About Us
Nine Lives Greece – Οι Εφτάψυχες – started working in 2006 and became a recognized Greek charity in 2008. Our board members, Cordelia Madden-Kanellopoulou, Zoey Chia, Dimitris Mallios, Eftihia Lachanas, and Dora Hatzisarri, combine years of experience in animal welfare and offer varying and complementary skills to help Nine Lives in its mission to improve conditions for existing and future felines in Athens and beyond.
Our task would not be possible to accomplish without the tireless assistance of fellow volunteers who help in the daily feeding of the cats, take part in our fundraising activities, seek out good homes for cats and kittens in need, catch and drive cats to and from the vets, spread the word about neutering and rehoming, and much, much more.
What We Do
Nine Lives Greece – Οι Εφτάψυχες helps cats now, through feeding and care, and for the future, by neutering and rehoming.
Our main aim is the humane reduction of the stray cat overpopulation through trap-neuter-return programmes. Each year, we get hundreds of stray cats in Athens neutered/spayed, greatly reducing the numbers of unwanted kittens born each season, and ensuring a healthier adult cat population.
We also improve the quality of life for existing street cats through feeding programmes (on a daily basis, we feed nearly 500 stray and abandoned cats in central Athens), routine anti-parasite treatment, and veterinary care for ill or injured felines. In addition, we try to find loving, responsible homes for as many stray or abandoned cats and kittens as possible.
We are just a handful of volunteers who dedicate our spare time to the stray cats, we have no office, no shelter facilities, no animal ambulance or transport van, and we receive no state funding or assistance.
In The Press
Ακούμε για την οργάνωση Eφτάψυχες – Nine Lives που φροντίζει τις αδέσποτες γατούλες της πόλης.
newsbomb.gr
Nine Lives Greece, which rescues cats daily in Athens and also takes care of existing colonies, speaks to Newsbomb.gr. The non-profit organization describes its daily life and the difficulties facing them in their endeavors. 08/05/2022
BBC The Travel Show
While visiting the Acropolis in Greece, BBC The Travel Show joins an Athens based cat charity (Nine Lives Greece) to find out how their feline friends fared over the pandemic. 07/05/2022
Nine Lives in the National Geographic
With coronavirus forcing millions of people around the world into lockdown, the National Geographic interviewed Nine Lives and other organisations about the effect on stray cats and dogs. 12/4/2021
OneMan Portal Features Nine Lives Co-Founder
To mark World Stray Animals Day 2021, OneMan portal hosts Nine Lives co-founder Eleni Kefalopoulou among featured charities working to improve the lot of stray animals in Greece. 04/04/2021
ERT Program Follows Nine Lives
A camera crew and reporter from Greek TV channel ERT follow Nine Lives volunteers feeding neutered cat colonies cared for by Nine Lives in historic Athens. 03/2021
Dutch Public Radio Features Nine Lives
Nine Lives is featured in a report for Dutch Public Radio about animal welfare in Greece, legislation and action. (In Dutch.) 28/12/2020
CGTN Global News: Changes to EU Pet Travel
CGTN global news network includes Nine Lives among respondents in an article about changes to EU pet travel and adoption post-Brexit. 25/12/2020
LIFO Features Nine Lives
Nine Lives’ work for the stray cats of Athens is featured in popular LIFO magazine’s ‘Do the Right Thing’ column. 16/03/2020
Website Popaganda
Website Popaganda talks to Nine Lives about how stray cats are faring during the coronavirus pandemic. (2/5/2020)
The Cat Magazine Visits Nine Lives
Angela Twiselton, from The Cat magazine, comes to Athens and helps out Nine Lives Greece while enjoying a cat feeding tour. (9/9/2019)
Three Chatty Cats
The popular cat welfare-focused blog talked to Nine Lives Greece co-founder Cordelia about the charity’s work for the street cats of Athens. (Three Chatty Cats, 26/09/2016)
Nine Lives Appears on Alpha TV
In February 2016, the crew of Animaniac TV show took a cat-walk around central Athens meeting strays with Nine Lives Greece volunteers. (Alpha TV, 14/02/2016)
MAD TV
Nine Lives volunteers Christina and Lia talk to MAD TV about our first Athens Internet Cat Video Festival, and about cats, of course! (Mad TV, 05/04/2015)
Portes Magazine
Portes Magazine took a tour with Nine Lives to learn how the charity is making Greece better for cats and communities, one cat at a time. (Portes Magazine, 22/02/2015)
Athens Living
Athens Living went on a feeding expedition with Nine Lives volunteers, met some of our feline friends and learned about our work. (Athens Living, 13/07/2012)
The Telegraph
The story of deaf Aslan, told by his adopter, featured in the UK’s top-selling newspaper’s Pet Tales column (and book). (Sunday Telegraph, 05/10/2012)
Nine Lives on Skai TV
Paratriha show’s team came to meet and feed cats, while talking about the dangers that abandoned cats face and the importance of neutering. (SKAI, 20/11/2011).
Athens News – Who’s Doing Good?
‘Who’s Doing Good?’: Two reporters met volunteers who dedicate their time to feeding and caring for the stray cats of Athens. (Athens News 31/07/2009)
