Ruby's Cat Shelter in Cyprus

Almost a year ago, I rescued a kitten from the streets in Cyprus and named her Ruby (the baby cat).

When I first found her, she was just 2 days old, with her eyes still closed. She had no food or water, and her mother was also missing.

It was the peak of summer, with temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius. I knew, if I wouldn't help her now, she would not make it.

So I took her to the vet, who told me there was a 90% chance she would die due to severe dehydration. Despite the odds, we did our best, and a few days later, she opened her first eye, then the second. I was the first thing she saw, and although I had never considered myself a cat person, I fell in love with her cuteness immediately.

I began sharing videos of Ruby & me on social media, and people fell in love with our story. We quickly gained many followers who wanted to see more. Ruby and I started going on walks, hikes, and even to the beach and restaurants together.

We were featured on major platforms like The Dodo, Cats.com, and many more.

Example: https://youtu.be/6x2JW4r7FT4

Ruby became a celebrity not just in Cyprus, but in the whole world. No matter where I went, people recognized me and asked me how "Ruby the baby cat" is doing.

Ruby was mostly an indoor cat, but she loved the garden. Sometimes, I would let her out, and she always came back. However, a few days ago, she went outside and didn’t return that day.

I wasn’t worried at first, as she had once stayed out overnight before returning the next morning after a little patrol. But this time, she didn’t come back. I searched everywhere and asked all my neighbors, but Ruby was missing...

I was devastated... I cried and I didn't know what to do... After not posting for some days I shared a video of myself crying online.

People reacted so kind and offered me many tips and ideas on how to find her. Now, it has been almost 3 weeks, and soon it would have been Ruby’s first birthday....

It makes me so sad to think that I never celebrated a birthday with her.

Many people have suggested that I should rescue another cat, as Cyprus has a significant stray cat problem. However, I can't simply replace Ruby. So, I came up with a beautiful idea.

I would love to create a cat shelter in the mountains of Paphos, Cyprus where I live.

My plan is to buy a piece of affordable land, build a cozy house, put up fences, and offer a home to all the stray cats in the area while rescuing many more kitten.

This way, I can honor Ruby’s name by turning it into a shelter where we help her fellow cat friends, and we use her beautiful soul for something great in Cyprus, no matter where she is and what she does right now.

We would also allow visitors to enter the shelter of course and upload many cute videos on @rubyfromcyprus.

100% of the donations will be used for the plot in the mountains, setting up all furniture, toys, food, etc. as well as the vet costs for all the cats. I will document everything online of course like in my old videos with Ruby.