The cats we cared for were fortunate to live in an island where outdoor cats are generally well cared for by members of the local community. Most villages have cat feeders who feed colonies around their houses (as we did), and some have cat shelters and dedicated feeders who travel round various locations daily.

These photos show a few local community cats who we met during our first few years.

This girl was fed by another local feeder to lived up the road. This colony of cats lived in and around the local plant nursery and provided vital rodent-control services, but also liked to come to the small public garden for a bowl of food under the trees and to spend time napping on the benches in the shade.

This next cat was a regular on the promenade of our northern resort and must have featured in hundreds, if not thousands, of tourist photos over the years. When the weather was less welcoming, she would visit the houses on the seafront where she would take advantage of chairs and benches on front porches and terraces. She did well for food as there were food kiosks at regular intervals along the promenade, and a steady stream of visitors who no doubt kept her supplied with tasty snacks.

This fine feline was spotted napping in a flowerbed outside the local hospital. Some departments are happy for cats to roam in and out, and patients and visitors enjoy seeing them. There are shady courtyards with doors left open, and cats are fed and cared for by employees on site.

Spot-the-cat! A village feral, well-disguised in a dry stone wall. Most villages have organised cat feeding stations which include shelters, and many people take it upon themselves to feed cats in their gardens, courtyards or outside their houses.

This cat colony lives in the town gardens. They are fed by local feeders, and neutering and medical care is taken care of by our local SPCA whose offices are around the corner. Tourists and locals alike enjoy sitting on the benches in the shade of the trees and spending time with the cats, often bringing them treats and snacks, and lots of love and attention.

The cat pictured in the header photo was fed by the same feeder as the first cat; during the colder weather she had her box with towels and cushions in the feeder’s porch – she must have been a special cat.