ADOPTIONS

Do you like the idea of adopting a Myconian fur baby?  Have you fallen head over heels in love with a local stray?  Or did you see one on our Facebook or Instagram account that you would like to meet and potentially take home with you?

So, if you are in Mykonos on holiday and would like to adopt, please contact us as soon as you can.  It is imperative that you give yourself enough time to organise transport and for the required treatment, tests and paperwork to be completed.  If you are only on the island for a few days it can be quite intense to get everything sorted.

1. Be sure that this is what you want to do. Everyone at Mykonos Animal Welfare is always happy and grateful when one of our strays have a chance to be adopted into a safe and loving “forever home”. It is the best chance for not only their quality of life but also their survival, so we want to support you as much as we can with the process.  But you would be surprised how many people change their mind half way through the process, which wastes our volunteer’s precious time and makes us very sad. So please be sure adopting an animal from Mykonos is he right thing for your situation. If you are sure, then please proceed to the next step as quick as you can! 

2. Check with your airline to see what their rules are about animals flying. Animals in Europe cannot travel without someone physically being on the same flight, so please check with your airline that this is okay. It is always preferable for both you and your new fur friend if they are allowed to travel in the cabin with you if your airline will allow it, so you can keep an eye on them and give them comfort during the trip. Failing that, they can also be placed in a temperature-controlled cargo area. They will be alone but they will be safe.

3. You will need a special cage that is approved for travel, and you will of course also need to book the flight for the animal.  Total travel costs within Europe are generally between €75-120 depending on the size of the animal , while travel costs to the UK, US and Canada are generally between €700-1000 (and take longer to process).

4. Take the new addition to your family to any one of the Mykonos Island Vets.  By law, the pet must have a microchip passport, rabies vaccine and be treated for both fleas and worms prior to being permitted to travel out of Greece.  Your vet will also formalise the adoption, do the appropriate health checks and create the paperwork needed for travel. 

While you are at the vet we recommend you talk to them about some optional vaccines and tests including the FELV-FIV test for cats which we always recommend, especially if you have other pets at home.  While it is up to you whether you have them done with the vet in Mykonos or wait until you get to the vet in your own country, as a general rule, we believe that sooner is better. Vet fees in Mykonos are usually between €100-180 depending on what you decide to proceed with.

The minimum age for a pet to travel is 3.5 months old for kittens and 4 months for puppies. If they are too young to travel, we will try our best to find a temporary foster home – but that will depend on availability. If you need a short term foster home, there is a small charge per day plus food and potential medical costs.  If we cannot find a short term foster home, then we may need to keep the animal at a feeding station or other similar area.  Once they are old enough, you can then decide whether to return to the island to pick them up yourself or we can try to organise a flight escort for you.

Lastly, almost everyone who comes to us asking to adopt a cat, actually means they want to adopt a kitten.  Very few of our adult cats are ever considered. Which makes us a little bit sad. Please don’t misunderstand us, we are incredibly grateful to anyone who would like to take home one of our gorgeous kittens, but watching the “a little bit less cute”, but also the “a lot less hard work” older cats being shunned and ignored is a little heartbreaking. So if you do decide you want to adopt and you haven’t set your heart on which one just yet, we just ask that you think about the possibility of adopting an adult cat

5. Transport two for the price of one! Usually we can fit two kittens in a cage and you pay the same cost for transport whether its two or one. Two kittens are usually easier to manage than one by themselves as they will have each other to play with. Or you might know someone else back in your home country who would like a Mykonos kitten?

If you have any questions you are more than welcome to send us a message or to call Sandra Clare on +306946891474.