongside a young newcomer named Koko. Koko was brought to S. by a resident of the island.

 

Yuki

 

In the foreground, there’s another newcomer at S.’s place, who was picked up at feeding station 1 and is named Andreas by him. Behind them, Athina is perfectly camouflaged.

 

We last saw Cariba in May 2023.

 

On the fifth day, still without a replacement car, the feeding stations were attended to, and we received this ironic message: „At feeding station 1, compassionate people laid out pretzels. The cats rejected the salty parts. I disposed of them.“ Well-intentioned doesn’t always mean well-executed…


Regarding the rental car, S. actively intervenes: „S. is invaluable to us regarding the car situation. He understands his fellow countrymen and communicates with them very clearly. Yesterday, he pantomimed their way of working to us.“
However, the travelers are also helping themselves: „Called Check24. We will pick up a replacement car from the ferry in Gavrio tomorrow at noon.“


Although long distances are still not feasible, there are plenty of cats to care for at the feeding stations in the town itself.


Two black-and-white newcomers together with Kirian and Dante.

 

In the foreground, Chará joins the group.

 

In the town itself, one often encounters well-cared-for cats that live with the locals.

 

Miss Meier is a loyal soul at this feeding station.

 

Four familiar faces: Medea, Onni, Arabella, and Emely, along with a young black newcomer.

 

Let’s mix it up again—from left to right: a newcomer, then Chará, Onni, and Dante.

 

Someone following the journey attentively from Germany concludes today’s report shivering and enviously with this information:

„Your weather, Jörg, has just arrived here. 31 degrees!“


Day 6 and 7


Recalling the last report, it was mentioned that the replacement car was supposed to arrive around noon with the ferry in Gavrio. We also received nice pictures from the port town, along with this information:


„For those wanting to linger in Gavrio. The only ferry from Mykonos with our car arrives at 16:10. We knew this, but the smart guys from Avis didn’t. 35 degrees… But the two Avis guys at least write: We are sorry for any inconvenience caused. Familiar with Deutsche Bahn, isn’t it?“

 

However, at some point…

 

„But eventually…


„Our proper car was on board. S. was upset because no one in the workshop who had to tow away the scrap car knew anything about its whereabouts. ‚You don’t know anything?! How many scrap cars with that license plate do you have in the yard?‘ It was so funny how he described it to us. The car we have now is the one we ordered. Can you believe it?“
Now, quickly back to feed the cats!


At feeding station 3, a stately newcomer pushes ahead. But we’re not worried about Miss Meier! As delicate as the old girl may be, she can handle youngsters fiercely when needed.

 

Here’s a familiar scene with Onni and Kirian in the foreground.

 

Part of the large group including Dante, Günni, Onni, Kirian, Emely, Arabella, and Chará.

 

It looks like Onni has beautiful blue eyes. We should take a closer look sometime.

 

Group picture with a horse.

 

The travelers cleaned and filled the food dispenser.

 

At feeding station 2, only Tiffy is seen again.

 

Day 7 of the journey concludes with a few photos capturing the island’s blooming beauty and wild romantic charm, along with reflections and thoughts for the future:


„These last hours on the island. Tonight, there was a feast for everyone. It’s a strange feeling to leave again. There’s still so much to do. It’s not easy to leave the island behind. We’ve promised to come back. I believe personal contact, sitting face to face and listening to each other, is crucial for the continuation of our relationships and our association’s work. It wouldn’t work any other way.“


The journey home, but not empty-handed


The days passed quickly for Marie’s parents as well as for us who followed their journey from afar.
Now was the time to bid farewell to Andros and begin the journey back. Similar to the outbound trip, no overnight stay was planned; they aimed to take the ferry to the mainland in the late morning and catch an afternoon flight to Berlin.
Unlike the arrival, this plan worked smoothly!


It would have been much more stressful if there had been any issues because Marie’s parents didn’t leave the island empty-handed.
Before boarding the red ferry, our travelers met A. at the port, who handed over an old transport box. This box has been serving our Andros project since its inception in 2017, transporting numerous Andros cats across Europe and within Germany.

