By Bejay Browne.
‘The Paphos cat lady’ has made a desperate plea for help from volunteers after a bad fall has left her incapacitated and unable to look after the one hundred and sixty or so stray and unwanted cats she feeds and cares for every day in Paphos old town.
Gaynor Georgiou, 74, is fondly known as the Paphos cat lady and urgently needs one or more volunteers that could give up a couple of hours a day to take over her feeding duties until she is on her feet again, she told the Paphos Post.
The cat lover has become a regular sight around Paphos and is popular with both locals and visitors who admire her love and care of the towns cat population.
Recently, whilst undertaking her usual daily round to feed the felines, twenty or so rushed towards her and the food bucket, getting under her feet and tripping her over.
“I went down hard, smacking my knee on the ground. I was lying in the street and had to call a friend who came and took me to hospital. The cats tripped me, but they didn’t mean too,” she said tearfully.
Georgiou is distraught at the thought of the cats of the town being left without food or care as she has formed a strong bond with all of them through the years. To make matters worse, from the bedroom window of her nearby flat in the old town, she can see groups of them gathering to wait for her arrival.
She is particularly concerned, as a number of the cats are partially sighted or blind.
“I never thought this would happen to me at my age. I am usually so active all of the time and out and about.”
If more than one person steps forward to help her, daily visits to the established feeding spots could be split between them, said Georgiou, who spends most of her modest pension on cat food each month. She is feeding in excess of 160 cats and kittens, and also takes as many cats as she can to be spayed or neutered at Animal Rescue Cyprus, as part of their catch and release programme.
Gaynor- Cat Lady 97673986
