Especially during the summer months, we at HydraArk receive messages from kindhearted, concerned visitors asking for help regarding a particular animal in need. We absolutely sympathize with their concern and are often sorry to have to disappoint them that we cannot take the animal into our care. Unlike animal welfare organizations in other countries, like the United States, for instance, we have no shelter facilities. In fact, we have no operating veterinary clinic on the island. So we have no place to keep ailing animals. We are just a handful of volunteers, and to be frank, our hands are full! In cases of emergency, where an animal’s life is in danger or it is visibly wounded, we make every effort to send him or her to a vet in Athens or on the Peloponnese, but the practical constraint of funding prevents us from doing this for every sick cat. Our volunteers do their best to deliver treatment to visibly ill street cats, but this is difficult. Street cats do not always appear at the same time in the same place, which complicates delivering, say, a regular course of antibiotics. We really do our best, but if you see a cat that seems to be doing poorly, we need your help. If you are willing to do what you can to help, may we suggest the following. 

• Take a photo of the cat and its environs and make a note of where it is located. Send us the photo at ydraikikivotos@gmail.com. Chances are good that we know the cat and some form of intervention is in progress.

If we do not know the cat, you can help by doing the following: 

• If the situation does not look dire, we would ask you to purchase from the Althexis pet shop an antiparasite ampule and a worm tablet. Often parasites are causing the problem. The tablet can be delivered in a bit of wet food.
• If the situation seems more severe, please go to the Althexis Pet Shop. We have a cage there labled “HydraArk ” that you may use to catch the cat and bring it to the shop owner, who is generally there Wednesday through Friday.He has veterinary training and can give advice. 
• If the situation needs an advanced form of treatment, contact us. 
• If you are traveling to Athens, please let us know, because we may need your help escorting a sick cat to Piraeus. Every time we need to send a sick cat to Athens we have to cover the travel expenses of the escort + an escorting fee.
• Please consider making a donation for the sick cat that you have found and hope to help. This is very important because we are a nonprofit organization with no external funding beyond the donations of concerned animal lovers like you.

Please note that we are literally a handful of private volunteers who live and work full-time on Hydra and have little free time. We do our best for the animals because we can’t turn a blind eye to their needs. BUT please be aware that animal welfare in Greece is the legal obligatory responsibility both financially and administratively of each municipality in the country.  If you have concerns about the conditions of Hydra’s Animals, please seriously consider visiting or writing the mayor’s office:

If you’d like to make a donation, please visit https://www.paypal.me/hydraark to donate by PayPal

If you’d like to pay your membership, please visit https://www.paypal.me/hydraark to pay by PayPal

Or visit our website for our bank account info athttp://www.hydraark.com/how-to-help/.

We thank Derek Robins for all his help and care and for writing this beautiful article!

October 14, 2018

In early October, I visited Greece for the first time. It was a last-minute trip to the island of Hydra, taken at the recommendation of a friend. Given its proximity to Athens, no need for a car, and fewer tourists compared to the more famous islands, Hydra was a no-brainer. Although I was excited to learn about Greek culture and island life, little did I know my favorite part of the trip would be spending time with some wonderful cats and becoming involved with Hydra Ark.

Cat Care: TNR & Treatment

Over the last years HydraArk has significantly reduced the overpopulation of the island’s cats and improved their overall health. Our organization has achieved this through an annual program of spaying and neutering. Over 700 cats have been sterilized, over 250 have been vaccinated and given antiparasite treatment, and over 25 have been adopted. The Marchig Animal Welfare Trust, based in Switzerland, funds most of the sterilization program for cats and subsidizes the fee for the veterinary surgeon. The remaining costs are entirely covered by our generous donors, and our members volunteer to man the clinic throughout the 3-day neutering sessions.