 

In short: Travel cat Star boarded.

 

Upon arriving in Athens, the travelers met with our friend A. (2). Firstly, to reunite with her as she had recently visited Andros but had left earlier. Secondly, A. (2) offered to assist with check-in and security checks.


Lastly, they received from her the second travel cat, whom she had been caring for in recent weeks. A true Andros stalwart from feeding station 2, neutered in March 2018 and already „very adult,“ as A. (2) put it, indicating she is 8 years old according to her passport (which could well be accurate).


This cat remained loyal to her feeding station over the years and was always a familiar sight: Neela, or Tonia, as known by our Greek friends.

 

We will certainly provide detailed updates about these two travel cats later on, but for now, both are waiting here to go through customs:

 

In the meantime, A. (2) was not only helpful during check-in and security checks. Marie’s parents were also entitled to a refund of taxi expenses from the car rental company. Our Greek friend took charge here as well. Following her articulate and persuasive explanations, the staff at the counter found it prudent to process the reimbursement immediately on the spot, rather than having it claimed later…

Now, it remains to be noted that the flight arrived in Berlin with a slight delay of about an hour. However, both travelers and travel cats were well and eagerly awaited by Jörg. After a brief chat with Marie’s parents—because the cats had been traveling for quite some time—Jörg took the cat Star to his foster home. Marie’s parents took Neela home with them to deliver her to her foster home with just a slight detour.

Eventually, late into the night, everyone reached their respective destinations.

In the next part of the report, the focus will naturally shift to Star and Neela!


The Traveling Cats


As promised in the previous part of the travel report, here are further details about the two travel cats, Star and Neela, who traveled to Germany with Marie’s parents.


STAR


We first heard about Star on February 3rd of this year. Our friend A. wrote: „I found this poor guy at feeding station 1. He has a large piece of skin missing from his neck and only one eye.“
At the vet, his wound was cleaned and treated. Since he needed anesthesia for the treatment anyway, he was also neutered at the same time.

 

A. then took him in at her home to care for him and nurse him back to health.

 

In preparation for his first examination here in Germany, we sent the veterinarian a photo of his injury beforehand (unblurred in the second picture).

 

He was named by A. in memory of another one-eyed black cat named Star, who Marie brought to Germany in 2017 – one of our first Andros cats.


Unfortunately, Star’s wound did not heal well over time. Additionally, an examination in April revealed that he is FIV-positive. His blind eye has not caused any problems, but it will likely require attention at some point.


Given these conditions, he would have needed to live separately with A. for a long time to allow for recovery in peace. Even then, it wouldn’t be ideal to release an immunocompromised, one-eyed cat back outdoors.


However, since he was otherwise doing very well and had a good appetite, we decided to bring him to Germany to give him a chance to recover here, especially considering we have more medical options available than on Andros.


His initial examination in Germany took place shortly after his arrival, and soon after, Star underwent his operation:

 

During the preliminary examination, it was discovered that Star must have experienced a severe accident, as he is missing all teeth on the left side except for a few root remnants. Whether the neck wound also resulted from this accident cannot be confirmed, but it is a plausible assumption.


Fortunately, cats have ample and very movable skin around their necks and naps. The veterinarian was able to close the enormous wound using a technique called a sliding flap, utilizing the available skin in that area.


Star’s dental issues were also addressed during the surgery. Unfortunately, further complications were found, necessitating another operation. However, the priority now is for the neck wound to heal and for Star to regain his strength.


Let’s all keep our fingers and paws crossed for Star that these procedures pave the way for a worry-free life in the future! At least for now, no treatment is required for his left blind eye.

 

NEELA

Neela lived at our feeding station 2 long before there was an Andros project with a feeding station 2.
She was spayed in March 2018 but, according to our friend A. (2), was already „very adult“ at that time. Her passport lists her birth year as 2016, which as previously mentioned, is approximately correct.


