‘Yes, I would love to go back some day. But my work keeps me so busy… Come, this way.’
On every fence, low wall, little patch of terrace, or corner of the extensive gardens was a cat.
Charlotte bent down to stroke a big tabby, who immediately rolled onto its back, purring in ecstasy.
‘How many cats have you got here in total?’
‘Usually between sixty and seventy, but sometimes up to ninety. The woman who owns the property, Annike, bought these buildings years ago for a song, thank goodness, when she moved here from Norway.’
‘How on earth does she manage all this?’
Maddie swung her arm in a big arc, trying to ignore the little black cat who was looking hopefully at her from the top of the wall. It was pretty obvious what Sofia and Charlotte’s plan was: make poor, lonely Maddie fall in love with one of the cats and take it home with her.
‘She has an army of volunteers.’ Angeliki pointed at figures out in the gardens. ‘Some are from the island, but others come here from abroad for the free accommodation and simple food they get in return for their help. They’re mainly young women, or occasionally couples travelling together who decide to stay a while.
‘It’s very popular with the Irish, but it’s not just youngsters; we have a huge age range. The volunteers are up early, and they have the afternoons to themselves. As long as you’re not looking for hotel style bedrooms, you like eating communally, and of course, most importantly, you love cats, it works.’
‘What a lovely idea. I wish I’d known about something like this when I was young. Tony and I could have…’
Maddie stopped herself saying more. She’d done with the could haves. A cute black and white mother cat suckling her babies distracted her for a moment, and she stared fixedly at the ground to the right of the little family. When she looked up again, Sofia’s expectant eyes were trained on her.
‘I know what you two are doing…’
‘What?’
‘Never mind. Let’s get on with the tour.’
Angeliki gave them all a puzzled look before continuing.
‘Of course, not all Greeks love cats. Some people see the feral cats as little more than vermin and even try to’—the vet closed her eyes a moment—‘poison them.’
‘No!’ Maddie couldn’t stop herself.
‘That is why we strive to keep the population down where we can, and offer subsidised sterilisations at the surgery, plus fundraise all over town. As you can imagine it costs a lot in food and bills. Annike is amazing. She gives all the cats names, and she can pick each one out in a pack, no trouble. No cat turned away is the motto of the sanctuary.’
The stunning scenery and the sight of so many contented cats lolling in the sun or scratching away at special posts had wormed its way into Maddie’s heart whether she liked it or not.
‘And of course we do our best to rehome as many cats as we can, both here and abroad. Visitors come to the sanctuary, fall in love with a particular cat and we arrange the transportation back to their country.’
Maddie knew if she looked up, both Sofia and Charlotte would be focussed on her. She wasn’t going to fall for their little games.
The tour of the grounds was almost over, when Maddie spotted a ginger cat with only three legs in the middle of a pack. The plucky little thing was keeping up with the others and even elbowed a bigger cat out of the way to get to the food.
‘What’s happened to her or him?’ Maddie tried to keep her voice casual.
Angeliki reached in and picked up the little cat with one hand.
‘A she. Cinnamon, orKanelain Greek, was hit by a car six months ago and left to die at the roadside, which often happens with feral cats. And if you’ve seen anything of Greek driving, you’ll know why it’s so common.’
Charlotte and Maddie nodded vigorously in unison.
‘Someone brought her to me, and I managed to save her life, but I couldn’t save her leg. We didn’t know how she’d cope when she came here, but she’s a real fighter.’
The cat’s solemn green eyes stared up at Maddie. It was crazy to even entertain the possibility of taking a three-legged cat all the way back to Manchester, wasn’t it?
‘Would you like to hold her?’
Maddie took a deep breath. A lot rested on her answer.
