Cats from Mykonos Town {Mykonos}

Mykonos is one of the most popular Greek islands and attracts visitors from all over the world.

Much famed for its sandy beaches, hot summers, whitewashed buildings, and approximately 50,000 stray cats, this beautiful island is one of the gems of the Aegean Sea.

Most tourists only stay in Mykonos Town (also called Chora) when visiting the island, thus missing out on many other beautiful spots such as the gorgeous Monastary of Panagia Tourliani in the inland village of Ano Mera or the Armenistis Lighthouse. However, Mykonos Town truly deserves to be the island's hotspot.

It's easy to lose oneself in the winding alleys filled with sleeping cats, local people chatting on their doorsteps, whitewashed houses, blue shutters, and colorful bougainvillea plants. The main tourist trail is also filled with picturesque shops and bars.

Many movies were filmed in Mykonos Town. It's the place where a couple of maniac killers leave a string of murders in their wake in Island of Death (1976), where Jason Bourne tracks down leading lady Marie in the end scenes of The Bourne Identity (2002), and where The Wog Boy inherits a beach in The Kings of Mykonos (2010). 

The old harbor of Mykonos is also a great area to walk around, especially at night when the many lights of the bars and restaurants illuminate the dark sky. From here, you can also catch the ferry to Delos island.

Several of these cafés and restaurants even accept homeless cats inside, except when their customers don't welcome them.

The restaurant Kazarma has even given names to the regular felines.

The handsome Turkish Van look-alike is called Freedom. He rarely seeks out vistors and doesn't even beg for food, but he loves to curl up inside where its cozy and warm.

There's also a chunky ginger that the employees of the restaurant call Garfield. He's out to prove that stray cats of Mykonos aren't exactly mal nourished.

However, not all the stray cats of Mykonos Town are as lucky as Garfield.

While both locals and tourists will do their best to feed the strays, most of them are left to fend for themselves once the tourist season is over. In November and December, many hotels and restaurants close for the remaining of the winter. Cruise ships are no longer arriving in Mykonos Town. And since the cats of Mykonos outnumber the human inhabitants with more than 40,000 (!) there are hardly enough people left to help these poor animals.

While there are now good organizations and volunteers in Mykonos that nourish and take care of Mykonos' ferals, their number and budget is not sufficient to provide medical treatment or to spay and neuter the animals.

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Do you want to visit Myknos Town and meet the cats? 

The island of Mykonos has its own airport but is also easily reachable by ferry, departing from Athens.

I visited Mykonos in November and December, thus the empty streets. The only time I saw any tourists was when the last cruiseship of the year arrived, dropping off their passengers for a couple of hours. During tourist season, however, the streets of Mykonos Town can be crowded.

A minor point about visiting Mykonos during the winter months is the temperature. While the winters here are mild, they can also be chilly and wet. Most hotels, bars and restaurants will be closed, too. Yet the stray cats of Mykonos will gladly welcome each tourist that feeds them some kibble or leftovers during these colder months.

Text and photos by Vanessa Morgan // Photos three and 18 by Eric Valette