Adopting a cat from Mykonos is a compassionate choice that goes beyond welcoming a new feline friend into your home. With approximately 30,000 stray cats enduring daily hardships on the island, your decision to adopt becomes a life-saving gesture. These resilient cats bring an exceptional sweetness to their new surroundings, often displaying an innate gratitude that makes the adoption experience transformative for both you and your new companion. By opening your heart and home to a cat from Mykonos, you're not only offering them a second chance at a better life but also giving hope to our efforts and raising awareness about the plight of strays on the island. Your adoption helps us garner more support and collectively improve animal welfare in the community.

It typically takes about a week from completing the application to approval, depending on our current availability. If you are adopting from a country where we have an upcoming flight escort, we will expedite the process.

Once we receive your application, you can expect a response within 3 days. If you haven't heard from us after 3 days, please reach out through our website's contact form or via Instagram.

If your application is not approved, we will inform you. If you don't hear from us within 3 days of applying, please reach out via our website or Instagram for an update on your application status.

You can find a detailed breakdown of the adoption fees here. These costs include veterinary fees required for your cat to travel, travel expenses, and any additional services you choose. We always advise consulting with your veterinarian or conducting your own research before deciding which services you want.

There are three main reasons for this difference. Firstly, all our cats come from Mykonos, which means added expenses such as the pet ticket, carrier, rabies vaccine, and passport are necessary for their relocation. Secondly, we do not aim to compete with local rescues; we encourage adopting locally before considering international options for your future cat. Lastly, none of our donations are used for adoption purposes; every donation directly supports cats still on the streets and aids in our sterilization efforts. Many established rescues have sufficient funds to help reduce adoption fees, but our primary goal is prevention. That said, our adoption costs are still lower than if you were to undergo the same veterinary procedures outside of Greece. If you're unable to afford the initial adoption cost, you may face challenges meeting your cat's future needs.

Absolutely! We're here to assist you throughout the entire adoption process. Whether it's helping you book your ticket or scheduling a vet appointment for necessary documents, we'll be by your side every step of the way.

Our priority is to rescue and rehome the most vulnerable cats from Mykonos. This often includes abandoned kittens who are unable to survive on the streets without their mother, as well as chronically ill cats, those facing bullying, white cats susceptible to sunburn and skin cancer, and cats from areas where their caregiver is leaving, leaving them at risk of hunger. Additionally, we consider cats who demonstrate a strong affection for people and a desire for indoor life.

All our cats available for adoption come from the streets with unknown backgrounds, so we unfortunately cannot guarantee their health. This is clearly outlined in our adoption application and contract to ensure potential adopters understand the risks. However, we would never knowingly give someone a sick cat without disclosing the illness beforehand. At least 3 days before travel, our cats undergo a health check by our vet to get clearance to fly. Despite this, hidden illnesses can sometimes present symptoms after the flight due to high stress levels.

The best way to prepare and create an ideal home for your new pet is to start with research. Learn about the specific needs, behaviors, and health requirements of the type of pet you're adopting. This can include reading books, articles, or reliable online sources, and consulting with veterinarians or experienced pet owners. Create a safe and comfortable environment by pet-proofing your home, setting up necessary supplies like food, water, bedding, and toys, and ensuring you have a regular schedule for feeding, grooming, exercise, and veterinary care. Finally, be patient and understanding as your pet adjusts to its new surroundings, providing love, attention, and positive reinforcement to build a strong bond. For more tips you can read our adoption guide here.

Pet travel to the UK is notoriously challenging and expensive due to stringent regulations aimed at preventing the spread of diseases like rabies. The process typically involves extensive paperwork, microchipping, rabies vaccinations, blood tests, and waiting periods that can span months. Additionally, pets must enter the UK through approved travel routes and designated points of entry, adding to the overall cost and complexity for pet owners. Due to the extensive costs involved, which can amount to upwards of 900 pounds, we believe that the effort and expense of pet travel to the UK are not justified. Therefore, we do not facilitate adoptions to this destination and recommend exploring local rescue organizations where adoption costs are typically lower and more manageable.

