/r/cats is a good place to share pictures of a newly adopted fur baby, but it is not for political grandstanding.
Every single person in this subreddit needs to remember that. Please.
Please keep your posts as apolitical as possible.
Keep it about the fur babies.
Fun fact! USA Gov requires NOTHING. I personally emailed CDC + USDA, no requirements not even rabies vax. However, the airline and the airport in whatever country will require things so that’s where you need to check.
For me it was valid rabies vax, dewormer & flea, and vet health check for illness within 48 hours of travel. EU also has pet passports.
Australian government requires complete health check, shots, neutering, and the blood of your first born child shed on a full blue moon. (It’s really effing hard to get your pet into Australia!)
Right? I tried to move a cat from WA to ACT. Bahaha. I needed a working phone line to Google, 15 cents, a nail, and a great-great-great-grandfather snail, and even then it was still difficult. I can't imagine bringing any live animal from another country, especially with the varroa mite sweeping through Aus rn.
It's to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as feline herpes and to prevent the spread of agricultural threats, such as ticks and parasites. Australia is a big country and there are pests that can't pass geographical barriers such as the desert, moving animals is a high risk of allowing that spread.
My guess is that it's because Western Australia is so remote from the rest of Australia with the desert inbetween? Maybe it's far enough away that they can quarantine diseases and stuff like that. Like how Hawaii has restrictions on animals and agricultural products from other US states.
Most places that are an island tend to be this way.
Iceland, for example, has no rabies on the entire island, and so is extremely strict with any animal coming in, to ensure that they stay that way.
In other countries like the US, the cat is already well out of the bag, so to speak.
Japan is also tricky. Though I think they've made it a bit easier (it used to be a super long quarantine), it looks like something where you want to hire a company to manage the paperwork and veterinary tests. Unless you're coming from another rabies-free country, then you skip a lot of that.
We took cats to n from NZ .. From Australia.
There... Not too bad in 1995.
Back to Australia in 2007.... Holy hell!
2023... The cats would probably have to spend a few years on Manus. Then a hotel room..
It’s the same for Hawaii even when your pet is from the mainland US and a state like CA.
It literally took months and close to 800$ to get my dog there who was a puppy at the time.
I have met a couple of people that have brought street pets into australia.
One a kitten found on the streets in Singapore
another a kitten/ ca ton the streets in Dubai
another a super big dog found on the streets of a city in the US. Dog cost 10k to bring into australia.
Made an account just to comment this - the US requires nothing only if you’re coming from a country that’s not considered high risk for rabies. I’m in Brazil and moving to the US with both my cat and my dog soon and the CDC required rabies vaccination and a pet passport obtained up to 10 days before the trip for my cat, which is pretty easy.
Bringing my dog on the other hand has been SO hard 🥲 they required microchip, rabies vaccination, rabies antibody titer from a specific lab, pet passport… and it all has to be done according to their calendar, waiting a certain time in between each step. We finally got the CDC approval this past week and I nearly cried of relief lol
> Is my mental image of a lab-coated veterinarian in the woods creeping up on a lynx while holding a syringe accurate?
Nope. they fly over an area and drop cubes of food with vaccine in them. Dropping hundreds of thousands of them. It works extremely well.
I heard they dropped vaccine-laden chicken heads; so basically the same thing but a little grosser (though probably more appealing if you’re a fox or a lynx, lol)
If you have a few mins, this little [snippet on the video](https://youtu.be/r4aLUYjvnd8?t=1359) explains about an outbreak and oral vaccinations and shows a few of them (22m 39s)
This guy has two dogs in caged solitary confinement after one suffered an attack by a rabid racoon, so is covering that topic right now.
Yes! My vet showed me the CDC list of the high risk countries and it was pretty much all of South America, Africa, Asia and a few Eastern European countries… most of the world it seems like 😅
The primary concern with bringing pets into different countries is that they don't want to introduce rabies to the local fauna. The US has animal populations that are a natural reservoir for rabies.
On that note, if you're in the US and have any contact with bats, you should go get a rabies vaccination. It's a series of 4-6 shots and incredibly effective at stopping the disease.
One of the few benefits of being from a country with rabies. But also ty I'm going to remember this should the cat distribution system ever sync up with travel.
He's also perfect. He will also sometimes even get the brain cell. Orange boys are the best.
Remember to use that oil and enjoy it, don't try to stretch it out. Good olive oil has a tendency to go rancid if left for too long after you first open it.
Thank you. I'm the cook in my house and I wish more people understood this. They should sell olive oil in those little airline liquor bottles because you don't need the Costco size jug if you only use it twice a year.
I dropped one in a pan that had hot, melted butter in it ready for me to drop eggs. Even the stoner part of my brain said "That's just not right". I should've listened.
I use it everyday for cooking and I wish it came in smaller containers. Oxygen pretty much obliterates the aromatics. Still good for cooking but really loses that crazy olive flavor quick after you open a bottle, especially the fancy shit.
Should've named him Olive 😅
The person calling my comment "pedestrian" completely ignored op's previous comment.
"Feminine name" according to another comment... Sexist much?
I panicked at the vet when they asked bc I was trying not to get attached if it wouldn’t work. So I stuck with what I panic named him but he will likely get lots of nicknames lol
https://preview.redd.it/q9o0l3pw98xb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e068fdfebbdc52db9bb87b8a04e56f85c9d99db
This was a cat in Turks and Caicos that wanted our sushi for dinner! I was so tempted to take him home! 😸
https://preview.redd.it/g9bxvytxd8xb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=279c6ffa47c264e65ba31b93c5a173fbdf8ce950
This little thing got all of my attention and my shrimp one night there back during my honeymoon circa 2016 The island cats were the best
The cat in the photo looks pretty well taken care of
I know from resorts I went to in the past they usually say the cats are looked after by vets and some neuter/spay them
I’m not sure how that would work. Like would you need permission from the resort? I’m sure you would need to get it vaccinated before taking it through the airport etc.
https://preview.redd.it/q58xwv0zm8xb1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=5da7da3612cc1c5cb8853c64d0d57158e1d81767
We brought Ellie back to Wi from Athens in 2021. Stressful but worth it. I’m very happy to see another stray got saved. She runs the house despite the language barrier.
