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Discussions regarding holidays in Cyprus
Cat phobia!!!
29 Posts
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joolz wrote:
Should I avoid Cyprus???!!


Short and sweet, without inside knowledge as to where cats do and don't frequent, and if your phobia is that accute..............yes you should.

Cats get everywhere. One restaurant we went to I had one adult and four kittens rubbing around my legs. Thankfully, we like cats.
3 years ago we temporarily "adopted" a mother and three kittens. The mother occasionally slept on our sofa, the kittens under the coffee table.

Having said that, cats do not seem to frequent the main tourist area restaurants, but without that inside knowledge you might have to risk coming across them.

A word of advice to those who come across them in restaurants, do NOT feed them. If they are hungry and you do feed them they will want more and can become quite nasty if you do not continue to give them titbits.
Been there, done that....

Mark
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I agree with Mark, but this would also be true of any Mediterranean country..

Cats are part of life, and would you prefer rats running over your feet????

Now snakes we also have here, I do try to avoid, like the one in our small garden yesterday!!! but I let it go it's own way keeping a close eye on where it was going!! :?
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Jim wrote:
keeping a close eye on where it was going

You need to fix some sort of tracking device to the webcam! :lol:

Mark
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Is it not true cats were introduced to rid Cyprus of snakes (or at least try and reduce the number of)? I know what I would rather have but then I'm a cat lover anyway !!
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Cats to rid Cyprus of snakes? they failed... :)
One of our two Persians, this one is Teddy because he looks like the Bear!!

http://cyprusliving.org/photogallery/nfpicturepro/albums/userpics/10002/normal_Teddy%20%208th%20November.%20001%7E0.jpg
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Jim, Teddy is beautiful. Currently at work so I can't post a picture of Keano.

Joolz we didn't see that many cats in Protaras last year, other than on the road back to our holiday and they did their very best to scare the living day lights out of us and I love cats. What we didn't realise was they were rummaging about in the wheelie bins. As we walked past they game jumping out at us - they were probably more scared of us. We got such a fright!!! Still gives us a laugh when we think about it more. My advice go to Cyprus but avoid the bins.

Word of warning though I have seen much more cats in Tenerife and Lanzarote than we ever saw in Cyprus.
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Jim

WOWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Teddy is absolutely gorgeous, have you any more pics I would love to see them
I adore cats that is polar on my avator hes our white cat 10 years old this year moved house 3 times with us and totally rules the roost over our 3 labs

Did you move teddy out there with you or is he a Paphian man?
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Joolz - I'm afraid a family of about 20 cats live at this particular hotel, mainly in between the gardens and the beach area according to my friend, U2fan so you might see them.....like another poster said cats are everywhere but Cyprus and the Greek islands seem to hold particular empathy for our feline friends..most have had contact with humans from a very early age so are used to us and most are very friendly..but you can get the odd one that isn't. We stayed in Paphos at the Pioneer and they had 3 hotel cats so a bit less than 20.....very sweet tabby cat there and fed by tourists and hotel staff alike!
Sorry Joolz!

Jimbox - Teddy is absolutely gorgeous! :)
Tinka14 - another cat lover I'm afraid.
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Polar/Tinka/Debbie...our other Persian this is ''Dusty'' four years old now, we think Teddy is about a year old, he was a stray we took in...we really like dogs to be honest..Border Collies, I left two behind in the UK did not want them to come out here, too warm mostly, plus snakes that can kill a dog in minutes, also those lovely Cypriots who leave out Lanate poison to do the same....

Any way this is Dusty...he always looks this miserable...by the way he has been poisoned three times, once almost fatally, but for a very kind Cypriot vet saved him at 5.30am on a Sunday morning!!, thought we should change his name to ''VeryLucky''....

http://cyprusliving.org/photogallery/nfpicturepro/albums/userpics/10002/normal_for%20HT%20site.jpg
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Crikey Jim , how does he cope in the heat with all that fur!

I would have to say that I've never stayed at a hotel in Cyprus that doesn't have it's own cat tribe or one very close by. Maybe Cyprus isn't the best of places if you don't like cats.

Me - I'm terrified of snakes, and for the 2nd year running we saw a big black one crossing the road up in the Troodos mountains. I just shut my eyes (good job I wasn't the driver!) It wont put me off going to Cyprus, but I am always wary when getting out of the car in the mountains.
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Joolz, to be perfectly honest if your phobia is so bad, I would seriously consider avoiding Cyprus and many places in Greece as like it's been said there are quite a few about. However if you ignore them they do tend to ignore you, they get used to the ones who'll feed them but Tinka mentions a family of 20 cats at the particular palce you're considering and I know that if it were that many snakes (which are my pet hate) I'd avoid it like the plague.

P.S. - hope it's not too bad that you don't mind the piccies on your thread. :?
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Oh Jim those cats are soooo cute, I think you should start a fan club for them. Plus they look like life is good for them.
Jay
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Fan club..Ill ask them.. :) they cope with the heat probably because they were born here and know nothing else, although it is far from warm here as yet..we have them shaved to rid them of parasites and also knot's in there fur, always a problem here, ticks in particular are a real nuisance.

In high summer you never see either of them in daylight hours

Not so cute after a haircut...the vet has to sedate them to do this..and Dusty looks fat, but he is thin as a gate post!! :)

http://cyprusliving.org/photogallery/nfpicturepro/albums/userpics/10002/normal_HT.jpg
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Jim they are adorable. Love the photo of Dusty after his haircut :love
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I have sympathy with Joolz, but she won't even look at this thread after she has seen the photos of moggies.

I have no phobia of cats, but my wife has one for spiders. he can't even watch them on TV.

Ooh, I am a miserable old sod.
:roll: :roll:
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You wont like this much either then, a Wolf Spider in our bathroom recently..we also get the odd Taranchula, from the banana plantations here on the island.

http://cyprusliving.org/photogallery/nfpicturepro/albums/userpics/10002/normal_big%20daddy.jpg
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Ok just to finish off with the phobia section...

This is a black whip snake (a small one) the most common on Cyprus, they are constrictors and are harmless, in fact they kill mice rats and such like, the locals actually feed them!! there is only one that is dangerous here and to be avoided is the blunt nose viper, these in certain circumstances can be fatal, but are rarely seen these days as building work is driving them away..

http://cyprusliving.org/photogallery/nfpicturepro/albums/userpics/10034/normal_slippery%20character.jpg
  • Edited by jimbox 2007-04-22 06:54:58
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Jim are you trying to send shivers through us folk back in Blitty!!!
I have decided to ask the hotel we are due to stay in June to put us on a high floor-cause of the snakes!!!! lol
Plus while we are into this subject, I wont be able to sunbath on the beach incase the snakes crawl across the sand, plus when win the lottery, I can no longer retire to Cyprus cause I can't bring my dog!!!!!!
So are there any other disturbing facts you want to lay on me.....or are you doing your bit to reduce congestion in Paphos......... :(
J

P.S. love the cats new cut.........just like my cocker spaniel has had.
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Thanks for the spider, Jim. That should keep her away for an hour or two.

8) 8)
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