We are looking for someone to house sit our pets (2 dogs and 11 cats) while we will be away during the Christmas holidays.
We live in a rustic house with a small garden in the center of a traditional picturesque stone village in the countryside of Cyprus. From our house it is just a few minutes walk to reach the valley where several nature paths start (This is where we walk our dogs daily).
Having a previous experience in pet sitting in household with many animals or volunteering in a shelter/sanctuary is a plus (but not necessary). Renting a car is reccommended (a car will be useful for you to go around the island and also in case of vet emergency). But it is not required. Winter is a lovely time to explore our countryside by foot and if there are vet runs can be arranged with the help of friends. There are 2 minimarkets in the village and one tavern.
Our village is 30 minute drive from the capital Nicosia. We are also 30 mins drive from the nearby Machairas mountains where there are several pic nic sites and possibilities for trekking. Troodos mountains are approx 1h drive. Seaside destinations can also be reached within one hour drive.
We have 2 senior dogs who will need walking preferably 2 times per day mins each), feeding 2 times per day and cleaning of their yard once per day.
At the moment we have 11 cats. They will need feeding 2 times per day and changing of the cat litter once per day. The reason we have so many cats is because in Cyprus there is a big problem with stray cats, so every year we may have an additional visitor to our garden or we may rescue a new kitten from the street or help a sick cat. Clearly, having a cat colony is not the same as consciously adopting one or 2 pets to live in apartment. Most of the cats we feed are friendly and like to be pet and spend most of the time in the garden. Some others are more shy and just show up at feeding times and then go wandering around the village. Few of the cats spend most of their time in the house (3-4 cats sleep indoor in the living area). We are doing our best to keep everyone well fed, neutered and taken to the vet when necessary. Many times we had found lovely families (in Cyprus or abroad) to adopt some of the kittens/cats.
We have our flight out of Cyprus booked for the early morning of 25th December, so we will need you to be here few days earlier to show you the place, the animals, and explain everything.
We will fly back to Cyprus on the10th January. Depending on your flight possibilities you could stay additionally 1-2 days or you may have to leave 1-2 days earlier (in that case we can arrange with some friends/relatives to pick up the key and look after the animals for the extra day),