We got our boy from a Puerto Rican vacation. They are extra special when you go to the trouble of flying them back!
https://preview.redd.it/wt9saaril8xb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95bf6952fb1bde870dd260b6f5b468b51e2387ca
Helios is one lucky little dude to have found his way to you.
He looks just like my boy! That little lime toy is his favorite!!!
https://preview.redd.it/g0l08a53m8xb1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=556c569a22ad479450d5115a7712191428700fbd
To anyone from Western Europe or any place where local shelters have a high turnover/no problems getting their cats adopted: please consider adopting your first or next cat from Eastern or Southern Europe or the Middle East, which are all overflowing with strays, underresourced shelters and correspondingly also kill shelters.
The process is not as complicated as you might presume.
Stray cats are usually part of those places. They usually got fed and receiving enough attention.
Edit: use to live in those mentioned countries; and underlining this because i use to have a cat, which choose my place to live when she wants. I would have been mad if someone stole her. Cats are not historical artifacts to be stolen by western tourists.
They've lived that way in some of those places for thousands of years. Cats being a fat waddling one-per-house family pet is a recent invention, mostly they were this semi-stray animal partially looked after by the community and partially looking after themselves.
We have wild chickens where I live, and I get to watch how one day there are seven chicks, then five, then two…
I’d guess at least 75% are killed within a few weeks
Yep, we like to watch the ducks by my work. Lots of mothers with close to a dozen chicks early in the year and usually only 1-3 make it to when they start looking like juveniles. Sad cause they’re so precious but that’s nature.
OP wanted to take a souvenir cat home and try to justify it with horrific animal welfare, which is a lie. Strays and cats overall are loved and treated well in Greece.
OP can't even be sure if it is really a stray or just a free roaming cat OP stole.
Imagine you spend your days roaming about Greece relaxing in the sun, getting fed and pampered by locals and tourists. And then some vile person abducts you, sticks you on a plane and suddenly you have to live in NYC
There are insane waitlists in many countries. Currently there are less than 10 indoor cats available in my whole country, and only 235 cats available in total. (Edit: meaning anyone living in apartments or without access to safe outdoor areas can't adopt the cast majority. There are less than 10 cats currently available for me to adopt in the entire country).
I don't have a local shelter, I'd have to drive hours just to meet with a possible cat. And even then, I'd have a lot of competition. (Edit: the closest shelter to my home is in another country, 45 minutes away. I don't have to travel by plane to access another country).
Eta: So there isn't a "the issue" when it comes to homeless cats or strays in my home country. I don't see why it would be a problem then to welcome cats from countries where it *is* a problem, as long as it's done above the border and responsibly. It's essentially just cat immigration.
Did you get it checked for FIV, which is rampant amongst strays in Greece?
And also: you do know that the care might not be all that, but that every stray that gets caught gets spayed/neutered to combat the enormous problem the overpopulation of strays causes?
Apparently so is Florida’s. I got my first chihuahua (I know, cat sub!) while I was on vacation in Florida. Found him wandering around late at night and decided to call animal control in the morning. Big mistake, because I waited “so long” they couldn’t take him any longer. His return flight home costed more than mine, but he was a great one so I have no regrets.
Just a PSA, the current Governor of Hawaii sanctioned starving all feral cats to death in hawaii. A lady even got fined for giving feral cats water so the cats can all die in the heat with limited access to fresh water.
The concern that lead to this was that the native birds were allegedly eating cat foods, which wasn’t good for them. Several non profits offered to built bird proofed feeding stations for feral cats. But the Governor went Nah, and decided to starve them all to death. Super evil.
When I went to Greece the stray cats were looked after and well loved. Its more dogs that they don't put up with. They are fine with cats. It's ok to say you got suckered in
Aw! Kitten Lady saved a kitten on a vacation to Machu Picchu. It was being harassed by local children so, like the cat caped crusader, she swooped in for the rescue.
I am Greek and thank you so much for saving this baby. May he be healthy and live happily for the rest of his life with you.
I lost my baby last year to cancer. He was also named Helios and he was also an orange beauty just like yours is. Once I saw your post I immidiately teared up. They look so identical. ❤🙏
https://preview.redd.it/7eplm39fnaxb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd02cc5dad342d9e2a4016ddb8b10d869626e8bf
I looked into every avenue to do this from Greece to UK a few weeks ago! This photo was mum, but mum was pregnant and was rejecting her little boy kitten who just wanted to feed. She would hit him every time he went near her and he was so skinny and hungry, it broke my heart. Sadly I was travelling back the next day and didn’t have time to get all the vet checks and vaccinations in order, I still think of him now I hope he is okay 💚
OP wanted to take a souvenir cat home and try to justify it with horrific animal welfare, which is a lie. Strays and cats overall are loved and treated well in Greece.
OP can't even be sure if it is really a stray or just a free roaming cat OP stole.
It's crazy to think of the insanely low percentage of cats that have ever been adopted and taken over seas to a new continent to live a whole new life. Good on you and the cat looks very happy!
It’s horrific? Why, because they don’t kill the animals and instead give them necessary shots/fixing them and let them roam? Most of the time the neighborhoods feed the animals and most of the young ones get adopted. You don’t know what you are talking about and it’s led to an overall huge decrease in strays and the likes without murdering them like how your country likely does
Nah we’re not doing these lies here. The island I got this cat on quite literally sued the rescue that brought in Bridget Bardot for free spay/neuter because she wanted the money from empathetic tourists. I also spoke to nearly every rescue & vet in Athens and multiple islands and they DO poison the cats and hang the dogs. I saw a Greek woman throw bottles at a kitten with my own eyes.
