The Cats of Hydra

Wilfred dress (similar)
J. Crew sandals
Zara sunglasses (similar)
Ellen James handbag
Muru Jewellery necklace (c/o)
& Other Stories necklace
Linjer rings (c/o)
Urban Outfitters earrings
Location: Antonvioi Lignoi – Hydra Island, Greece

We shot three separate outfits on Hydra, but I think these snapshots best capture the essence of our day. We spent most of it wandering in the sun, climbing up and down stone stairs with only a vague idea of where they might lead. And we were always, from the moment we stepped off the ferry, accompanied by the local cats.

We met the first of the cats the minute we walked into town – you might have spotted him last week. Unlike the cats of Athens, who are generally a bit hostile and flea bitten, the cats on Hydra are clean, fluffy and delightfully sociable. Many will happily trot right up to you, running circles around your legs and meowing loudly. (We learned that this is mostly a strategy for earning snacks, as we watched other tourists feed them chunks of feta cheese and bits of chicken leftover from lunch. The truly brazen ones stake out restaurants with outdoor seating, thus guaranteeing themselves a few good meals every day.)

The cats of Hydra are, unlike their Athenian cousins, well-fed and content. While some were happy just to laze in the sun, others seemed to genuinely crave social interaction, perceiving themselves to be no one’s pet and everyone’s pet at the same time.

The cat in these photos was particularly persistent, chasing me up and down these stone steps as we took photos. I’m still not sure what I did that he found so fascinating. But he was determined that we would be friends. When I paused, after our shoot, to change into a pair of sandals that I was less concerned about ruining on the stone streets, he climbed up to sit next to me… and promptly climbed into my tote bag. I shooed him out, but he was undeterred – if he couldn’t have my tote bag, he would have my lap instead.

I spent the afternoon trying to brush dusty cat foot prints off the front of my black dress.

I’ve always been a city girl. Life on an island like Hydra would inevitably bore me and leave me itching to escape to somewhere new. (And while I love book, the form of escape they offer is never quite enough to satisfy me.) But for a day, I love the charming intimacy of the kind of small places where everyone knows everyone and house pets roam free. It seems to me that there must be happiness, if not excitement, in such a simple existence. And if the cats of Hydra are anything to go by, I’m right.

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