Menu
As you may have noticed, there is an extremely high population of stray cats on the island of Kos. Packs of stray dogs are not seen anymore, however, there still are abandoned stray dogs on the island. The only sustainable solution to this problem is to sterilise stray animals. Sterilised cats are marked by a cut ear tip. Here are some of the main reasons why cats and dogs should be sterilised:
Control reproduction
When kittens are about 4 to 9 months old, they reach sexual maturity. One single cat can have up to three litters a year, which could result in more than 2 million cats in just 8 years – out of one unsterilised female cat. That’s a whole lot of cats. Dogs too can have two litters or more a year, with averagely 3 to 10 puppies per litter. Sterilisation is the only way to stop this circle of so many unwanted animals being born.
Unnecessary suffering
Every year we see countless cats, kittens, dogs and puppies that are being neglected. Whole litters of kittens or puppies are abandoned, dogs are tied up in the middle of nowhere to suffer their fate. This must change.
Health and welfare
Unnecessary, life-threatening diseases, cancer, combat injuries, road accidents (unsterilised animals continue to roam around looking for mates), to name a few. Highly contagious viruses are doing the rounds among cats and cause severe suffering, especially to kittens and elderly cats. Many cats lose their eyes or life due to this.
In mid- August 2022, in cooperation with the municipality of Kos and the veterinarian Maria Chalkidiou, GASAH was able to start a government-funded sterilisation program for stray animals.
It is the first of its kind on the island of Kos. And it is a milestone! It took GASAH a lot of sweat, perseverance, and patience to achieve this. This means that the cost of sterilisation and basic medical treatment for a defined number of strays will be covered by municipal funds. When this number is reached and the funding pot is exhausted, GASAH will continue the sterilisation program as before with privately generated donations. However, more animals can of course be sterilised if payment is not dependent on private donations. This program in cooperation with the municipality sends out an important message: Animals matter, and we must all work together to help them and prevent future suffering.
As before, our volunteer team catches stray animals and takes them to the vet for sterilisation and care. But not only our team can bring stray animals. The Vet + Pet clinic in Zipari accepts stray animals brought in by anyone for sterilisation. We have deposited some of our cat traps at the Vet + Pet clinic in Zipari, which are available for loan. Stray animals can be brought to the Vet + Pet Clinic in Zipari every Wednesday, after appointment: +30 6944410324
Sterilisation projects are most successful if they are concentrated on groups of cats and/or on locations. It is neither sustainable nor reasonable to drive back and forth for individual cats. Unfortunately, there are still many cats on this island, and we proceed with sterilisations according to our own strategy. Please understand therefore that we do not reply to information about or requests for sterilisation of cats.
English (UK) 
Deutsch