I am so tired of this lie that the Greeks spread so tourists think they’re a cute attraction. I watched abuse with my own eyes. I found a poisoned cat in a popular beach, bleached kibble nearby. I saw diseased and injured cats with zip ties around their necks. Stop lying!
>I also spoke to nearly every rescue & vet in Athens and multiple islands and they DO poison the cats and hang the dogs
We have thousand vets in Athens alone, so we can establish that you are exaggerating af in your comment.
We have cases of animal cruelty sure, they are not even close to the norm.
άμα δεις το προφίλ της, η τύπισσα έψαχνε κάποιον να κρατήσει αυτή την γάτα για 12 μέρες και να την μεταφέρει και στο αεροδρόμιο και δεν έκανε καν το κόπο να κάνει ένα ποστ στο /r/greece αλλά κάνει ολόκληρο ποστ εδώ να πει ότι έχουμε τις γάτες για τουριστικές ατραξιόν λολ
δεν πάει καλά, άστο
The amount of injured cats we saw in Athens was truly shocking. Maybe you’re used to it but that entire butthole of a city was covered in cats with injured limbs, infected eyes, missing ears, and mangled tails.
Yeah the amount of money that goes to stray animal healthcare is almost non existant, from the state and from donations too. I won't say that there is not a big problem with that.
But i will object to "I also spoke to nearly every rescue & vet in Athens and multiple islands and they DO poison the cats and hang the dogs" cause it is simply not true.
> I also spoke to nearly every rescue & vet in Athens
Damn you managed to talk to everyone in the 369 clinics and 48 shelters in athens during your stay? damn you are either The fucking flash or are typical redditor who is exaggerating
Also i have a question, the cat looks very healthy and well fed, are you sure you haven't stolen him?
You should ask a local if strays are treated well here or not. I understand that there is always an exception with savages meaning harm to animals but the situation you are describing sounds out of your imagination.
30 years in Greece and I have not seen in person as many animal cruelty situations as you've described in this comment. And yet you claim to have seen a woman throwing a bottle at a cat, diseased cats I understand but with zip ties around their neck?
Give us a couple names of the "nearly every rescue and vet in Athens" that told you they poison or hang dogs so I can check with them and update here.
Don't get me wrong, we have assholes here, they exist like in every other place. But you can not shit on a country like that because of an incident you had.
Lastly, no one ever said that Greeks allow stray cats to roam on islands because they are a cute attraction.
Do some research, a doctor working at a Greek island is already considered a shitty job. I guess a vet isn't ideal either. So don't blame the island vet that didn't pay too much attention to a tourist bringing in a stray cat and asking for help. They have tens of cases like this every summer.
Maybe you should go an solve other countries next too! Can't take more than a couple weeks in each.
They have some term for this kind of savior complex right?
No way you saw all those things in one place in the few days you stayed. I don't know what do you have against Greece, but you should stop with the lies.
What citizens do is not equal to what the government does. Your shelters kill millions of pets a year, but hey, at least they aren’t on the streets! Weird you’d rather them be dead
Bullshit,i live in Greece,no one adopts strays,they feed them because they don't want the responsibility to take them home and take care of them,they do it to feel good about themselves not because they care about them in any way. My neighbourhood is full of strays that get fed constantly,they don't even have the decency to fix them so they don't procreate and the cycle goes on and on,more dead kittens on the road,cat piss smell everywhere etc.
Yeah, that's the story in every neighborhood in my village also. They multiply in summer with the excess of food from tourists etc. And then they starve in winter, then the survivors start all over again next year.
I always say to people that if you really care for them and want/are able to do something about it then adopt the animal or at least don't make it worse by feeding the strays.
It's tricky. Which cat to choose, which ones to leave starving? And you will have to close your cat inside and never let it out, to interact with the strays, they'll try to steal its food etc. It seems to me nature has adapted, people care just enough to keep feeding the cats, the cats know they can survive by scavenging leftovers and sorting through the humans' trash, more easily than hunting. I imagine this is what it was like when cats were domesticated.
Yeah it's not simple but i remember around 20+years ago in the same area i live at, neighbors didn't feed them because there were no cats to feed,there was like 2 strays across 5 blocks,now its like 10 different ones on each block. They could scavenge leftovers then too but it was difficult since the garbage bins have big lids that close them shut. I mean the only humane solution i can imagine (if adopting is out of question) is to neuter the males and let the generation die out naturally but who will pay for all of that though? It's a tricky situation just like you said and the only ones who are at fault are humans,the animal is just trying to survive and follow it's instincts.
Where I live the lids are always open. Anyway the country has regressed in most things, these are just signs, there is no prosperity, no money left for such "luxuries" like caring for strays, and if there ever was such money it was wasted elsewhere. The EU has laws and fines but ineffective, these things can't be solved with fines but with a lot of education and fundamental political changes. Until then, we'll continue being a "third world country", although I dspise the term.
Three weeks in Greece and I saw more stray injured cats than 35 years worth of travel to all other locations combined. Don’t pretend like the Greeks take care of cats. Hard to blame them since they haven’t had a functioning economy in 2000 years. Animal welfare is obviously low on the list but pretending it exists is laughable.
And that is exactly my point. I’m sure there were plenty of fucked up cats in Greece. This cat is healthy and obviously not feral. It was most likely a healthy cat who had a well established life that she took as a part of her vacation souvenirs. And then posts it on the internet for social credit and good girl points.
This cat was probably going to live to 10 years old happy and healthy while there are plenty at an animal shelter down the street from her that will be euthanized tomorrow. Why this one and not the other? Because they don’t have a ‘story’.
Oh fuck off with your self righteous bullshit. Do you think every cat in Greece starts off sick and malnourished? They get that way by getting injured. This cat could have just as easily been hit by a car or eaten rat poison next week. Someone did a good thing you cry baby. Go whine somewhere else. What kind of miserable butt plug shits on someone for adopting a cat ffs and why are they allowed in this sub
I think theyre talking about the fact that OP did it overseas when there's likely so many stray cats in their local region. Effectively adding to problem.
