Appeal for Cat Family Saved from Train Tracks

Below is Magda Panoutsopoulou’s story of how she, along with other volunteers, rescued a family of cats from its hazardous home under the train tracks. These poor kitties are now waiting desperately for a new foster or permanent home.

About 2 weeks ago, a member of the group Filozooi Ethelontes Kifisias, a local volunteer group for animal welfare, contacted us to say that a cat and 2 kittens were underneath the platform at Aghios Eleftherios Metro station. We realized that the place was a certain death trap for the cat family. This was proved true when  we were horrified to find a kitten that had been cut in two by a train, then further down the tracks we came upon the body of another kitten that apparently had been crushed by a train. It was urgent that we remove the remaining kittens and mom from this treacherous place as soon as possible.

One of the little kittens that was rescued from the train tracks

We went to the station at around 1 AM. With the help of the HSAP (suburban train) personnel and the station manager, the electricity was shut down so we could go under the platforms and find the feline family. Unfortunately, we were not able to capture them the first time. Next we decided to leave traps overnight using food as bait, placing them beneath the platform and inside the openings where the cat and kittens were hiding.

The next day, our rescue helpers went inside the openings. They called us at 3 AM to tell us that the cat and one kitten had been caught in our traps! We were absolutely delighted! But then we remembered the other little kitten left behind. So we went yet again to the train station and once more set a trap in their hiding place. At last, the second little kitty was trapped and saved, too! We were devastated that we hadn’t been able to save the entire family, but overjoyed that we were at least able to rescue the mother cat and 2 of her kittens.

Mother cat rescued from train tracks

The mom has now been neutered and is currently staying with her two kittens – a boy and a girl – at a vet’s office. It is crucial that they find homes or safe gardens right away as they will have to leave the vet’s soon. Please spread the word and help us with this next phase of the cat family’s rescue!