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Lounging about all day with nothing better to do than play with, feed, and generally pamper some feline friends is already an ailurophile’s dream, but the chance to do so on a Greek island, in the summer, for free? Now that is one purr-fect set up.
And it’s precisely what Syros Cats are offering willing volunteers. The sanctuary, which has been in operation since the 1990s and is considered a pioneer of the island’s now well-established welfare movement, is seeking ‘fit, mature, healthy, and independent’ people to sign up for long-term stays of at least one month to help out.
Its general mission is pretty much as you’d expect – the sanctuary manages stray cat population numbers through TNR (that’s humane sterilisation), monitors their health and provides veterinary care where necessary, and keeps them fed.
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Tasks that volunteers will be handed include cleaning, feeding, socialising young rescues to help them prepare for future homes, and all-important ‘kitten-cuddling’. While that all sounds like a rather lovely way to spend a few weeks, the work of this and another important sanctuary is integral to this island’s identity.
Thanks to the work of Syros Cats, as well as God’s Little People Cat Rescue, the relationship between cats and locals has changed from one of animosity to mutual respect, with the island now embracing its feline population as an emblem of pride.
‘We want to show the world that animals count,’ Richard Bowell, co-founder of the latter rescue home, told the Greek Reporter. ‘The way we treat them reflects something of our own humanity.’
Succeed, and applicants will be expected to commit five hours per day, five days per week to hands-on feline care, and be granted free accommodation, utilities and breakfast in exchange. Me-owzer.
Applications have already closed for the upcoming summer season, but if you’re keen to get involved in 2027, the process should reopen in the autumn. Keep an eye on Syros Cats’ official website, or sign up to their newsletter.
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