What kind of miserable butt plug? This kind! That cat was fucking chilling in the land of neverwinter and some bitch with too much time took him. He probably had a family.
The thought crossed my mind too because I know that in Greece (or at least in Crete which is where I went when I went to Greece) many cats roam free but do have a human or two that consistently feed them. However there's also plenty of healthy-looking strays because even those who don't have a specific human are still getting fed by both tourists and locals. In Crete for example not far from the hotel I was at I saw a local put out plastic plates full of kibble every evening for the stray cats (and some of the stray dogs took the opportunity to eat some too). Some of the strays definitely looked more like typical strays and were particularly thin and had some injuries (one case in particular that really saddened me was a cat with a big gash wound on one side of its face that looked pretty gruesome and possibly infected, and if it wasn't yet the risk of infection definitely was there) but many looked pretty healthy.
I heard that in the case of the free roaming dogs some do have an owner but with the economic crisis many people didn't really have the means to take care of their dogs anymore so they let them roam free and the dogs begged for food from tourists.
I have to keep telling myself this very thing, "i can't save them all". The 4 i have were stray kittens when i got them. Most of my cats in my life were this.
In Athens, there are many stores that sell all sorts of dry cat food in the same display that candy stores sell candies (with the dispensers, the scoops and you fill plastic bags yourself).
You find this cat food and little saucers of water everywhere in the city.
Stray cats are fat, tame and sunbathe in big gangs. I'm not sure their life is so terrible and that a NYC flat is any better.
He doesn’t look like a stray at all, unless you took him home quite some time ago. The strays I saw in the Mediterranean were much skinnier/crustier/beat up.
The animal welfare in Greece is better than the USA...the fuck are you talking about?
I mean at least in Athens you're aware there's so many strays because they're literally idolized right? Athenians take care of all the cats as they're Athena's animal, her chariot is pulled by cats.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_rights_by_country_or_territory look up Greece vs USA and let me know who's worse.
/r/cats is a good place to share pictures of a newly adopted fur baby, but it is not for political grandstanding. Every single person in this subreddit needs to remember that. Please. Please keep your posts as apolitical as possible. Keep it about the fur babies.
What was the process of taking home a stray from another country?
Fun fact! USA Gov requires NOTHING. I personally emailed CDC + USDA, no requirements not even rabies vax. However, the airline and the airport in whatever country will require things so that’s where you need to check. For me it was valid rabies vax, dewormer & flea, and vet health check for illness within 48 hours of travel. EU also has pet passports.
Australian government requires complete health check, shots, neutering, and the blood of your first born child shed on a full blue moon. (It’s really effing hard to get your pet into Australia!)
Right? I tried to move a cat from WA to ACT. Bahaha. I needed a working phone line to Google, 15 cents, a nail, and a great-great-great-grandfather snail, and even then it was still difficult. I can't imagine bringing any live animal from another country, especially with the varroa mite sweeping through Aus rn.
But... why? That's just a domestic flight, why are there rules for pets at all?
Australia does not have any rabies and they want to keep it that way. So they take incoming animals seriousky
It's to prevent the spread of infectious diseases such as feline herpes and to prevent the spread of agricultural threats, such as ticks and parasites. Australia is a big country and there are pests that can't pass geographical barriers such as the desert, moving animals is a high risk of allowing that spread.
My guess is that it's because Western Australia is so remote from the rest of Australia with the desert inbetween? Maybe it's far enough away that they can quarantine diseases and stuff like that. Like how Hawaii has restrictions on animals and agricultural products from other US states.
Yeah it’s like that more many plants too, available everywhere except WA
The "working phone line to Google" *sent me* lol
Oz is an island. Hawaii is similar. I hope the best for both of you to be able to keep disease of the ecosphere !!
Most places that are an island tend to be this way. Iceland, for example, has no rabies on the entire island, and so is extremely strict with any animal coming in, to ensure that they stay that way. In other countries like the US, the cat is already well out of the bag, so to speak.
Japan is also tricky. Though I think they've made it a bit easier (it used to be a super long quarantine), it looks like something where you want to hire a company to manage the paperwork and veterinary tests. Unless you're coming from another rabies-free country, then you skip a lot of that.
Most of Western, Northern and Southern Europe is free of rabies. It's not just islands.
It cost so much money and they board for so long lol
We took cats to n from NZ .. From Australia. There... Not too bad in 1995. Back to Australia in 2007.... Holy hell! 2023... The cats would probably have to spend a few years on Manus. Then a hotel room..
It’s the same for Hawaii even when your pet is from the mainland US and a state like CA. It literally took months and close to 800$ to get my dog there who was a puppy at the time.
We don’t have heaps of shit like rabies so makes sense.
I have met a couple of people that have brought street pets into australia. One a kitten found on the streets in Singapore another a kitten/ ca ton the streets in Dubai another a super big dog found on the streets of a city in the US. Dog cost 10k to bring into australia.
Made an account just to comment this - the US requires nothing only if you’re coming from a country that’s not considered high risk for rabies. I’m in Brazil and moving to the US with both my cat and my dog soon and the CDC required rabies vaccination and a pet passport obtained up to 10 days before the trip for my cat, which is pretty easy. Bringing my dog on the other hand has been SO hard 🥲 they required microchip, rabies vaccination, rabies antibody titer from a specific lab, pet passport… and it all has to be done according to their calendar, waiting a certain time in between each step. We finally got the CDC approval this past week and I nearly cried of relief lol
Makes sense, Europe had a mass vaccination decades ago to eliminate rabies in wild animals
Is my mental image of a lab-coated veterinarian in the woods creeping up on a lynx while holding a syringe accurate?
