Eco Hvar

Miki, A Happy Rescue Cat

Published in About Animals

Miki, a very special kitten, tells the heartwarming story of how he found his ideal family.

From the first days of happiness From the first days of happiness Private album

I am Miki, born on July 1st 2020 in the Banski Dolac quarter of Jelsa. My life had a very stormy start. I could hardly walk, I dragged myself around slowly and helplessly. I think my mother abandoned me, but I don't know for sure. Some tourists found me crossing the old street in Banski Dolac, a lady with three children. They took me home to their rented villa, where they had a small dog. When he saw me, the children's father was horrified and wanted the family to put me back straight away where they found me - I have to admit I was ugly and puny, so I was not an attractive sight. That evening they took me back to Banski Dolac, but left me near the first houses below the road. The night was cold, I had been born not long before and I had nothing to eat.

My saviours

The next day my life turned a full circle. In the morning while I tottered around, hungry and helpless, one woman pushed me away with a broom and another wanted to throw boiling water over me. But at that moment, luck was on my side. A small boy was looking out of a window and saw what was about to happen. He immediately shouted to his grandfatherr "Grandpa, quickly, we must save a tiny kitten!" And then the boy raced out of the yard himself and took me in his arms, I had a welcome feeling of wellbeing.

My warm bed to snuggle in. Private album

Happiness was mine from that day on. The next morning they took me to Dr. Prosper Vlahović, the vet in Stari Grad, who checked me over and gave me all the medicines I needed. Special 'mother's' milk as well.... I slept with my new family in the bedroom, I had my own warm basket just as if I was lying in the warmth next to my mother. They petted me every day and followed my every move. The young boy was always with me, I was given a little ball and plenty more besides.

Endless love. Private album

A big change of scene

Then came the day when school was due to start again. For that reason, my boy's parents were against taking me to their other home. As they explained to him: "Daddy and mummy have to go to work, you'll be going to school, leaving the cat all alone at home." My saviour's answer was resolute: "I am not going anywhere without my cat". His decision was so firm, nothing could stop me travelling. Dr. Prosper issued me with a Croatian passport and we set off on our journey. It was very exciting, I was given a leash. When we were in Split waiting for the next part of our journey, I was calm, always held in my little saviour's arms. On the aeroplane I was in my carrier beside my family, so the journey was fine.

Comfort and safety. Private album

And then we got to Berlin...

Ah, that was something else...My young saviour's daddy was there to meet us and he looked at me rather critically. Although he didn't say anything, I could feel his disapproval. It's true, I wasn't very pretty then. Howver, it didn't take long for him to fall in love with me, and after that  everything was wonderful. I got a villa as my new home, with several floors, and I could be wherever I wanted. I knew I was safe.

Watchful but trusting. Private album

There are no limits or forbidden places in our abode. And I have to say I am very good, very well-behaved. I run after the ball when they play table tennis and there's plenty more fun for me to join in with. 

I enjoy table tennis. Private album

As you can imagine, I am extremely well fed, with salmon, duck, chicken and more, too much to mention...Thanks to all the care I received, I have developed into a beautiful feline specimen.

I am now handsome, thanks to my family. Private album

Curing a private worry 

But deep inside I was carrying a sadness. My family sensed this and one of them contacted a lady with a rare gift. She somehow could tell that I was grieving for my brother, wondering what had happened to him. And, miraculously, she managed to communicate to me that he was alive and doing well, just as I was. That cured my sadness. My happiness was complete.

Peaceful sleep. Private album

This summer I was back in my birthplace. I'm excited, it's the aeroplane and the ferry again, and then here I am in Jelsa once more, happy and outdoors! I'm in the house and the yard, and they make sure I don't venture out of the premises. They take special care of me, because there are some people around who don't like cats.

To follow my further development, you can find me on Instagram: theoneandonlymiki

My hope

There is just one thing I wish for, that other lonely abandoned kittens find the good fortune that I have!

No worries any more! Private album

Translation: Vivian Grisogono, MA(Oxon), September 2025.

We at Eco Hvar are extremely grateful to Miki's family for sharing his uplifting story with us.

back to top
You are here: Home about animals Miki, A Happy Rescue Cat

Eco Environment News feeds

  • ‘These are human fires, not wildfires’: Dunwich reflects on the devastation

    As residents, nature wardens and experts consider the damage to the heathland and how to restore it, the climate crisis is foremost in their minds

    A local community pulling together, emergency services saving homes and caravan parks from catastrophe, and farmers and nature reserve wardens working to rapidly create fire breaks to halt a marauding fireball 40 metres high – there was plenty to praise the week after a swathe of east Suffolk burned.

    But local people were also in tears at the blackened, ruined state of more than 112 hectares (277 acres) of Dunwich Heath, mourning the devastation of a much-loved nature reserve alongside neighbouring Minsmere. The rare birds that inhabit the reserve have lost crucial habitat, while the rare invertebrate species there will have been “decimated”, according to the reserve staff.

    Continue reading...

  • Plastics contamination an ‘overlooked’ concern in food waste schemes, experts say

    Researchers find microplastics can persist in compost, leaching into agricultural soils

    Plastic contamination should be a central concern in efforts to deal with food waste, which campaigners call one of the most overlooked problems of the climate crisis, researchers have said.

    This is despite the fact that, as the chef, author and activist Max La Manna puts it, food waste management is “one of the few climate problems where everyone wins”.

    Continue reading...