Neela remained loyal to her feeding station all these years, survived a cat flu outbreak over Easter 2018 that claimed the lives of several cats in the area, recovered from a massive abscess on her head in mid-2022 with veterinary assistance, and was unwaveringly present for every journey and photo opportunity. A true Andros stalwart straight out of a storybook!


Therefore, allow us to digress a bit and present a series of pictures of this grand dame!

 
 

The last photo was taken when our friend from Athens stayed in Andros for three weeks. Neela visibly showed the years on her, appearing quite exhausted. Naturally, she was taken to the veterinarian thereafter. We requested a comprehensive blood test right away. The results didn’t look dramatically severe at first glance, but they indicated enough to suggest that her future on the streets wouldn’t be promising.


We considered various alternatives. In the end, the best solution was for our Greek friend to take Neela to Athens when she departed at the beginning of May. There, she would care for Neela until Marie’s parents finished their Andros trip and handed her over at the airport.


As planned, Neela traveled to Athens and immediately felt right at home. No wonder, with good food, clean water, a soft bed, and plenty of cuddles!

 

However, her lower lip started to bother her again. This is the same spot where she visited the vet back in August 2020.


Since the initial blood test that prompted us to let her travel was several weeks old, we decided to have another one done for reassurance. Fortunately, we must say in hindsight!
While her kidney and liver values were back to normal (and had only been slightly off before), our experienced FIP association president Lavinia (remember our Filou, who lived with her and battled FIP, FeLV, a tumor, and other ailments) saw enough to sound the alarm.


To be safe, we consulted R., whom we met through Filou’s time in a FIP group on Facebook, and who supported and advised us well then. He also confirmed the suspicion almost immediately upon seeing the blood test results.


And now?


We wanted to start the treatment as quickly as possible, right in Athens. Waiting several more days for travel and treatment to begin in Germany was out of the question!
However, an inquiry with a German acquaintance who has lived in Athens for decades and is active in animal welfare was sobering. There isn’t a useful FIP group on Facebook there; when she also dealt with FIP some time ago, she turned to a German group. Perhaps some doctors know where to get the GS-441524 medication in Greece. They cannot prescribe or administer it themselves as it is still not approved.


Wouldn’t it be faster from Germany after all? We asked R. for help and…
…he put together a starter package of GS tablets, sent it via UPS Express, and within less than 24 hours, A. (2) held the long-awaited medication in her hands and started the therapy on the same day!

 

UPDATE

This update concerns Chloe, a cat living with our friend A.

At the end of May, Chloe was taken to a veterinarian in Athens due to unexplained trembling and fever.

The examination, including X-rays, did not reveal anything abnormal. The fever disappeared thanks to appropriate treatment, and the seizures did not recur. So she returned to Andros with A.

However, A. noticed another seizure in Chloe, and blood tests that arrived a few days later, unfortunately, indicated a strong suspicion of FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), which the hastily requested serum electrophoresis could not dispel. While the values were not as clear-cut as with Neela, and Chloe is otherwise symptom-free, we ruled out other causes like toxoplasmosis through further tests. We did not want to wait any longer for symptoms that do not belong to FIP to potentially appear.

So, we consulted R. again, and he once again sent a package, this time to Andros. Chloe is now also being treated with GS-441524.

 

We have included Chloe in this travel cat report as she is fighting FIP simultaneously with Neela. A shared burden is a halved burden!

Meanwhile, the prices for GS have dropped significantly compared to previous years, but the therapy for both together will still cost approximately 2,000 euros at best.

It’s still a substantial amount of money, and we appreciate any help that paves the way for both FIP fighters to return to a healthy life! To support them, we have set up a PayPal donation campaign:

Help for the FIP Fighters Neela & Chloe

If you like, you can also donate via our normal bank account or to our PayPal account:

Club account & PayPal

Please keep your fingers crossed for our two FIP fighters! And of course also for Star, whose terrible injury will hopefully heal well now!

 

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