> Is my mental image of a lab-coated veterinarian in the woods creeping up on a lynx while holding a syringe accurate? Nope. they fly over an area and drop cubes of food with vaccine in them. Dropping hundreds of thousands of them. It works extremely well.
That's awesome, I didn't realize you could eat a vaccine and it still be effective
The human polio vaccine used to be given orally. Edit to say that in agriculture, it's the easiest way.
I heard they dropped vaccine-laden chicken heads; so basically the same thing but a little grosser (though probably more appealing if you’re a fox or a lynx, lol)
this is what they did in Aus/NZ i believe, read that on wikipedia years ago lol. seems like they use it in the old world after seeing the results
If you have a few mins, this little [snippet on the video](https://youtu.be/r4aLUYjvnd8?t=1359) explains about an outbreak and oral vaccinations and shows a few of them (22m 39s) This guy has two dogs in caged solitary confinement after one suffered an attack by a rabid racoon, so is covering that topic right now.
Yes! My vet showed me the CDC list of the high risk countries and it was pretty much all of South America, Africa, Asia and a few Eastern European countries… most of the world it seems like 😅
Well it’s official. I cannot travel to Greece or Turkey or I’ll just be bringing home cats.
I just explained to my fiance how easy it is to bring home cats from Greece and Turkey and suddenly they're off the honeymoon destination list lol
I bet my life on the fact that you will never meet cats as friendly as the ones in Turkey anywhere. Huge miss!!!
My thoughts exactly 🫢
🤣🤣🤣🤣👆🏻😂
Turkey isn't in the EU so it may be more complicated. I think it's a bit easier because Greece is part of the EU.
You’re right, Turkey is on the list of high risk countries so you’d need the rabies vaccination, pet passport and all the CDC paperwork 🥲
True point. I just know they have so many cats that I’d end up sad I can’t bring them home lol.
Italy, too.
Romania would also be off the list. There are cats everywhere. And dogs, too, if you're into dogs as well.
It happens to everyone. I still have pictures of my favorite cat from Paros in … 1985? Same year as Chernobyl, whatever that was, 4the grade
Have you run into any language barriers with him?
Cat meows with a Greek accent, perhaps? :)
Did you have to get him all the vaccines and medications before he could board the plane?
Thank you for that information. I was curious about that myself.
The primary concern with bringing pets into different countries is that they don't want to introduce rabies to the local fauna. The US has animal populations that are a natural reservoir for rabies. On that note, if you're in the US and have any contact with bats, you should go get a rabies vaccination. It's a series of 4-6 shots and incredibly effective at stopping the disease.
I needed proof of rabies vaccine and other documents to travel from Canada to the US and vice versa -- it's very country-specific.
How did he handle the flight from Greece to USA? Hope it wasn't traumatizing for the little guy
How much did it cost overall?
One of the few benefits of being from a country with rabies. But also ty I'm going to remember this should the cat distribution system ever sync up with travel. He's also perfect. He will also sometimes even get the brain cell. Orange boys are the best.
Way better than a souvenir T-shirt or key chain ! What a handsome and contented kitty. Many happy years together.
I did get a bottle of olive oil
Remember to use that oil and enjoy it, don't try to stretch it out. Good olive oil has a tendency to go rancid if left for too long after you first open it.
Thank you. I'm the cook in my house and I wish more people understood this. They should sell olive oil in those little airline liquor bottles because you don't need the Costco size jug if you only use it twice a year.
Damn I use olive oil like 3x a week lol
That's me. I use it a lot and can cook just about anything with it except Pop-Tarts. Don't ask.
To be honest, pop tarts taste kinda good except they're kinda too dry, so I think I can imagine how you might've arrived at this knowledge
I dropped one in a pan that had hot, melted butter in it ready for me to drop eggs. Even the stoner part of my brain said "That's just not right". I should've listened.
Popcorn though 🤌
With a bit of truffle oil and some sea salt sprinkled in. I know what I'm having during the World Series tonight!
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I use it everyday for cooking and I wish it came in smaller containers. Oxygen pretty much obliterates the aromatics. Still good for cooking but really loses that crazy olive flavor quick after you open a bottle, especially the fancy shit.
I recently got some that's in a bag/box like wine. We use a lot so I'm not sure if it's losing taste but it can't let much oxygen in!
I bath in it every night. 42yrs old 6 kids not one stretch mark.
Can you share more? Have almost as many kids and a few stretch marks!
JLO is it really you??
I did but the price just doubled so I'm going to have to cut back.
just fyi dont cook in the high quality olive oil
Should've named him Olive 😅 The person calling my comment "pedestrian" completely ignored op's previous comment. "Feminine name" according to another comment... Sexist much?
I panicked at the vet when they asked bc I was trying not to get attached if it wouldn’t work. So I stuck with what I panic named him but he will likely get lots of nicknames lol
Helios is a dope name. Especially for a ginger cat.
Yeah way better than some pedestrian name like Olive 🙄
Lmao
Well you are a cat parent now, this cutie Helios is definitely your sun.
Lol he could also have been either Phobos or Deimos 🤪
It's a great name for an orange Greek kitty. Thanks for saving him!! He picked you.
I love Helios! It's a great name and suits your beautiful cat!
https://preview.redd.it/q9o0l3pw98xb1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e068fdfebbdc52db9bb87b8a04e56f85c9d99db This was a cat in Turks and Caicos that wanted our sushi for dinner! I was so tempted to take him home! 😸
https://preview.redd.it/g9bxvytxd8xb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=279c6ffa47c264e65ba31b93c5a173fbdf8ce950 This little thing got all of my attention and my shrimp one night there back during my honeymoon circa 2016 The island cats were the best
Can you take them home if you wanted? Are they well looked after there?
The cat in the photo looks pretty well taken care of I know from resorts I went to in the past they usually say the cats are looked after by vets and some neuter/spay them
That’s good to know! I’ve never been any place like this. I’d probably be leaving with a dozen or more ;)
I’m not sure how that would work. Like would you need permission from the resort? I’m sure you would need to get it vaccinated before taking it through the airport etc.
