Elizabeth Thorneycroft saved more than 20 cats from last month’s blaze in Malia. In its aftermath, she initially managed to feed them partly with donated animal food, but now supplies have dried up.

When the fire hit Mallia, many residents fled, but Elizabeth stayed, battling the flames to protect not only her house, but her beloved cats. She put her quartet of kittens, as well as her beloved ginger cat, into carrier cages and packed the essentials, ready to flee if she really had to.

In the end, she chose to remain in the village and stand her ground. What she could not predict, however, was that within the next few hours her house would be turned into an animal sanctuary. When the danger escalated, one villager was forced to flee in a rush, leaving her eight kittens behind. They are now Elizabeth’s responsibility.

In total, Elizabeth is now taking care of more than 20 cats. Some were rescued, some belonged to her, while others simply appeared through the forest at the sound of food.

It will never be known the numbers of animal life lost to the Limassol fire.

Cats were specifically used in Malia to control the mice and snake population. But without some supplementary food, the cats will never be able to repopulate the village and live independently.

“My house is now a sanctuary,” said Elizabeth. “Food is terribly expensive, and the animals rescued require four kilos of pet food daily.” She is incredibly grateful towards the young volunteers, the villagers and the animal lovers who helped her by donating pet food, and by keeping the animals affected by the fire in their minds.

“Groups of wonderful young Cypriots arrived from everywhere to help,” the response at the start was overwhelming. Unfortunately, that did not last long. The donated pet food was used up quickly. “The cats’ needs are growing by the day,” said Elizabeth. It seems like the fire damaged their eyes, so eye medicine is essential.

Elizabeth asks for cat and dog food, and eye medicine. At 77, her resilience is admirable. While the cats are building up their strength, she is slowly releasing them back into the village.

Apart from the fully grown cats which are repopulating the village, Elizabeth is also on the lookout for potential adopters, since some of the rescues are kittens.

“My house is the only one on the village square, a traditional listed building with blue windows, it’s hard to miss,” said Elizabeth. She is happy to meet the people who wish to help the animals on their journey, otherwise they are more than welcome to leave the food and the medicine outside in the yard.

Elizabeth is incredibly grateful to the ex-mukhtar, the bus drivers, the British retired army major and the volunteers for all the help they offered her. “They saved more than they knew,” she said.

“It’s lovely to come back to my house after the morning feeds to see the innocent new kittens playing, it’s life renewing itself.”