Crazy Cat Lady of Kolossi

Last year when I arrived in Cyprus and I wanted to help with the dreadful animal situation I decided to take in and rehome kittens (as well as my own from Ally who had not been neutered after all). At one point I had 13 cats in my house and in total 17 cats have been found homes by me. After a year and after the sad loss of Binx I now have 2 cats, mom Ally and son Presley. Ally is approx 2 years old and came to me after a guy who took her from a sanctuary got short toured and had to leave the island. He didn't have time to get her Pet Passport done and at the same time I was looking for a cat. I had always wanted a grey cat and here is Ally when she first came to me a year ago. She was called Neko (Japanese word for cat) which I didn't like so I changed it, I was watching Ally McBeal when she arrived and it suited her. It turned out Ally was pregnant and 5 weeks after she arrived so did 3 babies. She loved being a mommy so much that 5 weeks later she got pregnant again and had another 5 kittens, including Binx. Ally is now neutered. She is a very affectionate cat who loves nothing more than to eat and to curl up on my lap and have her tummy rubbed. She used to be a bit of a wanderer but since the death of Binx she has barely left my side and stays very close to the house. She is very friendly and will go up to anyone, she is known for sitting on the terrace wall greeting any visitors to the apartment block, she is even friendly with next doors dog. Ally was quite skinny when I got her but now after 8 children and being spayed she is a proper chunkster.

Presley is, as you can see, the most beautiful cat in the world and is 1 year old this week. From the day he was born I could see he was going to be stunning, although I wasn't going to keep him, I was going to keep his sister, who is now with a friend (who also had 2 from Binx's litter) and is called Ella. Presley, after Elvis Presley of course, is shy and reserved with people he doesn't know but loves to play and run around like a lunatic. Since Binx's departure Presley has decided that there is not enough naughtiness in the house and now has a few tricks in his fur. He can now open the cupboards and wardrobes and every day I come home to find a different door open, and sometimes clothes on the floor. And the other day he went out for his usual ramble and came back covered in red dust, I had to use my cleansing wipes on him. He also likes to sit on my dressing table amongst my girl things.

Presley and Ally adore each other and Ally is still very much the mother and still washes him and cleans his ears out. They play together with toy mice for hours and if Presley catches an insect outside he will bring it in for the them to play with/torture it together. I often find bits of grasshoppers on the floor.

I don't care if people call me Crazy Cat Lady of Kolossi for the rest of my tour here, I adore my pets and wouldn't be without them, they will be coming with me when I leave.