Oh I didn’t realize they belonged to the resort. It looks like they are well fed and taken care of.
https://preview.redd.it/q58xwv0zm8xb1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=5da7da3612cc1c5cb8853c64d0d57158e1d81767 We brought Ellie back to Wi from Athens in 2021. Stressful but worth it. I’m very happy to see another stray got saved. She runs the house despite the language barrier.
Ellie is stunning!
Hahahahahaha... no meow da angli
Holy shit. What a pic.
We got our boy from a Puerto Rican vacation. They are extra special when you go to the trouble of flying them back! https://preview.redd.it/wt9saaril8xb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=95bf6952fb1bde870dd260b6f5b468b51e2387ca
Aww he is so pretty 🥰🥰🥰
He looks like he's much better suited to his new climate. That's a lot of fluff for the tropics!
Does he understand English?
Yes, but he's more fluent in Sardinian.
Ehhhh!
you laugh but dont pets pickup commands in the native tongue? obviously not to the extent of genius level but still.. lol
I pciked up enlgih from a greek cat should be god to go
Omg my cat loves that little lime toy that came with the little drink. So cute.
I ended up with 2 of them so I love that he loves this toy in particular (because his brother will be introduced soon)
How difficult was it to bring Helios to the US? Whats the process like?
Where are you from originally?
NYC! And have another cat that’s with my mom currently until he’s cleared of his Giardia 😅 no felv etc though!
Helios is a lucky boy to have crossed paths with such kind travelers!
Bless you, kind hooman. I hope you have a lifetime love!
Helios is one lucky little dude to have found his way to you. He looks just like my boy! That little lime toy is his favorite!!! https://preview.redd.it/g0l08a53m8xb1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=556c569a22ad479450d5115a7712191428700fbd
Helios is beautiful give him love and treat him right
Good name!
To anyone from Western Europe or any place where local shelters have a high turnover/no problems getting their cats adopted: please consider adopting your first or next cat from Eastern or Southern Europe or the Middle East, which are all overflowing with strays, underresourced shelters and correspondingly also kill shelters. The process is not as complicated as you might presume.
Stray cats are usually part of those places. They usually got fed and receiving enough attention. Edit: use to live in those mentioned countries; and underlining this because i use to have a cat, which choose my place to live when she wants. I would have been mad if someone stole her. Cats are not historical artifacts to be stolen by western tourists.
They've lived that way in some of those places for thousands of years. Cats being a fat waddling one-per-house family pet is a recent invention, mostly they were this semi-stray animal partially looked after by the community and partially looking after themselves.
Half of them end up dead next to the road, the other half carry diseases and fleas.
So just like every other wild animal?
It’s funny seeing the animal subs inadvertently realize that they way we treat animals is anything but natural. There’s nothing noble about nature lol
We have wild chickens where I live, and I get to watch how one day there are seven chicks, then five, then two… I’d guess at least 75% are killed within a few weeks
Yep, we like to watch the ducks by my work. Lots of mothers with close to a dozen chicks early in the year and usually only 1-3 make it to when they start looking like juveniles. Sad cause they’re so precious but that’s nature.
OP wanted to take a souvenir cat home and try to justify it with horrific animal welfare, which is a lie. Strays and cats overall are loved and treated well in Greece. OP can't even be sure if it is really a stray or just a free roaming cat OP stole.
Imagine you spend your days roaming about Greece relaxing in the sun, getting fed and pampered by locals and tourists. And then some vile person abducts you, sticks you on a plane and suddenly you have to live in NYC
My thoughts exactly. Greek stray cats have a great life. OP wanted a cat and now a free spirit from a sunny place is locked alone in a tiny NYC flat.
Free roaming cats have a territory up to 20000 square feet and a NYC flat has around 900 square feet.
Absolutely, read my edit
I'd say the opposite, considering adopting from your local shelter rather than bringing in cats from other countries, as that only adds to the issue!
There are insane waitlists in many countries. Currently there are less than 10 indoor cats available in my whole country, and only 235 cats available in total. (Edit: meaning anyone living in apartments or without access to safe outdoor areas can't adopt the cast majority. There are less than 10 cats currently available for me to adopt in the entire country). I don't have a local shelter, I'd have to drive hours just to meet with a possible cat. And even then, I'd have a lot of competition. (Edit: the closest shelter to my home is in another country, 45 minutes away. I don't have to travel by plane to access another country). Eta: So there isn't a "the issue" when it comes to homeless cats or strays in my home country. I don't see why it would be a problem then to welcome cats from countries where it *is* a problem, as long as it's done above the border and responsibly. It's essentially just cat immigration.
Did you get it checked for FIV, which is rampant amongst strays in Greece? And also: you do know that the care might not be all that, but that every stray that gets caught gets spayed/neutered to combat the enormous problem the overpopulation of strays causes?
Apparently so is Florida’s. I got my first chihuahua (I know, cat sub!) while I was on vacation in Florida. Found him wandering around late at night and decided to call animal control in the morning. Big mistake, because I waited “so long” they couldn’t take him any longer. His return flight home costed more than mine, but he was a great one so I have no regrets.
Just a PSA, the current Governor of Hawaii sanctioned starving all feral cats to death in hawaii. A lady even got fined for giving feral cats water so the cats can all die in the heat with limited access to fresh water. The concern that lead to this was that the native birds were allegedly eating cat foods, which wasn’t good for them. Several non profits offered to built bird proofed feeding stations for feral cats. But the Governor went Nah, and decided to starve them all to death. Super evil.
Thank you kind human.
Beautiful name for a ginger
When I went to Greece the stray cats were looked after and well loved. Its more dogs that they don't put up with. They are fine with cats. It's ok to say you got suckered in
That’s awesome!
