Cyprus-Forum.com

[kritouterra]

Hi Everyone,

We are moving to Cyprus in 2 years time and we want to take our cat, she will only be 4 when we move, she was a street cat and now is a street/indoor cat who likes being out.

We are worried about her adapting to life in Cyprus, we will be living in a house in a quiet village with a good bit of land and not a lot of traffic.

All suggestions will be appreciated and any similar experiences.

Bisho

[Tim Drayton]

Hi Everyone,

We are moving to Cyprus in 2 years time and we want to take our cat, she will only be 4 when we move, she was a street cat and now is a street/indoor cat who likes being out.

We are worried about her adapting to life in Cyprus, we will be living in a house in a quiet village with a good bit of land and not a lot of traffic.

All suggestions will be appreciated and any similar experiences.

Bisho

Just a few thoughts as one who used to have two cats (both rescued from the street as kittens) here in Cyprus - they have both now passed away and are greatly missed - albeit in a flat.

- The summers here are very hot and I notice that they used to find the really hot days very hard, especially as mine had quite thick fur. These were cats whose genes came from the local pool I can imagine that adapting to this would be very difficult for a cat that came from the UK. I would recommend making the move outside the hottest time of year and preferably in the winter so that the cat can gradually acclimatise as the days get hotter.

- There is a huge feral cat population in Cyprus. This applies especially to urban areas, but not only. If the cat goes out, it will inevitably have to interact with the ferals on the street. You say that yours was once a street cat so is probably streetwise. I don't know if there will be something equivalent to a culture shock in that the rules of feral cat behaviour may be different from in the UK.

- The outdoors are very dangerous for cats in Cyprus. The kind of love of dogs and cats that you find in the UK is not universal here - although you find it in urban areas nowadays. There is a widespread practice of putting down poison to kill dogs and cats that is especially practised in rural areas and if you speak to people who have had a lot of cats here, they all speak of losing some of them to poisoning. Some drivers will actually swerve to run over a cat they see on the road just for the fun of it. I've heard stories of hunters taking pot shots at cats to get some shooting practice. On the other hand, I used to let one of my cats out for a walk every day - the call of the great outdoors was just so strong in his case - and despite fearing that one day he wouldn't come home and I would go out to find his dead body, he actually passed away at home snoozing on a settee one sunny afternoon. I came to the conclusion that they are far safer outside after dark, which is the environment they are naturally adapted to, because they are not then easily visible to people.

Apart from that, good luck. I would also note that there are some very good vets in Cyprus, but a lot of them are really awful.

[Tim Drayton]

I see you say that you will have a good bit of land. One option may be to put a good fence all the way round it and cat-proof it in some way - like covering it all with chicken wire - so that the cat can just roam around where it is safe.

[miltiades]

Your cat will be more than happy in this quaint little village in Paphos, Kritou Tera is a very typical Paphian village, I'm sure that you will have a great relaxing time , not your cat though, open fields and much re adjusting to do, I do hope that the cat settles down and I'm certain the new environment will more than compensate for the hot summers.
Have a great time in this beautiful little village.

[GreekIslandGirl]

Different dangers for cats?

Well, in Cyprus my cat was run over by a United Nations truck! They didn't even stop!

A few years ago, a young feral cat I befriended unfortunately became a meal for one of the large black snakes that cohabited with us in the field behind our house.

So, there are dangers but as TIm has said, he successfully looked after his cats for many years. However, I don't believe the locals freely distribute poison - they are quite careful because the usefulness of cats is well appreciated.

The other main danger (more so for dogs) is people leaving them in cars. It's a definite NO even in winter and regardless of how much you leave your windows open.

Both vets we used in Cyprus were lovely (and cheap).

Having said all that, if my cat was as young as yours, I would definitely be taking her with me, no second thoughts.

Have fun.

[Get Real!]

The other side of the coin:

I’m the kind of homeowner who throws brooms, sticks, tools, and pretty much anything I can find at cats when I catch them entering my property.

The reason being that cats always go and crap in their neighbor’s gardens!

So here I am slaving away trying to grow some fresh vegetables or caring for my pretty plants and flowers, when your filthy lazy feline comes along; usually in the evenings as the sun sets, to dig up holes and crap all over my flower beds!

So do I hate them? Absolutely!

And what about stupid cat owners? Even more!

And as for the idiot who plans to bring yet another cat on a small island already plagued with millions of cats... FUCK OFF!

[miltiades]

The other side of the coin:

I’m the kind of homeowner who throws brooms, sticks, tools, and pretty much anything I can find at cats when I catch them entering my property.

The reason being that cats always go and crap in their neighbor’s gardens!

So here I am slaving away trying to grow some fresh vegetables or caring for my pretty plants and flowers, when your filthy lazy feline comes along; usually in the evenings as the sun sets, to dig up holes and crap all over my flower beds!

So do I hate them? Absolutely!

And what about stupid cat owners? Even more!

And as for the idiot who plans to bring yet another cat on a small island already plagued with millions of cats... FUCK OFF!

Not everyone is a Psychopath !!!
And to top it all up, YOU, of all people believe that ...all living things were created by ...God !!!
What a bloody hypocrite , there again what can one expect from a psychopath!!

[Get Real!]

Not everyone is a Psychopath !!!
And to top it all up, YOU, of all people believe that ...all living things were created by ...God !!!
What a bloody hypocrite , there again what can one expect from a psychopath!!

Most 12 year olds will produce a better argument than you.

Just go join a sewing circle or something...

[kurupetos]

Any cat psychiatrists around?

[Lordo]

Any cat psychiatrists around?

they are called catiatrists