This morning I spent a couple of heart-warming hours at Hope 4 Paws Alanya, and left with my cup well and truly full — of coffee, cuddles, and emotion.
They currently have 85 cats in their care, each with their own story. Some are missing a leg, some are partially paralysed, some are living with cancer, others have one eye, no eyes at all, or are completely blind.
Alongside them are the lucky ones — healthy, healed, and patiently waiting for their paperwork to be finalised before heading off to their forever homes in Germany, Canada, and the UK. In the past, many have also found homes across Europe, including Poland, Switzerland, and Spain, with adopters covering all transport costs themselves.
Hope 4 Paws was started several years ago by Lin and his wife, a Dutch couple with enormous hearts. Remarkably, they are the only organisation of this kind in Turkey, receiving cats from all over the country — sent to them by vets and even government authorities.
One of the biggest surprises? Among the rescues were pedigree, microchipped cats — Maine Coons, British Shorthairs, Persians, and Burmese — all found living on the streets. Proof that abandonment doesn’t discriminate.
Despite everything they’ve endured, the cats were in beautiful condition. Calm, clean, healthy — even the paralysed ones, some of whom wear nappies with absolute dignity. The organisation currently operates out of a four-level house, but numbers keep rising, so they’re actively searching for a larger property to relocate to.
The morning ended in the most touching way possible: coffee with a room full of partially and completely blind cats, all eager for cuddles and pats. There were around 15 of them, and honestly, if you closed your eyes you’d never know they were blind — it was only visually apparent. Their confidence, trust, and affection was overwhelming. A quietly emotional moment I won’t forget anytime soon.
I’ll be heading back to help out for a couple of afternoons — and possibly on my days off — before I leave on 30 January.