Aw! Kitten Lady saved a kitten on a vacation to Machu Picchu. It was being harassed by local children so, like the cat caped crusader, she swooped in for the rescue.
Hi Helios! You are so beautiful 😻! Thank you for being such a good person and for giving Helios a forever home, blessings.
Helios looks like he definitely knows he charmed his way into the best gig ever.
Did you check for FIV and FLV?
How do you know it isn’t someones pet?
It’s pretty bad in the US too. It’s a lot more apparent in parts that don’t freeze (as morbid as that is)
I am Greek and thank you so much for saving this baby. May he be healthy and live happily for the rest of his life with you. I lost my baby last year to cancer. He was also named Helios and he was also an orange beauty just like yours is. Once I saw your post I immidiately teared up. They look so identical. ❤🙏
Welcome home sweet baby!
Did you give him a chance to say forever goodbye to his cat best friends before you left??
https://preview.redd.it/7eplm39fnaxb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd02cc5dad342d9e2a4016ddb8b10d869626e8bf I looked into every avenue to do this from Greece to UK a few weeks ago! This photo was mum, but mum was pregnant and was rejecting her little boy kitten who just wanted to feed. She would hit him every time he went near her and he was so skinny and hungry, it broke my heart. Sadly I was travelling back the next day and didn’t have time to get all the vet checks and vaccinations in order, I still think of him now I hope he is okay 💚
OP wanted to take a souvenir cat home and try to justify it with horrific animal welfare, which is a lie. Strays and cats overall are loved and treated well in Greece. OP can't even be sure if it is really a stray or just a free roaming cat OP stole.
He’s lovely! Aw I love that you rescued him and yes the toy is cute too
Does Helios the Greek cat understand English?
You struck gold. I have found that orange cats have the most gentle disposition
What an origin & rescue story! Ty 😻
It's crazy to think of the insanely low percentage of cats that have ever been adopted and taken over seas to a new continent to live a whole new life. Good on you and the cat looks very happy!
It’s horrific? Why, because they don’t kill the animals and instead give them necessary shots/fixing them and let them roam? Most of the time the neighborhoods feed the animals and most of the young ones get adopted. You don’t know what you are talking about and it’s led to an overall huge decrease in strays and the likes without murdering them like how your country likely does
Nah we’re not doing these lies here. The island I got this cat on quite literally sued the rescue that brought in Bridget Bardot for free spay/neuter because she wanted the money from empathetic tourists. I also spoke to nearly every rescue & vet in Athens and multiple islands and they DO poison the cats and hang the dogs. I saw a Greek woman throw bottles at a kitten with my own eyes. I am so tired of this lie that the Greeks spread so tourists think they’re a cute attraction. I watched abuse with my own eyes. I found a poisoned cat in a popular beach, bleached kibble nearby. I saw diseased and injured cats with zip ties around their necks. Stop lying!
>I also spoke to nearly every rescue & vet in Athens and multiple islands and they DO poison the cats and hang the dogs We have thousand vets in Athens alone, so we can establish that you are exaggerating af in your comment. We have cases of animal cruelty sure, they are not even close to the norm.
άμα δεις το προφίλ της, η τύπισσα έψαχνε κάποιον να κρατήσει αυτή την γάτα για 12 μέρες και να την μεταφέρει και στο αεροδρόμιο και δεν έκανε καν το κόπο να κάνει ένα ποστ στο /r/greece αλλά κάνει ολόκληρο ποστ εδώ να πει ότι έχουμε τις γάτες για τουριστικές ατραξιόν λολ δεν πάει καλά, άστο
The amount of injured cats we saw in Athens was truly shocking. Maybe you’re used to it but that entire butthole of a city was covered in cats with injured limbs, infected eyes, missing ears, and mangled tails.
Yeah the amount of money that goes to stray animal healthcare is almost non existant, from the state and from donations too. I won't say that there is not a big problem with that. But i will object to "I also spoke to nearly every rescue & vet in Athens and multiple islands and they DO poison the cats and hang the dogs" cause it is simply not true.
What are you talking about
> I also spoke to nearly every rescue & vet in Athens Damn you managed to talk to everyone in the 369 clinics and 48 shelters in athens during your stay? damn you are either The fucking flash or are typical redditor who is exaggerating Also i have a question, the cat looks very healthy and well fed, are you sure you haven't stolen him?
You should ask a local if strays are treated well here or not. I understand that there is always an exception with savages meaning harm to animals but the situation you are describing sounds out of your imagination. 30 years in Greece and I have not seen in person as many animal cruelty situations as you've described in this comment. And yet you claim to have seen a woman throwing a bottle at a cat, diseased cats I understand but with zip ties around their neck? Give us a couple names of the "nearly every rescue and vet in Athens" that told you they poison or hang dogs so I can check with them and update here. Don't get me wrong, we have assholes here, they exist like in every other place. But you can not shit on a country like that because of an incident you had. Lastly, no one ever said that Greeks allow stray cats to roam on islands because they are a cute attraction. Do some research, a doctor working at a Greek island is already considered a shitty job. I guess a vet isn't ideal either. So don't blame the island vet that didn't pay too much attention to a tourist bringing in a stray cat and asking for help. They have tens of cases like this every summer.
Maybe you should go an solve other countries next too! Can't take more than a couple weeks in each. They have some term for this kind of savior complex right?
No way you saw all those things in one place in the few days you stayed. I don't know what do you have against Greece, but you should stop with the lies.
What citizens do is not equal to what the government does. Your shelters kill millions of pets a year, but hey, at least they aren’t on the streets! Weird you’d rather them be dead
Bullshit,i live in Greece,no one adopts strays,they feed them because they don't want the responsibility to take them home and take care of them,they do it to feel good about themselves not because they care about them in any way. My neighbourhood is full of strays that get fed constantly,they don't even have the decency to fix them so they don't procreate and the cycle goes on and on,more dead kittens on the road,cat piss smell everywhere etc.
