Last month, GCT reported on a cat lovers dream job of working as a caretaker at a cat sanctuary looking after 55 kittens on the island of Syros.
The job application went viral, with over 40,000 people applying for this one position.
Speaking with the Washington Post, the current caretaker and employer Joan Bowell, said she received such a huge response, with over 1,000-1,600 applications each day.
Joan made it very clear God’s Little People Cat Rescue’s Facebook page where the ad was first posted that it wasn't all fun and games, as duties would include scooping poop, cleaning vomit and making “heartbreaking” decisions about gravely wounded or sick cats.
Earlier this month, out of more than 40,000 applications, Joan and her husband Richard narrowed down the list to a few people, including Jeffyne Telson, a 62-year-old from California, who applied for the job after her husband sent her the link.
"Jeffyne, this job has you written all over it. Are you going to wait until you’re too old to try to access your dream?" said her husband.
For the past 21 years, Jeffyne has been running ResQcats, a non-profit sanctuary dedicated to the care and welfare of stray and abandoned cats and kittens, located in Santa Barbara.
In her application, Jeffyne noted she had placed 3,000 cats and kittens in homes over the decades. Those too sick or antisocial to be adopted stay at her sanctuary, as she believes that "every life is precious and worth saving."
Richard said her application stood out and that together with his wife, they travelled to Santa Barabra to meet with Jeffyne.
"There was an instant connection between Joan and Jeffyne — and the other way around."
With a shared passion for cats, the position was offered and accepted by Jeffyne, who will leave her rescue in the care of volunteers this winter, when it shuts down for the season, and spend several months in Syros.
“This will be a wonderful opportunity to spend time with just cats...And, I think, a time of reflection and gratefulness” Jeffyne says.
*Source: Washington Post
