Neutering

19/08/2026

Hi everyone,

Thanks to a very generous bequest, we will soon be in a position to fund neutering for those of you who are willing to trap cats across Apokoronas.

Before we begin allocating neutering spaces, we want to invest in some much-needed equipment. Our priority is to replace damaged, faulty or poor-quality traps that have been bought locally and to provide strong, sturdy traps with solid bottoms for anyone who needs them. If drop traps are proving more useful in practice, we are equally happy to buy more of those instead. We will also be purchasing additional nursing and fostering equipment.

The tide is never-ending and our work will never truly be finished, so we want this money to make the greatest practical difference possible.

This is not a competition. It is about keeping everyone who traps safe, catching cats quickly and securely with as little stress as possible, and making the whole process easier for both the cats and the people helping them.

The equipment is there to be shared and used between you for the benefit of Apokoronas’ cats. We will not expect it to be returned to us. All we ask is that it is looked after and maintained properly, because it will be a precious shared resource.

We will let you know when we are ready to start allocating neutering spaces. Please bear in mind that Avivi and Sonya’s time is finite, and we do not want either of them becoming overwhelmed or burnt out. We will also continue working with Eleni Maroulaki in Chania.

If you trap, foster or nurse cats, please PM me with any equipment you need, would particularly like, or think would make your work easier or safer. We are especially interested in suggestions from those using this equipment regularly.

We will be placing the order in September and want to make sure this very generous bequest is spent carefully, sensibly and where it will make the greatest difference to the cats we are all trying to help.

08/06/2026

Our neutering program continues throughout last year and has gained ground this year via our fantastic vets Avivi Iftah & Eleni Maroulaki

Contact us via messenger or email if you have cats to neuter

Well done to the dozens of you who made the effort and took your strays into Plaka & Chania.

We have also continued to support the neutering programme by providing traps/cat carriers and loan of our neutering equipment to our dedicated volunteers:

Beverley, Neo Chorio: 0030 6949282477

Louise, Xirosterni: 0030 6977229915

Lorna, Kokkino Chorio: 0030 2825031308 ; landline with answerphone please leave a message with what you need, Lorna will get back to you.

Please note they are not for dumping animals on they are here to teach and hand out the equipment, but you will be performing the trapping

contact details on our website

Our neutering program continues throughout last year and has gained ground this year via our fantastic vets Avivi Iftah & Eleni Maroulaki Contact us via messenger or email if you have cats to neuter Well done to the dozens of you who made the effort and took your strays into Plaka & Chania. We have....

06/02/2023

Big changes for the better this year we hope!

Our neutering programme continued throughout last year via our fantastic vet Eleni Maroulaki https://goo.gl/maps/FringHGjHDvasZR29

In addition to your donations paying for emergency operations and neutering we received a huge award from Hard Luck Paws https://hardluckpaws.fi/
Well done to the dozens of you who made the effort and took your strays into Chania.
Since we ceased collaboration in the Apokoronas Dimos neutering programme we received many desperate calls from people wanting traps/cat carriers and loan of our neutering equipment.
With the court case ended we could not ignore the pleas for help anymore and decided to distribute our equipment at various points across Apokoronas with our dedicated volunteers. Anyone wanting to borrow equipment for private or Arche Noah neutering sessions can contact the following ladies:

Beverley, Neo Chorio: 0030 6949282477
Louise, Xirosterni: 0030 6977229915
Lorna, Kokkino Chorio: 0030 2825031308
Landline with answerphone please leave a message with what you need Lorna will get back to you.

Please note they are not for dumping animals on they are here to teach and hand out the equipment, but you will be performing the trapping.

Arche Noah Dimos Free neutering session on the 1st of March for stray cats and 2nd of March for stray dogs.
Please book an appointment by ringing: 0030 2825 340314

08/04/2022

Free Neutering available by appointment (with our vets in Plaka & Chania) only please contact us for details, & to book & borrow equipment.

01/03/2022

We are sad to announce that for the foreseeable future we are unable to continue providing volunteers or equipment for the Apokoronas Neutering Clinic. In the interim, out of respect for the Arche Noah Veterinarians and the stray animals we have left the surgical operating tables (purchased from your donations) in the clinic for their use.
On the 23rd of December 2021 at Chania Magistrates Court, we submitted evidence to the prosecutor against Mr Mousourakis (Kalyves Vet) and Mr Xenakis (employee at the dog shelter) for:
‘LYING UNDER OATH’ (PERJURY)
Meanwhile our legal and legitimate work with stray cats continues, we are still neutering, funding the veterinary fees from your donations. Anyone who can contribute to neutering a stray cat can arrange an appointment at reduced cost from our vet in Chania Eleni Maroulaki (details/map below)

Eleni Maroulaki details on our website including opening hours and location
http://www.catspyjamas.org/neutering/

Eleni Maroulaki details on google maps
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Animals+Corner/@35.5080272,24.0210546,17.67z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x149c7d9460c3dee7:0xb1ce95365f3a9e8f!8m2!3d35.5079546!4d24.0217943

★★★★★ · Dyrlæge

14/02/2022

UPDATE! Thank you for your amazing support, the battle can now begin. We have the money to pay the initial €1600 of the fine plus the €400 lawyers fee to submit our application to challenge the fine. (Greek law means you need to pay some of it before you can appeal it!) We are therefore le