  • Country diary: We’ve had fires here in the Cairngorms before. This one has changed things | Amanda Thomson

    Abernethy: It’s been a period of heartbreak and gratitude, mourning the scorched landscape and staying away from home when the smoke got too close

    Parts of the Cairngorms have been on fire for over three weeks. Many places I take for granted that I can walk to are off-limits. Huge swathes of moorland that should be purple with heather, understoreys that should be thick with blaeberries, granny pines and younger trees, are scorched black. In places, the fires has burned down into the tree root system and the peat layer, and may smoulder for weeks.

    It’s been a period of uncertainty and despair. I’ll never forget the day the wind changed direction and a huge plume of smoke rose behind the trees immediately beyond our house. We waited to see if we would be evacuated, gathered passports, important documents, medicines, and packed a bag of clothes. When residents of nearby Nethy Bridge were advised to evacuate, we stayed with a friend just outside the perimeter for the night, something I never imagined having to do.

    Continue reading...

  • ‘I couldn’t breathe’: the deadly health burden of wildfire smoke

    Scientists race to untangle complex links between exposure and mortality as fire weather grows more prevalent

    A thousand kilometres from the infernos gorging on northern Ontario’s boreal forests, Erin O’Connor watched the sky above Canada’s biggest city turn an “almost post-apocalyptic” orange as it filled with light-scattering particles of soot and ash. Stepping outside the halls of Toronto General hospital, where air filters were keeping patients safe from the worst of the fumes, she was struck by a smell so strong it felt like standing by a campfire.

    “It really hit you in the face as soon as you walked outside,” said O’Connor, who runs University Health Network’s emergency department and saw a rise in patients presenting with allergies and shortness of breath. “As the days progressed, it was like that everywhere. It seemed even inside you could smell that burning.”

    Continue reading...

  • Sadiq Khan calls on Andy Burnham to commit to climate action as pressure grows over North Sea oil

    London mayor points to ‘terrifying scenes’ this summer amid speculation Burnham may back Jackdaw and Rosebank projects

    Sadiq Khan has called on the government to commit to revamped climate action and to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas, as the UK endures a summer of drought, wildfires and heatwaves.

    Writing in the Guardian, the mayor of London said that Andy Burnham’s administration must reaffirm its commitment to net zero and make clear it will continue to reduce the UK’s reliance on oil and gas “to get Britain back on track.”

    Continue reading...

  • ‘Fearless and quietly astonishing’: the dragonfly that migrates further than any other insect

    Wandering gliders are descended from some of the earliest known insects – and breed as one global population

    Revealed: the top 10 invertebrates of the year

    All hail the wandering glider, a citizen of the globe, an insect for all of us.

    Whenever we see a dragonfly zipping through the airspace and devouring tiny insects with aplomb, we can appreciate they are so timelessly effective that they have barely needed to tweak their way of life in 200m years. Odonates are directly descended from some of the earliest winged insects, known as griffin flies, which evolved around 317m years ago.

    It’s invertebrate of the year again! From August 3-12, every day we’ll be profiling one of the thousands of amazing invertebrates that our readers have nominated, and then, when you’ve got to hear about all of them, we’ll open the voting so you can choose your favourites. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with thoughts and ideas: email us at [email protected] with Invertebrate in the subject line.

    Continue reading...

  • The ornithological artist drawing 1,000 birds by hand – all for an app that wants you off your phone

    The mission of the Flock app is quietly subversive: to encourage users to ditch their screens and explore the wonderful world of birding

    On a brilliantly bright afternoon in his gallery and studio in Bolinas, a small town on the northern California coast, Keith Hansen was putting the finishing touches on a watercolor of an almost improbably flamboyant painted bunting.

    With an ultra-fine sable brush, he made a few intricate additions to the cobalt blue plumage on the bunting’s head, and, satisfied with his work, slipped the watercolor into a stout binder that every few days welcomes a new addition.

    Continue reading...

  • ‘Panda of the insect world’: the moscardón bumblebee creates buzz for invertebrate of the year

    Bombus dahlbomii, a giant ginger bumblebee fondly known as the flying mouse, is in decline in its native Patagonia due to commercial farming

    We all love bumblebees. Not only are they beautiful, busy and social, they perform pollination services that are crucial for plants, crops and human civilisation.

    Any bumblebee would be a worthy winner of invertebrate of the year but a gorgeous giant ginger bumblebee fondly known as the flying mouse? Come on!

    Continue reading...

  • Blame game as Brussels builds ‘Europe’s largest frying pan’ instead of shady square

    Architect’s vision for redevelopment of heart of EU quarter unrealised amid political wrangling and rising costs

    The redevelopment plan for Schuman Square at the heart of the EU quarter in Brussels was very ambitious. From a traffic-clogged, nondescript roundabout, it would become “an urban agora”, a greener, calmer meeting place, nothing less, said a former head of the Brussels government, than “a symbol that beats as the heart … of the European project”.

    It did not turn out that way. The result, say critics, is Europe’s largest frying pan, a concrete expanse with little greenery or shade. While the number of cars has reduced and the space is remodelled with smart grey paving, the centrepiece – a steel canopy with a green roof – was never built.

    Continue reading...

  • When bird flu hit the UK, suffering seabirds died in their thousands. Australia’s wild flocks will soon do the same

    Australia’s bird population will experience ‘large mortalities’ and risk species loss, modelling based on global outbreaks shows

    Sandwich terns are a graceful seabird known for their committed, forceful and spectacular plunging dives into the ocean to catch fish.

    Thousands of the species started to fall sick across Europe in 2022 with tens of thousands dying as a lineage of the H5N1 bird flu – 2.3.4.4b – spread through the continent’s wild flocks.

    Sign up to get climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s Clear Air column as a free newsletter

    Continue reading...

Eco Health News feeds

Eco Nature News feeds

Copyright © 2026 Eco Hvar. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Orion Informatika.