Epic Journey Of A Refugee Cat
PetFinder.my 
Feb 20, 2016 
NGOs, PetFinder.my 
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Epic Journey of a Refugee Cat
A cat named Dias has been through more than many people have in a lifetime. Dias survived the flight from Iraq to Europe during the refugee crisis, got lost in Greece, and was miraculously reunited with his family in Norway!
Last fall, Anderson an American now based in Switzerland volunteered to spend months on the island of Lesvos pulling people from the waters of the Mediterranean as they arrived in record-breaking numbers from Syria and Iraq. They had lost their homes, their countries. They risked their lives. They brought with them only what they could carry.
Greece is the main landing place for people trying to take refuge in Europe. In one little boat was a family fleeing Mosul, Iraq, a city now controlled by the militant extremist sect, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). With them was a little white cat.”This family probably paid thousands to get a spot on this rubber boat even infants required a fee,” Anderson told The Dodo. “They cared enough about this cat to bring [him] with them.”
When the boat carrying the family came ashore, the cat panicked and jumped onto the beach and ran away to hide. For many refugees, the landings were hectic. Some people fainted when they reached the shore, Anderson said. Others were frantic to rush to settle and start new lives in new countries. “There were constant rumors of borders closing,” Anderson said. “People were really scared they’d have nowhere to go.”
Despite this chaos, the family who had lost their beloved cat searched for hours, but they couldn’t find him anywhere. They realized they had to go on without him.
But three days later, the white cat reappeared, hungry and haggard, at a local cafe volunteers like Anderson frequented. But the family had already left the island. For weeks, the white cat stayed at the cafe, among the exhausted volunteers.
One day, Anderson was talking to her friend Amy about the cat who had lost everything. Anderson said that after the months of witnessing the trauma and suffering of the refugees, “maybe we needed a positive story.”
“Amy made a comment like, ‘We should just try reunite him with his family.’ And I was like, ‘Let’s do it!’ Both of us were like, ‘why not try?’” But not everyone was so convinced that finding a cat’s family was a worthwhile endeavor. Another friend of Anderson’s, who does translations to help refugees, was almost offended that she was spending so much time and energy on a cat.
“I was like, ‘This is something we can do.’ Nothing is impossible. Everyone has the power to do something.”
Amid the chaos, Anderson started working on tracking down the family who could be almost anywhere in Europe. “We’re pretty sure they made it to the country they were trying to go, but we don’t know where that is,” she said. Meanwhile, she and Amy gave the cat a name: Dias, the modern Greek word for the ancient god of strength, Zeus.
Anderson and her friend took Dias to the vet for a bath and a check-up. They got him neutered. They even got him a passport. “It’s easier to get a cat across a border than a human,” Anderson pointed out. “His family is probably struggling to find a way to make money.”
After Anderson left Greece, her friend Amy flew with Dias to Berlin, Germany, where many refugees end up settling because of the country’s open door policy, hoping Dias’s original family might have moved there. A foster family welcomed Dias. Meanwhile, Anderson started a hopeful social media campaign to reunite Dias with the family who cared so much about him.
Months later, she’s still trying. “The story is much more than just a story about a cat,” Anderson said. “I want there to be, in the suffering and pain, a little beacon of hope. I really want to find this family.”
On Friday, February 12, 2016, Dias family has been miraculously located in Norway! Apparently, his real name is Kunkush and the cat was very responsive to the name. They had a Skype reunion, and a lot of happy tears were shed. Kunkush was looking behind the computer, trying to find the people to the voice. It was so adorable.
This video shows their touching family reunion, after 4 long months!
Indeed, those of us who live with cats understand all sides of this story the family’s desire to bring their beloved cat with them when they fled their home and Ms. Anderson’s passionate drive to reunite them. Social media may save the day. Here in Malaysia, whether you’re looking to adopt a cat, find a lost cat or find a cat’s original family, your best option is http://PetFinder.my. With free adoption and lost / found listings, we’ll help you get the word out there.
Source: https://goo.gl/I2kTvS. http://goo.gl/5OjMdQ
Source: https://www.facebook.com/PetFinder.my/videos/104948647509697..
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