Husband, wife take care of special needs kittens through their rescue
QUEENS - Spiros Tsadilas started Saint Spiro Cat Rescue eight years ago after a stray kitty showed up looking for something to eat.
The cat came back with some feline friends and within a month, Spiros said there were roughly 20 hungry cats at his door.
That’s when he and his wife, Rakhi, realized there was a serious stray cat situation in their neighborhood.
Since starting the rescue, they've adopted 15 cats of their own – the special needs, or the ‘rejects’ – as Spiros fondly calls them.
"We wind up rescuing the ones that nobody wants to rescue," Spiros said, adding the medical bills can really add up with the special kitties.
Spiros is a contractor by day and the rescue, his passion, he estimates – he’s easily shelled out $500,000 out of his own pocket since he started the not-for-profit.
"Every cat has a right to live and survive, we don’t discriminate between feral and friendlies," Spiros said.
A few dozen felines are currently up for adoption. Spiros and Rakhi don’t have a brick-and-mortar shelter, but use their home in Fresh Meadows, Queens and foster families to house the cats.
"When they find a loving home, that is the most rewarding," Rakhi added.
Eric is a kitty who was believed to be stuck in a wall for weeks, and has made a remarkable turnaround, but is still looking for his forever home.
"He was very dehydrated, so skinny," Spiros said. "He was just skin and bones – I don’t know how he survived."
For more information about their adoption and foster opportunities, check Saint Spiro Cat Adoptions NYC’s Instagram Page, PetFinder and Adopt-A-Pet.