Have you been dreaming of a Greek getaway since you saw the latest Mamma Mia movie?
Do you get along better with cats than other people?
If you answered "Yes" to both those questions, we have just the job opportunity for you.
It involves a "small paradise" in the Aegean Sea, and 55 cuddly cats in need of a caretaker.
Welcome To Syros
On the tiny island of Syros, a speck of earth off the coast of Greece home to just over 21,000 people, you'll find the God's Little People Cat Rescue.
The animal shelter is home to dozens of stray and feral cats, who are looked after by artist Joan Bowell and her husband.
The couple moved to Syros for their health in 2010, and later became owners of the cat sanctuary.
Now, they're moving on for a few months, and are looking for a cat person to hold down the fort for them until they return.
For cat lovers around the world, Bowell's Facebook ad sounded too good to be true:
"Paid job offer with cats - this is genuine and NOT a joke - friends, please feel free to verify," she wrote.
"You will have 55 cats in your care and need to be able to overview them all, and feed and medicate. Big added bonus if you're trained vet or nurse."
If the prospect of being outnumbered by feral felines doesn't scare you, this job has other perks.
Must Love Cats
Of course, the lucky person who gets the job at God's Little People is expected to relocate to Syros.
But there's a "semidetached modern tiny house with [its] own garden" and a stunning view of the Aegean ready and waiting for the new caretaker.
Bowell says the ideal candidate is "a mature and genuinely passionate cat lover who knows how to handle many cats and would love their company."
"Apart from feeding the cats the cats will also need heaps of love and attention," she writes.
The job pays about €500 (about $560) a month, for what's described as just four hours of work each day.
The water and electricity bill for the home are included with the job, along with expenses for the sanctuary (i.e. money to buy the piles and piles of cat food).
Applicants must also be able the drive sanctuary's stick-shift vehicle, to take sick cats to the vet.
"We are located in a secluded nature preserved area which is very tranquil and quiet in winter time but busy during the summer," Bowell wrote.
"You'll no doubt thrive best if you are the type of person who appreciates nature and likes tranquility "” and rest comfortably in your own company."
"That said," she added, "you'll never feel lonely in the company of the cats and you'll be expected to live with a small handful of cats in your house."
"Knowing something about a cats psychology too is important."
While wrangling cats on a deserted Greek island might be your dream job, it's not exactly an easy career.
"You will at times be expected to trap or handle a feral or non-sociable cat," Bowell warned, "so knowing something about a cats psychology too is important [and] cat-whispering skills should come natural to you."
She says that sometimes the island's strays arrive at her doorstep malnourished and sick. Some even need to be put down when they can't be saved.
There's a short window to apply for the job as well - the new caretaker will have to start training in October to run the shelter by themselves in November.
But Bowell says she's already been swamped by replies from cat lovers around the word.
"I meant to leave it for a few weeks thinking it'd take a while to gather some interest but it's gone completely viral!" she told Scary Mommy.
"So right now I have about 700 applications and receive [one to three] messages per minute! So it will take a while to boil it all down to one purrfect purrson."
Bowell is scheduling video interviews for the caretaker position at the end of August.
If you think you have what it takes, send your application with a photo and relevant information to joanbowell@yahoo.com.
[H/T: Nine.com.au]