We do not send our cats outside of Europe. We recommend that adopters outside of Europe search for a local rescue to find a cat that matches their criteria. The exception to this is if someone is on vacation in Mykonos and falls in love with a cat, wanting to take it back home with them. In such cases, we are happy to assist with the process to ensure the cat travels safely.

You are expected to pick up the cat on the day of its arrival from the airport, keep it safe and happy during the fostering period, and arrange meeting dates for adopters to meet and pick up your foster cat.

The fostering experience varies, and you are expected to care for the cat until a permanent home is found. Typically, this process takes less than a month, unless you are fostering an adult cat. In such cases, we will inform you in advance that finding a home may take a bit longer.

You will need an extra litter box, litter, toys, a scratching post, food and water bowls, and food. While we are willing to cover these costs, priority will be given to those who already have these supplies. If you don't have them and we provide them, you will be expected to pass them on to another foster if you decide not to continue fostering in the future.

You can apply to adopt following our adoption process and we can discuss this. Of course most of the time this would be allowed unless for some reason we think it is not in the best interest of the animal, or the cat has already been reserved by an adopter.

Our main challenge with adopting out our cats is transporting them from the island to their new homes. We rely on flight escorts who are returning home after their vacation to assist us with this. Often, we are contacted about these opportunities at the last minute, so having a backup plan if an adopter isn't available is ideal. Additionally, sometimes we haven't found an adopter yet, but the flight escort is traveling to a destination where we have a strong network and are confident an adopter can be found quickly. In such cases, we seize the opportunity to get the cat off the island and into a foster home.

In Greece, the number of stray cats is so high that many people do not consider adoption since they can easily find cats on the streets. In contrast, other European countries do not face this issue as severely, and many potential adopters are eager to adopt cats from Greece because they often match their criteria better. By sending cats to these countries, we can find them loving homes where they are truly wanted and appreciated.

Our adoption process involves more complexity and expenses compared to adopting from a local shelter. Therefore, if a preferred cat is available at a nearby shelter, that would be the simpler choice. Our mission is not to compete with shelters but rather to address the issue of backyard breeding and accidental litters. By offering street kittens as an ethical alternative, we aim to discourage the breeding of cats and encourage spaying and neutering practices. Additionally, we believe this approach will reduce the demand for breeders, as many people simply desire kittens and may turn to them when kitten are unavailable in their local shelters.

We are very thorough in our adoption process to ensure our cats go to the best homes. Our adopters have all signed a legally binding contract that requires them to sterilize their pet once it reaches sexual maturity. If an adopter can no longer keep the cat, they agree to return it to us. As a result, no Mykonos Cats ever end up back in a shelter or contribute to the issue of cat overpopulation.

While air travel can be stressful for cats, we believe that a few hours of discomfort is worth it for the chance to find a loving forever family. Additionally, the stress of the journey is far less than the ongoing stress they would face starving and suffering from illness on the streets.

The kittens we find homes for have all been abandoned and come into our care because they cannot survive on the streets alone. Adoption is the only ethical solution for their welfare. Furthermore, by finding homes for these kittens, we raise awareness about our mission and the challenges faced by strays in Mykonos. This generates attention and support, enabling us to raise funds for our year-round Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) efforts in collaboration with Mykonos Animal Welfare. While sterilizing existing stray cats is crucial in managing the population, our approach focuses on both aspects. By finding homes for kittens, we aim to address immediate welfare concerns while also promoting long-term population control through responsible adoption practices. This dual approach helps alleviate suffering among stray populations while also working towards sustainable solutions for the future. Prevention through sterilization remains our primary goal, complemented by adoption to ensure the well-being of individual animals and the overall management of the stray population.

We minimize the environmental impact of transporting cats by coordinating their travel with flight escorts who are already in Mykonos on vacation and are returning to their home countries. These escorts were planning to take their flights regardless, so adding a pet to their ticket does not increase carbon emissions beyond what would have occurred. This approach allows us to transport cats efficiently while minimizing our ecological footprint associated with international travel.