21/08/2021

Στις 13 & 14 Αυγούστου 2021 ο Δήμος Αποκόρωνα με τη συμβολή εθελοντών κτηνιάτρων από τη Γερμανία, προχώρησε με το πρόγραμμα στειρώσεων αδέσποτων αλλά και αυτή τη φορά χωρίς τη συμμετοχή εθελοντών ή των νομίμων φιλοζωικών σωματείων του Αποκόρωνα. Εθελοντές που ταΐζουν τα αδέσποτα στο δήμο έχουν, εδώ και μήνες, μια λίστα αναμονής για στειρώσεις αδέσποτων γατιών. Οι δεκάδες εθελοντές όλων των εθνικοτήτων που ταΐζουν γάτες στον Αποκόρωνα με τροφή του παρέχει το φιλοζωικό σωματείο, έχουν αναγνωρίσει και θα μπορούσαν να παγιδεύσουν πάνω από 40 έγκυες γάτες .
Δυστυχώς κανένας από αυτούς δεν ειδοποιήθηκε για τις στειρώσεις και το πρόγραμμα εφαρμόστηκε χωρίς να ενημερωθούν οι δημότες..
Αν αυτή η αδιαφορία από μέρους του δήμου σας έχει επηρεάσει επικοινωνήσετε με τον δήμαρχο και να εκφράσετε της απόψεις σας για τη σπατάλη των δωρεάν κτηνιατρικών υπηρεσιών, την έλλειψη οργάνωσης και την πλήρη αδιαφορία για όσους από εσάς περιμένετε απεγνωσμένα ραντεβού.
Όλοι έχετε φωνή και ψήφο χρησιμοποιήστε το!
Δήμαρχος: 6948375990
Email: [email protected]
email: [email protected]
Γραφείο Δημάρχου: 28253-40330, 28253-40345
Γραμματέας Δημάρχου: 28253-40335
Γραφείο αντιδημάρχου: 28253-40344, 28250-5

On the 13th & 14th August 2021 Apokoronas Municipality with the contribution of the volunteer German vets went ahead with the neutering of strays , once again without the inclusion and participation of either the legally constituted animal welfare organisation volunteers or their volunteers. These volunteers who feed strays throughout Apokoronas have stray animals on a waiting list for stray cat neutering for several months now.
Tens of volunteers several nationalities who feed the stray cats with food supplied by the welfare organisation, have identify and could have trapped more than 40 feral cats mostly female and pregnant.
Unfortunately none of these volunteers was notified about the neutering session which went ahead without any publicity aimed at the residents.
If this indifference on the part of the council towards the neutering of cats has affected you in any way, you may contact the mayor and to express your views on the waste of free veterinary services, the lack of organisation and the total disregard for those of you desperately waiting for a neutering appointment.
You all have a voice & a vote use it!
Mayor: 6948375990
Email: [email protected]
email: [email protected]
Mayor’s office: 28253-40330, 28253-40345
Mayor’s secretary: 28253-40335
Deputy mayor’s office: 28253-40344, 28250-5

04/07/2021

Where to start … how to explain the utter madness and toxicity of animal welfare in Greece 2021
Without the input from many caring driven individuals including Arch Noah Kreta & Apokoronas Dimos there would not have been such a ground-breaking and successful Apokoronas stray neutering campaign with such high standards of care.
Advised by the Dimos we paid substantial fees and gained official charity status in Greece, in return we gained an official contract with the Dimos. We maintain legal accounts for our vets, accountants and lawyers, we assist the Dimos providing supplies, equipment and volunteers for the Mayors stray neutering clinic, we seek the best care for the sick and injured stray cats we take in on their behalf at no cost to them, we have repeated promises of support but our donors continue to bear the burden of 400kg of cat food to the strays of Apokoronas every month.
Shame on you those who conspired on the 18th June to mobilize the Veterinary Association of Chania and Vrysses police to serve a search warrant invading our home with 3 Veterinary Association Officials, two police motorcycle officers, two police cars, two women police officers and an official with a search warrant from Chania Magistrates Court.
My arrest incited on so far unstated criminal charges with the threat of being incarcerated over the Bank Holiday weekend, the confiscation of thousands of euros of equipment and medications rendering our legitimate, legal, professional and vital role in nursing stray cats impossible.
Be advised the more you attempt to destroy the Dimos neutering programme, our charity and its care of our cats, the more we will refuse to go quietly or be intimidated or suppressed by you.
Our aims are simple: refute legally these fictitious charges, stop the persecution of responsible, animal carers, reinstate the stray neutering programme for the benefit of Apokoronas residents, protect the voluntary vets, legal charities and decent individuals caring for the strays.
We must thank the most amazing dedicated people who came forward to offer practical support, witness testimony and moral support: Yannis Xamonakis, Natasa Bobalaki, Rena Terazaki, Maria Papadaki, Stavros Stavroulakis, Eleni Maroulaki, Myrto Diamantaki, Arche Noah Kreta, Beverley, Carol, Heather, Shirley, Kathie, Sarah, George, the Tsivaras cultural committee, our Fres Greek neighbours, various tavernas owners, and the many sadly toο fearful to be named.
To those who already donated towards the lawyers fees our thanks any further donations not used for court fees will go towards our Greek vets and the cat food.

23/05/2021

Proposed compulsory sterilisation seeks to improve animal welfare but raises concerns about pure breeds

16/04/2021

SADLY DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL NEUTERING IS CANCELLED THIS WEEKEND!