The Greek authorities are putting  pressure on The Rhodes Animal Welfare Society to close the Cat Sanctuary at Kalithea Spa. We the undersigned believe that the Cat Sanctuary should stay open, as closing it will  just increase the problem of the many stray, uneutered and diseased animals that are still to be found on Rhodes. Closure will deny the Cats the chance of being re-homed, treated for disease and getting the welfare that they so urgently need.

 Many tourists like ourselves are aware that Greece has a huge animal welfare problem, with an abudance of stray Cats and Dogs, many diseased to be found in many tourist resorts. Many tourists are are put off visiting the country for this very reason. Places like Kalithea Cat Sanctuary offer welfare to the many abandoned, diseased and stray animals found on Rhodes and attempt to re-home them and and get them neutered and treat any disease they may have. The lack of neutering is a  real problem in Greece and most tourists fail to understand why this problem is not tackled by the Greek Government. Many foreign Vets come to Greece and offer their services for free to help combat the ever rising Cat population on Rhodes and this should be allowed to continue. We are well aware that in many towns and villages across Rhodes once the tourists have gone home that many stray Cats and Dogs are systematically poisoned to quell the problem. This is a barbaric practice in a civilised world and only sheds a bad light on Greece, a country that relies so heavily on tourism in the Summer months to sustain its ailing economy. Closing down the sanctuary will only compound this problem and make it worse.