One woman’s trek through Greece's mountains turns into a life-saving mission after her dog finds two black kittens abandoned where no one was supposed to be looking.

While we're all cat people here, we can't deny how much we appreciate dogs who sniff their way to discovering abandoned kittens.

We all love a good kitten rescue story, but there's a particular set that repeats itself - rarely, but it still does. And we suspect it all has to do with dogs' amazing sense of smell. A dog's sense of smell is estimated to be 10,000 to 100,000 times more acute than a human's, making it their primary way of experiencing the world. With up to 300 million scent receptors compared to our 6 million, dogs can detect odors in parts per trillion, often identifying substances, diseases, and people from miles away… and also abandoned kittens, repeatedly.

These two tiny floofs found in the woods wouldn't be the first kittens adopted by a dog, let alone found by one. We're obviously thrilled about the bottom line, of the kittens receiving a forever home they so deserve, but we're also glad for the human-doggo combination that keeps on rescuing kittens in the woods. Yes, it usually happens in the woods - because, sadly, this is where a lot of pets are abandoned, in thinking no one would ever search there. But the people who, cruelly so, abandon their kittens there just don't account for the absolutely magical sense of smell of dogs.

People constantly find cats in random places and then adopt them, mostly thanks to the Cat Distribution System, but it doesn't mean that this is the only way this adoption system works. The CDS employs agents, and some of them happen to be dogs. Not everyone needs to be cat people to save cats - some can be dog people. Apparently, it works just as well.

"What should I name my two voids that I found abandoned in the woods"
My dog found them a few weeks ago in the moutians in a bucket. This indicates that they were someone spat cat who had babies and the babies were dumped and left for wild animal food. Which sadly happens alot this time of year because in Greece we have more cats than humans. It’s getting better as TNR and spaying is becoming more affordable. But we have no real government options for that, so it’s mostly individuals and rescues who TNR the strays and teach their neighbors about it.
My whole block is 100% TNR w have about 30 colony cats. But we always get a couple kittens that we find every spring. As well as male cats that visit and get snipped, then go back to thier territories
I somehow managed to keep these two alive and let my kids name them. They call them Amelia (the girl) and frosty (the boy). I need to present a few other options because neither name HIT correctly.
-WarDog1983
Deiser
Oddy and Penny, short for Odysseus and Penelope. They both had an odyssey before being found by you after all.

WarDog1983
I like that
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East-Block-4011
Hansel & Gretel

Hopeful_Gur423
Came here to say this!
We absolutely love the option of these two smol kittens being named Hansel and Gretel. There are so many parallels between the original story and this kitten rescue mission.
First of all, Hansel and Gretel are two siblings abandoned in the forest. Sounds familiar? Yes, well, it's only the beginning. When the two kids from the fairytale enter the witch's hut in the woods, she locks them up in a cage - like the bucket these two void kittens were found in.
And also, the original tale was written by the Brothers Grimm - they were German, and the story is set in medieval Germany. Now, the kittens don't have a lot to do with medieval Germany, but they were found in Greece - on the same continent. This is not another American story.
This is why we love Hansel and Gretel as names for these two. It fits them so well.
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Hombremaniac
Daimon and Phoebe. But no matter the names, thank you for saving them!
Btw crazy how some things differ wildly in various cultures. Like for example Greece seems to be heaven for stray dogs while Turkey is cat's paradise.

BoomerKaren666
Spade and Shade

RetiredHomeEcTchr
I like this. I was going to say Licorice and Black Jack, but Spade and Shade are nice too.

maesardsara
In honor of two voids I loved reading about years and years ago: Chaos and Mayhem.

P_f_M
I can't suggest something direct.. but would go with Greek Pantheon... there for sure must a myth about two kids being found lost...
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via WarDog1983
The last person has a good direction, in our opinion. Since this all happens in Greece, a parallel Greek mythology story names for the kittens would be fitting. We couldn't remember any perfect fit, but there are two good contenders of Greek mythology stories that come close to that “lost and found children” idea:
The closest fit is probably the story of Ion: Ion is the son of Apollo and a mortal woman, Creusa. As a baby, he’s abandoned (effectively “lost”) in a cave. Apollo secretly makes sure he survives, and Ion is raised at Delphi, not knowing who he is. Years later, his mother comes to Delphi, and through a series of tense, almost tragic misunderstandings, they eventually recognize each other. But Ion is only one name, and we have two kittens to name here.
Another Greek mythology example is the story of Artemis and Apollo as infants. When Leto gives birth, she’s being hunted by Hera, so the twins are born in hiding on the island of Delos. It’s less “lost children” and more “hidden to survive” sort of trope, but it has two siblings displaced in infancy - just like the two black kittens in the woods. So maybe Artemis and Apollo could be fitting names.