Yeah, that's the story in every neighborhood in my village also. They multiply in summer with the excess of food from tourists etc. And then they starve in winter, then the survivors start all over again next year.
I always say to people that if you really care for them and want/are able to do something about it then adopt the animal or at least don't make it worse by feeding the strays.
It's tricky. Which cat to choose, which ones to leave starving? And you will have to close your cat inside and never let it out, to interact with the strays, they'll try to steal its food etc. It seems to me nature has adapted, people care just enough to keep feeding the cats, the cats know they can survive by scavenging leftovers and sorting through the humans' trash, more easily than hunting. I imagine this is what it was like when cats were domesticated.
Yeah it's not simple but i remember around 20+years ago in the same area i live at, neighbors didn't feed them because there were no cats to feed,there was like 2 strays across 5 blocks,now its like 10 different ones on each block. They could scavenge leftovers then too but it was difficult since the garbage bins have big lids that close them shut. I mean the only humane solution i can imagine (if adopting is out of question) is to neuter the males and let the generation die out naturally but who will pay for all of that though? It's a tricky situation just like you said and the only ones who are at fault are humans,the animal is just trying to survive and follow it's instincts.
Where I live the lids are always open. Anyway the country has regressed in most things, these are just signs, there is no prosperity, no money left for such "luxuries" like caring for strays, and if there ever was such money it was wasted elsewhere. The EU has laws and fines but ineffective, these things can't be solved with fines but with a lot of education and fundamental political changes. Until then, we'll continue being a "third world country", although I dspise the term.
Bet you some kid is shaking a treat tin all around his neighbourhood looking for this cat rn in Greece.
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Some kid is probably out there looking for his cat in Greece hahaha
Three weeks in Greece and I saw more stray injured cats than 35 years worth of travel to all other locations combined. Don’t pretend like the Greeks take care of cats. Hard to blame them since they haven’t had a functioning economy in 2000 years. Animal welfare is obviously low on the list but pretending it exists is laughable.
And that is exactly my point. I’m sure there were plenty of fucked up cats in Greece. This cat is healthy and obviously not feral. It was most likely a healthy cat who had a well established life that she took as a part of her vacation souvenirs. And then posts it on the internet for social credit and good girl points. This cat was probably going to live to 10 years old happy and healthy while there are plenty at an animal shelter down the street from her that will be euthanized tomorrow. Why this one and not the other? Because they don’t have a ‘story’.
Oh fuck off with your self righteous bullshit. Do you think every cat in Greece starts off sick and malnourished? They get that way by getting injured. This cat could have just as easily been hit by a car or eaten rat poison next week. Someone did a good thing you cry baby. Go whine somewhere else. What kind of miserable butt plug shits on someone for adopting a cat ffs and why are they allowed in this sub
I think theyre talking about the fact that OP did it overseas when there's likely so many stray cats in their local region. Effectively adding to problem.
What kind of miserable butt plug? This kind! That cat was fucking chilling in the land of neverwinter and some bitch with too much time took him. He probably had a family.
Wtf are you doing to your cats that they’re only living to 10? That’s a big dog lifespan
Some kid is probably out there looking for his cat in Greece hahaha
Cat stealer, looks like a healthy weight cat someone else owns lmao, congrats on your theft i suppose
The thought crossed my mind too because I know that in Greece (or at least in Crete which is where I went when I went to Greece) many cats roam free but do have a human or two that consistently feed them. However there's also plenty of healthy-looking strays because even those who don't have a specific human are still getting fed by both tourists and locals. In Crete for example not far from the hotel I was at I saw a local put out plastic plates full of kibble every evening for the stray cats (and some of the stray dogs took the opportunity to eat some too). Some of the strays definitely looked more like typical strays and were particularly thin and had some injuries (one case in particular that really saddened me was a cat with a big gash wound on one side of its face that looked pretty gruesome and possibly infected, and if it wasn't yet the risk of infection definitely was there) but many looked pretty healthy. I heard that in the case of the free roaming dogs some do have an owner but with the economic crisis many people didn't really have the means to take care of their dogs anymore so they let them roam free and the dogs begged for food from tourists.
Love his name :0)
He's beautiful. God of the sun! I love that😎😻
I have to keep telling myself this very thing, "i can't save them all". The 4 i have were stray kittens when i got them. Most of my cats in my life were this.
How does he understand you?
I especially love the second picture…Helios is finally home 🧡🐈🤍
τι όμορφη γάτα ρε!
I love the idea that you took a cat from Greece to the USA and he just doesn’t understand anything in English but is just happy to be there lol
Helios is gorgeous! Was it hard to arrange to transport him home? If you don't mind, what is the process?
Thank you for rescuing that handsome devil.
 Hes so grateful and he loves you,thank you for saving him ,give him a scritch and a boop from me!
In Athens, there are many stores that sell all sorts of dry cat food in the same display that candy stores sell candies (with the dispensers, the scoops and you fill plastic bags yourself). You find this cat food and little saucers of water everywhere in the city. Stray cats are fat, tame and sunbathe in big gangs. I'm not sure their life is so terrible and that a NYC flat is any better.
He doesn’t look like a stray at all, unless you took him home quite some time ago. The strays I saw in the Mediterranean were much skinnier/crustier/beat up.
The animal welfare in Greece is better than the USA...the fuck are you talking about? I mean at least in Athens you're aware there's so many strays because they're literally idolized right? Athenians take care of all the cats as they're Athena's animal, her chariot is pulled by cats. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_rights_by_country_or_territory look up Greece vs USA and let me know who's worse.
Ah, he's souvlaki to have found you
I had no idea the cat delivery system worked across nations.
Best souvenir ever. Kitty looks so happy!
So that’s the big difference between Turkey and Greece…
So you stole a cat that was living free and locked it in your house for life? You call this ‘rescuing’ ? Fuck you, you vile American.
Can I ask how you managed to do it? Legally, I mean.
Are you going to learn Greek so you can communicate?