The Incredible Story of the Greek ‘Cat Island’ and its Search for a Caretaker
In August of 2018, a woman by the name of Joan Bowell, whose cat rescue, God’s Little People Cat Rescue, put the word out they were looking for someone, over the age of 45, who was also a ‘Cat Whisperer’ with a deep knowledge of feline psychology. They’d also be responsible for feeding and caring for 55 cats, which would include taking them to the vet and administering medication where necessary.
The ideal candidate would also, in return for their services, be given free room and board on an island named Syros, in the middle of the beautiful Aegean Sea.
From Facebook to Netflix
When Joan made a post on Facebook advertising the position, it was shared over 26,000 times. Soon the story became a big deal around the world, with major media stations such as BBC and CNN covering it and spreading the word for her. Netflix made a documentary about Joan and her feline friends, titled: The Island of Cats.
While the extra help was nice, Joan claims she received, “a bazillion” emails about the job, with over 80,000 actual applicants.
The job paid 500 Euros per month, asking the winning applicant for about four hours of their time each day. It also included free lodging in one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
From the original ad:
“From experience, the job is most suitable for someone 45+ years of age, who’s responsible, reliable, honest, practically inclined—and really, with a heart of gold! Apart from feeding the cats, the cats will also need heaps of love and attention. You will at times be expected to trap or handle a feral or non-sociable cat, so knowing something about a cat’s psychology too is important and cat-whispering skills should come naturally to you.”
A Labour of Love
The story of how Joan started her sanctuary is one highlighted by her undying love for cats. She was born in Denmark and lived there all her life but had always dreamt of building a feline refuge somewhere. It didn’t seem like a possibility until she and her husband moved into their dream home in Greece, alongside their two pet cats. Once there, they found that other local cats would show up at their home, sick hungry, and desperate.
“There were sick and starving cats everywhere and the cat population was so out of control with precious few people responding to their plight,” she said in an interview.
By the end of their first year, they were up to 30 cats!
“There is no way we could have ignored their plight, and our place very quickly went from just for ourselves, to us opening up basically our entire estate to create a safe haven for the cats.”
The name of the sanctuary, God’s Little People is apparently chosen from a quote once said by the famed philosopher Pythagoras. He once called humans “God’s big people” with animals being “God’s little people”. Bowell felt the name was apt as humans are almost like gods to animals, being able to provide them with safety and all the necessities for a comfortable life.
Check Them Out on Facebook
God’s Little People Sanctuary can be found on Facebook where they regularly make posts updating folks on the cats in their care! Give them a follow at: https://www.facebook.com/godslittlepeople/