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CHARLIE and other cats in Gocek...

We are animal lovers !  Which means that wherever we are, wherever we go, there will be animals around us.  Our office is no different.  We are in D Marin Gocek marina (previously Port Gocek marina) which was built to replace an old iron mine, a beautiful place surrounded by the sea and the mountains. 

There always have been cats in this place and of course, we do our best to look after them.  We feed them, we spay them and we try to help if they are ill or injured.  Most of them are wild or timid and we try to keep it that way.  Some decide that they want to be closer to us.  But timid or not, they are our friends, we know them and are attached to them.

Charlie appeared at front of our office in spring 2001.  We just had rescued a kitten (Loraine) whom we decided to keep as our one and only office cat.  But Charlie was such a darling, such a clever cat that he became our second office cat before we even realised it.

He also very quickly became the mascot of the marina.  He knew everybody and everybody knew him.  He was successfully fishing from the top of the dinghies and was an excellent hunter, helping to keep the marina and the pontoon pest-free.  In the summer, he was visiting the yachts (even had his plate and cushion on one of them).  Each summer, some people were looking to come back to Gocek to see Charlie again.  In the winter, he was staying in our office when the weather was bad or he was going fishing or keeping company to the marina staff when the sun was shining.  He was 10 years old but fit and healthy and looking towards a few more years in the marina.

We thought that everybody loved Charlie and we thought that all the cats were safe in the D Marin marina paradise.  This year the new marina management even built a cat feeding area with some nice kennels where they could gather to get some food and get a shelter when the weather is not clement.

We were so wrong !  Last Monday, Charlie did not come to welcome us.  Then we noticed that other cats had disappeared.  We raised the alarm.  Charlie was found, unfortunately too late – he had been poisoned.  Two other cats (Fifitu and Mirmir) also were poisoned.  Alice was luckier as she was taken to the vet on time and survived. 

Then we learned that around 15 cats, who were living just outside the marina, also got poisoned...
It means that someone is, in a cowardly manner, inflicting an horrible death to the poor innocent animals.  We are shocked and sad.  And we are defenceless as we do not know if the predator is still around...
We pray that he will be found and we promise to take him to court to get the punishment he deserves.

Bye bye dear little friends.  Bye bye Charlie (you were one in a million).
           
Christine and all of us who knew and loved you