The Great Sicilian Cat Rescue (22 page)

T
his is the story of Katarina, of how a small Sicilian cat brought Catsnip, Oscar and Elke together, to the rescue. Above all, it is the story of Sadie and her determination to save the blind feline.

Francavilla is a typical small Sicilian town, approximately ten miles inland from the coastal resort of Taormina, with spectacular views. Although much of the town is now fairly modern, you can still see signs of former times, with the ruins of the one-time castle overlooking the inhabitants, and the old winding streets that evoke images of its medieval past. Nearby is the famous Alcantara Gorge, where an impressive torrent of water rushes below vertical lava cliffs. Located on the north slopes of Mount Etna, the river is one of the few in Sicily that flows year round. Several thousand years ago,
its path was blocked by a large lava flow from the volcano’s slopes. The cold water quickly cooled the lava, which resulted in its crystallising and forming the unique rocky columns. Over the next few thousand years, the river carved a path through those columns and resulted in the gorge.

If you like to explore, there are numerous trails where you can hike along the top of the gorge. And if you are looking to cool off, you can relax at Gorge Beach. The easy way to get down into the gorge is to take the lift; for the more adventurous there are stairs. There is a gorge trail that follows the river upstream and offers wonderful views from the top. It takes you through the botanical gardens and citrus groves, where you can sit and stare. Here you can gaze into the heart of the gorge and the waterfalls from the beach, so don’t be afraid to explore. The water is advertised as being cold but in the heat of the summer it is very refreshing. No wonder it is a popular spot with locals during the scorching Sicilian summers.

Sadie and her boyfriend Eddie had arrived here to stay for a night or two on a farm, the so-called
agriturismo
. From the 1950s and continuing through the 1970s, small-scale farming in Italy came under threat. Many farmers abandoned their land to search for work in larger towns. But Italians value highly the traditions and produce of small-scale food manufacturers, and, by 1985, a law was passed defining
agriturismo
. Many abandoned buildings and estates were restored, some for holiday homes, and many for this kind of tourism. It allowed the small farmer to augment the income from the farm, and for holidaymakers to sample the bounty of a rural life in Italy.

It all seemed idyllic and very relaxing until the couple noticed that one of the farm cats seemed to be bumping into things and falling down steps.

In July 2014, Sadie and Eddie were on a road trip in Sicily when they first met Katarina. Sadie recalled: ‘We had stopped overnight at a farm in the mountains about five miles from the nearest town. Kat walked into our apartment outhouse door, literally. She then fell down the steps and tried again to navigate the door.

‘At that point I didn’t realise that she was totally blind, but it was clear she was struggling. One of her eyes was protruding dangerously out of the socket, and the other was opaque and deformed. She was a mess and I was horrified by the gruesome state of her face. Her tabby fur was matted and she was worryingly thin and fragile. I distinctly remember her stumbling and falling down two or three stairs in such a pitiful way that made me think she was beyond help. I would have rather been responsible for ending her life than to leave her stumbling frantically around in darkness, searching for crumbs.

‘To my surprise, she was remarkably affectionate, trusting and confident, and quite boldly came into our room demanding food. She didn’t appear to be fearful, of anything or anyone. She had a sort of brazen confidence, despite the fact that she was at such a disadvantage. She purred when I stroked her and was happy to be picked up and cuddled. All of the other feral cats kept their distance and hissed when you attempted to approach them.

‘She slept outside our door that night and greeted us in the morning. We stayed for two more nights at that farm and
the cat stayed with us, sleeping outside alone on a chair. She seemed very vulnerable out there, curled up around herself, ants crawling around her face and with local dogs patrolling the area.

‘It was then that I contacted Catsnip to get some advice and enquire about a local vet. I didn’t realise at that point to what extent I would have to commit to this little cat and how many people would become instrumental in her journey.’

It was that summer of 2014 when I first heard from Sadie: ‘I have found a stray kitten, which has something wrong with her eyes. I believe she is blind and suffering. One eye seems to be missing but I’m not sure, as she is a mess. If this is something that she can be helped with, I would like to bring her back to the UK. However, I am really struggling to find ways to fly her back with me. She is very young and friendly; just arrived in our bedroom and will not leave.’

I gave her Oscar La Manna’s telephone number and he suggested they take the cat to his surgery, which raised the first dilemma: Sadie and Eddie were due to leave the following day. We conferred on the phone.

Said Sadie: ‘The only thing we can do is to drive through on our way to Syracuse and drop her off at around 11.30am. My concern is that I would be placing responsibility on Oscar, and then leaving – however, if you believe that the cat will be cared for, we will keep her inside and definitely bring her tomorrow. I am afraid that she will need hefty medical attention, and that I will not be around to administer that. If the cat can be saved, then I am willing to make arrangements to bring her to London and have her live her life with us.’

Sadie called Oscar and made valiant attempts to explain all this but, as she said, it might have been lost in translation. However, she wasn’t going to give up.

