Susan Russell, Writer, Attorney, Animal Advocate
November 17, 2020
Brad Kriser, Founder of Kriser’s Natural Pet
November 24, 2020
Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast.
Great TNR work is being done to support community cats all over the world! This week we have an interview with CopsCats, an organization in Cyprus. CopsCats is a small group of volunteers who have been working to feed, care for, and help control the population of stray cat colonies in Oroklini and Pyla, two villages in Cyprus, since 2018. They do TNR, help to find adopters for suitable cats, and build shelters and feeding stations they call cat cafés.
Note: this interview with CopsCats personnel has been edited and condensed for clarity.
What does TNR look like in Cyprus? Do you have government support?
For our team, there is no way to feed the cats without controlling the populations. TNR is obligatory for our work. Sometimes it feels like a drop of water on a hot stone, but we know that we make a big difference in our area. Last year and the year before, the Cyprus government supplied money for the TNR of stray cats, but it wasn’t enough for all the rescuers. CopsCats had the opportunity to neuter five cats through the government plan. We neutered 500 cats in 2020 without any support from the municipality or the government.
What are people’s attitudes toward community cats?
We rely on donations from the people of the village or from people abroad that know us from social media or who have spent their holidays in Cyprus. We are proud that the people trust us, but we are very transparent in our work. A picture of every cat that takes part in our TNR project is published on Facebook.
What are the biggest challenges?
A big challenge here in Cyprus is educating the people about the importance of TNR. Even when people don’t like cats we explain that TNR is the only solution to solve the problems of unwanted kittens. We hope that people understand that poisoning cats or abandoning them in the field doesn’t solve the problem and is illegal.
Is affordable vet care available?
We are working together with the local vet, who gives us very good rescue prices. Starting in July, we hired our own vet, who works with us two times a week. A larger number of neuters is possible and we are able to save some money using our own vet. We opened a TNR clinic and a small charity shop where we sell food. All the proceeds go into our TNR project.
How has COVID-19 impacted your work?
In Cyprus we had a lockdown with very strict guidelines for going out. We had to find a solution for how to take care of the colonies. The vet was just open for emergency cases. For three weeks we were not allowed to take cats to the vet for neutering. Also most of the hotels were closed and that meant fewer tourists who feed the cats and fewer flight parents—volunteers that transport cats to adopters abroad. Because there are so many cats in Cyprus, it is hard to find adopters, so many cats find homes with families in Germany.
Can you share a success/rescue story, or some pictures from your programs?
We have already neutered 500 cats this year and we published a picture of every cat that is done on our Facebook page.
Paulo‘s story is unbelievable. He lived on the street and collapsed with cat flu in front of the veterinary clinic, as if he knew it was his last hope. His condition was really bad, but the vet said that he would make it if we took care of him. He spent more than four weeks at the vet and got vaccinated. He recovered step by step.
Paulo has an amazing character. He talks a lot, is super cuddly and truly a fighter! We wanted to give him a chance for a forever home as we couldn‘t let him out on the streets again. One of our volunteers took Paulo home to foster and socialize him as he recovered!
And guess what… In 20 days, Paulo gained more than 4,5kg (9.9 lbs.) at the volunteer‘s home. He was like a new cat, with even more love to give, so grateful and truly happy! The vet didn’t even recognize him.
Paulo lives in Germany now and his new family is in love with him!
To find out more about CopsCats, follow them on Instagram or Facebook. You can support them in their work by sharing their posts on your social network to help them raise awareness. Donations are always welcome and can help them cover vet bills. You can donate through their Paypal site.
Originally from Colorado, Krista Beucler received a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing at the University of Mary Washington (UMW) in Virginia. She was the editor-in-chief for Issue 7.2 of the Rappahannock Review, the literary journal published by UMW. Krista’s creative work has been published in From Whispers to Roars literary magazine. She is spending COVID-19 at home with her cats.
