1. Contact Us

Send us a message via Instagram or Facebook, or email us at tsambicats@gmail.com. Please include pictures of the cat and the exact location of you and/or the cat. The sooner you contact us, the better. It's always better to contact us before leaving Rhodes after your holidays. 

2. Initial Contact & Introduction

We will get in touch with you to explain the adoption process and connect you with our partner organisation responsible for adoptions in your country. Please note: we do not handle adoptions directly ourselves.

3. Preparing the Cat for Adoption

Together with our partner organisation, we prepare the cat for travel and adoption. Here's what you need to know in advance:

• The cat must be at least 15 weeks (approx. 3,5 months) old at the time of travel.

• A microchip registered in your name and/or in the name of the travel companion or partner organisation is required.

• A rabies vaccination is mandatory, even though there are no reported rabies cases on Rhodes. It becomes valid 21 days after administration.

• A general feline vaccination is recommended but not required.

• Some countries may have additional requirements, such as tests for FIV and FeLV. Please contact us for detailed information based on your destination. Of course it's best if you contact your local authorities directly. 

• A spot-on treatment against internal and external parasites must be applied 2 days before travel.

• For cats flying in the cabin, an IATA-certified soft carrier with at least four openings is required.

• For cats traveling in cargo, a certified hard crate is necessary. In both cases, the cat must be able to sit and turn around comfortably inside the carrier, which must be appropriately sized.

4. Logistics Support

Our volunteers can assist with vet visits for vaccinations, microchipping, passport issuing, buying travel crates, and coordinating with the travel companion (if the cat isn't flying with you). Any additional costs must be covered by you or the partner organisation.

5. Waiting Period & Foster Options

Cats must wait 3 weeks after their rabies vaccination before they are allowed to travel. Kittens must wait until they are 4 months old. During this time, they need a safe place to stay. Unfortunately, due to the extremely high demand for foster homes in Rhodes, we cannot usually offer foster care. However, you have several options:

• Animal welfare organisations may offer foster placement—please check with them.

• If you met your cat at a hotel or holiday residence, consider speaking to the staff. You can provide food and ask if they can care for the cat until departure. While not ideal, this keeps the cat in a familiar environment, and many hotels offer a safe, cat-friendly setting during summer.

• You can pay for private fostering at a foster facility.

• Some vets offer paid foster care. This is the safest but also the most expensive option and depends on availability.

6. Finding a Flight Companion

In the summer, many travellers volunteer to accompany animals on flights back to their home countries. These flight companions usually do this for free, as a goodwill service to support animal adoptions. If you haven’t arranged a flight companion yet, you can post a request in the following Facebook groups. Please include the number and type of animals, the desired travel dates, and destination:

• Flight Companions Worldwide (English): https://www.facebook.com/groups/270716999682506/ 

• Flugpaten Weltweit Gesucht (German): https://www.facebook.com/groups/1376353785959976/ 

• Vlucht begeleiders – Flight Volunteers (Dutch): https://www.facebook.com/groups/350486988411116/ 

• Flugpaten aus Griechenland (German): https://www.facebook.com/groups/571706989704345/ 

• Rhodos Entdecker (German): https://www.facebook.com/groups/142303122499655/ 

• Rhodes Travellers (English): https://www.facebook.com/groups/691281086357454/ 

Notes regarding adoptions to the UK and other non-EU countries

Adopting a cat in the UK or in a country outside the EU is more complicated than adopting within the EU, as there are additional regulations and restrictions. In these cases, you can choose from the following options:

1. Via a pet transport service
   The kitten can travel to the UK with a professional pet transport service. We don’t offer this service ourselves but can guide you through the process. This is generally the easiest but also the most expensive option. If it’s late in the season and the kitten is still too young to travel, a direct flight option may no longer be available but we can discuss alternative options via Athens.
   
   

2. Flight from Rhodes to Heathrow via Athens with Aegean Airlines.
   The kitten can fly to Heathrow either with you (if you come to pick them up) or with a flight companion. In both cases, the kitten travels in the hold, however, when flying with a flight companion, the total cost is significantly lower.
   
   

3. Flight to the Netherlands or Belgium.
   The kitten can fly to Amsterdam or Brussels with a flight companion. After you pick up the kitten at the destination, you can either fly to the UK with an airline that accepts animals on board or you can travel back to the UK by ferry, car or train. This is a convenient option regulations wise, though it requires some extra time and travel costs on your side.