Chatsdejob a sad tale..with a happy ending.

The village feral cats have been a source of great joy since we moved here and sadly a source of great heartache too. This is their story.

There used to be a breeder of prize winning pedigree Chartreuse cats in the village so maybe it is no surprise that most of the cats are grey and gorgeous.

They soon became a permanent feature of our lives, coming to see us on a daily basis. Sometimes for food, but often just to say "hello" and have their ears scratched before mooching off to sleep in the sunshine. Some of them had been sterilised by kind neighbours. One pair, Grisette and Blondie were inseparable friends. I don't think we ever saw them apart.

 Blondie & Grisette.

Others were more timid, but they all had a place in our hearts.

For me, being surrounded by cats and cat lovers made Job a very special place to be.

And then something truly dreadful happened, so horrible I still can't write this without crying. Someone caught the cats in cages and tortured them slowly to death. At first a few disappeared, as they all wander off at times we weren't too concerned at first. But as each day passed and there was still no sign of any of them we began to worry. This was unheard of. A little body appeared in the square, then another. We had no idea what had happened to them until perpetrator became bolder, deliberately performing his cruel acts publicly so that people were alerted by the terrible cries and howls of pain and terror. He bragged about what he had done, gloating in the face of our tears. He was taken to court and prosecuted successfully. But by then he had wreaked his havoc. Our little friends reduced to pathetic broken bodies.

The aftermath was devastating. Some did survive, like Blondie who was bereft without her lifelong friend. Of the grey cats, only Papy and a young pregnant female survived, utterly traumatised. When her kittens were born she moved them endlessly, panicking at the slightest noise. She was stressed and exhausted and we couldn't get near her. Not one kitten survived.

In happier times..........

Another litter followed and soon after she disappeared forever. We were heartbroken. Then, weeks later, we discovered two of her tiny kittens, living in a nearby garden.

 Wendy.

 ...... as insubstantial as a dandelion clock (and named after the little house where she grew up in an abandoned garden) 

and Loulou, a bit bigger and very shy. We gave them food, wondering how they would fare growing up alone. The odds seemed stacked against them. When Loulou became pregnant and then disappeared we feared the worst. To our delight months later she turned up, flanked by Wendy and Papy, leading a litter of four boisterous grey kittens. As we fed them we were amazed to see the adults standing guard, allowing the kittens to eat first.

 Truffle and Gabriel.

We have now seen many more examples of this selfless behaviour. A badly injured kitten being nursed for weeks and always allowed to eat his fill before the others for example.

 They survived their first Winter and another litter followed.Wendy also gave birth a couple of times, always to a single kitten that she reared with ferocious pride.

These tiger mums would do anything for their offspring. They nursed each others kittens, hunted, trained, snuggled, washed, healed and generally worked their little paws to the bone, through torrential rain, bitter frosts and deep snows that covered the land for weeks.

Now their kittens are fully grown, healthy and confident. An endless source of delight and amusement to all who live nearby.

This is Mundi, one of the first litter. A natural clown.

Now they need sterilising, otherwise the population will swell to unmanageable proportions, they will become unhealthy and start to annoy people too. Loulou and Wendy need a rest and Papy, well, he has done a great job but it is time he retired.

Normally they are nearly impossible to photograph, melting into the shadows, camouflaged against stone. I had no photos of Loulou at all. Then a couple of nights ago, on my evening stroll, she sat perfectly still surrounded by her kittens and flanked by Papy, to pose for this photo. Do you think she is wise enough to know how important it is to raise funds?

 Loulou is front left, Papy to the right, with the angels, Ariel, Gabriel, Rafäel and Michael.

It has been an emotional rollercoaster, a tale of sadness and despair at times.
We urgently need to raise funds to sterilise all the females before the Spring kitten season. It costs about €100 per cat, including tests for infectious illnesses, antibiotics, tattoing etc. This is a much reduced rate negotiated with a local animal charity LAASSI. We have made a great start with the help of friends and neighbours, but there is a long way to go.

 Any donation, however small will help us enormously. You can donate using the Paypal button at the top of this page.

These cats have suffered so much, they deserve a brighter future. Please help us to create a happy ending.