‘We have fallen a bit in love with her. If he is willing to do all required medical treatment, microchipping and blood-work, I will do whatever needed to get her to London safely and quickly. Or, if he believes it would be better, he could take her back to the farm where she lives, but these are both big asks to a total stranger and it’s difficult to communicate with him as my Italian is terrible.’

The cat had now firmly ensconced herself with her new admirers and was tucking in to unaccustomed goodies, although Sadie was still very concerned about the state of one of her eyes. It seemed to her it would have to be removed.

As she relates: ‘So, with Kat in a box, and the Italian farmers looking very bemused as to my apparent kidnapping of a blind feral cat, we drove to the local vet, who was fantastically kind and understanding.’

Indeed, on that Friday morning, I imagined the surprise of their hosts as Sadie and Eddie loaded the little cat into their car. Later, I had a call from the surgery: Sadie was again struggling with her Italian and asked if I could speak to Oscar. I could hear Eddie’s voice in the background and there seemed to be a problem. Briefly, Oscar explained that to treat the cat and do all the necessary preparation to obtain her pet passport would cost around 1,000 euros. Sadie and Eddie were taken aback; they had never envisaged it would cost so much and didn’t have that kind of money with them.

Oscar came back on the phone. The vet sounded baffled.
So now what was to happen to the cat? She certainly needed an operation.

We agreed they would pay for this and I would send a donation to cover some of the rest of her treatment. The cat’s future was left in the balance.

Back home in London, Sadie couldn’t put ‘her’ Sicilian cat out of her mind. How would the blind feline manage if she were returned to the farm? And what was the alternative? She tormented herself thinking about the little cat’s future, as did I. What was to happen next?

Wrote Sadie:

At that point neither Sadie nor I realised what this decision would involve. I was also pondering whether bringing the cat to England was the best plan. How feral was she? Yes, Sadie had said she was affectionate but how strong were her links to her territory on the farm and her bonding with the other cats? Sadie had also told me she had a companion cat. How important was this to her?

I pointed this out: ‘I think you have done something wonderful in allowing this cat to have treatment and am transferring funds to Oscar’s account, this evening, but perhaps it would be better for her to return to her companions there. Cats can cope with blindness more than we could.’

But Sadie couldn’t forget that the cat had ‘found’ them, turning up in their room and not wanting to leave: ‘She is so very affectionate with humans and, after observing her, she seemed fairly irritated by the younger cats. She appeared to be far more human-orientated. However, I want to do the best for her so am happy to take that advice.’

She told me she already had a rescue dog and I raised this with her. Would this be a problem for a blind cat?

Sadie came back to me quickly:

After some discussion and persuasion, the inevitable was decided. Katarina was totally blind and therefore even after emergency treatment for her eyes, morally, she could not be returned to the farm, where she would starve to death, if she was not eaten by a predator first. Nor was there a rescue option in Sicily. She was in limbo at the vets, in a cage, as Sadie and Eddie had to return to London. Katarina was homeless, now clocking up a massive bill at the vets, and requiring his very dedicated team to intensively treat her and quarantine her during the summer holidays.

Said Sadie: ‘It was my naivety that had brought her to a place that now required my decision about her future. It was my duty, I felt, to see the process through to some conclusion,
and this sweet little cat deserved a home. My boyfriend was less than impressed by the scenario, understandably. We had just moved into a new house and already had a large, extremely messy young dog to contend with at home. The last thing he wanted was a severely disabled Sicilian cat. We had no idea what she was or wasn’t capable of.’

It was now clear to me that Sadie’s heart was set on giving the cat a loving home. She had a week’s holiday towards the end of August and could fly to Sicily, complete the necessary documents and bring Katarina home with her. Who was I to stand in her way? It was time to look into practicalities and here we found it was not going to be a simple process.

In the past, if you wanted to bring an animal into the UK, it would have to stay in quarantine for six months. This cost the owners a lot of money, not to mention the distress of being separated from their pets for such a long time. Fairly recently, the rules have been relaxed, making it somewhat easier. As long as the cat or dog has been microchipped and vaccinated against rabies, they can be issued with a pet passport. After a 21-day wait, they may travel freely within countries. The rules of the UK are still stricter than those for the rest of Europe, too strict in some people’s opinion. On the other hand, there has been no reported case of rabies in the UK since 1902.

My thoughts went to Oscar, who had sent me photographs of Katarina post-operation and had so kindly agreed to keep her in the surgery until Sadie could make her arrangements. It seemed that he had fallen in love with her too.

He wrote to me: ‘I think that this cat is really special and I too want the best for her. The most beautiful arrangement
is Sadie’s house seeing that it was she who found the cat and sought to save her from the streets. Thus I agree that she should take her to England so that she can have the best possible care. I have already told Sadie that the cost enabling her to take the cat home is 100 euros and includes microchip, anti-rabies inoculation, de-worming, three certificates and phials of flea treatment. For the days during which I keep the cat until collected, with all the medical care she will need, I will accept whatever contribution she cares to give me.’

It was now August and Oscar was officially on holiday, although going in each day to care for Katarina. I felt uncomfortable with all the trouble I was putting him to. After all, it was I who had first put these wheels in motion.