Most days I hear, "Gingos…. no Gingos…. Gingos!" as a sleek orange striped tabby slips in the front door.
Gingos – like Ginger, but with the "er" replaced with "os" to sound more Greek – was the first cat named last summer. Gingos was one of several cats hanging around our yard and once we began feeding them, a solid group arrived and made us their home base. For the cost of Friskies and Whiskas, Sennen and Ailyn got no end of joy having a group of pets.
Last year's naming had a theme: Caramel and her arch nemesis Tiramisu, Ketchup, Oreo. The one exception was the alpha male cat – Little Gray who presided over the yard from the top of the water well cover. Little Gray ate first and should anyone cross him, he pawed them across the face. He was regal and commanding, unafraid of people and among the first to be pet.
This year, Little Gray has been sighted occasionally but is no longer resident at our house for reasons we speculate on regularly. Gingos remains a core member of what Michelle deemed "The Residents" – the group of three who clearly live at our house full-time. He's joined by Ketchup – who seems to have stepped into the dominant role, if not with Little Gray's iron paw – and Patches/Pebbles. Patches/Pebbles has one eye – we're told a birth defect. I jokingly called her Patches like a pirate, but Michelle felt that was unkind and went with Pebbles. The kids were presented with the situation and seem to lean Patches, finding the pirate theme more fun than mean. Patches/Pebbles seems indifferent to the names.
The Residents are joined by several regular visitors: Caramel who is the most human-centric wanting to be pet and to get into the house – Oreo, a stone-cold bully who basically eats and runs each evening – and Tiramisu who primarily resides at Cafe Mostra in front of the house, but likes hanging with our crew regularly.
As a result of the regular food supply and perhaps the collapse of the Little Gray regime, two new cats have recently surfaced – giving the kids the excitement of naming. One is a nervous and delicate looking red tabby female who the kids believe is Ketchup's girlfriend. Sennen believes her name should be Mustard. Ailyn argues for Caramello. They now seem to be leaning Caramello. The other, newest male cat looks much like Ketchup, only with more white. Ailyn proposed Spots while Sennen favored Khao Neow Mun – the Thai name for coconut sticky rice. Sennen won out and Khao Neow Mun is an intermittent part of the crew.
A quiet legacy of Michelle is the addition of cat treats. So now the little community around our house not only gets three bowls of Friskies twice a day, but Catsifactions tossed to them on a periodic basis. Gingos and Patches seem to have claimed two of the patio chairs for napping. From my vantage point, our yard is a veritable cat paradise.
Especially given these cats have nine and eleven-year-old humans who want nothing more than to share affection and ensure they are properly cared for and happy. The cats just have to be willing to accept some unusual food-themed names. Particularly Khao Neow Mun.
Information Michelle received from Eleina, a volunteer who helps the island's stray cat population and who works at one of the two pharmacies, indicates our core group likely came from a nearby band of cats at a particular home who eventually numbered in the thirties. Eleina said this created problems, conflicts and inbreeding – which is suspected to be the cause of Patches/Pebbles' missing eye – along with a few others with the same issue. The three Residents seem likely to be related as they regularly and lovingly rub heads and bodies against each other like one might expect of litter-mates – although no one seems to be giving up their story.
One common issue seems to be a few cats who at least seem to be house-curious: Gingos, Caramel and Tiramisu. Caramel was the first to have incursions into the house last summer with the kids cheering her on and me playing the heavy and evicting her. While Caramel's attempts are fewer this year, her speed and depth have increased and she has made it as far as my room and to the other side as far as hiding under Sennen's bed. Meanwhile, Gingos – who is often reticent to be pet – makes the most attempts to "move on up", although I really don't think he would know what to do if the front door closed behind him and he was accepted as a house cat. Gingos has dreams, but lacks resolve. Tiramisu has made only one attempt, but it was a Caramel-like one that went all the way to my room before Ailyn chased her out.
The thing is, Greece's enormous stray cat population is not always the healthiest. While volunteers on Patmos have brought a vet periodically to treat sick cats and conduct a sterilization and vaccination program – many have parasites or other diseases not covered by vaccines. Or they just aren't vaccinated cats – not every one can be. Moreover, some families claim groups of outdoor cats as their own, but then don't get care for the cats. So we still have to be careful, wash hands and not let anyone indoors – much to the kids' chagrin.
All the same, our strays have become a sort of outdoor pet band who are part of the tapestry of our Patmos experience.
In Westlake, the kids have desperately wanted a dog – which for various reasons, neither Emily or I have proceeded with. I have great sympathies, would like a dog – but complications keep me from moving forward. This cat experience in Patmos not only helps the kids scratch an itch – so to speak – but also allows us all to pilot the responsibility of caring for pets. Of course, the kids get off easy with no litter-box to clean. However, there are regular feedings, water bowl changes, buying food, and times of giving cats attention. Sennen has become a bit of a hypochondriac cat parent worrying about anything he thinks might be wrong with a cat like Caramel's panting in the sun possibly being a breathing obstruction or Gingos' natural pink coloring around the bottom of his mouth being an injury.
Eleina has said during the off-season, she and her volunteers bring food to bands of cats around the island and since our house is so close to her work, it would be easy for her to drop food for our group. I didn't make such arrangements last year and somehow Gingos, Ketchup, Caramel and the others survived the winter in good shape. There must be other loving people who see to their welfare.
Greeks are funny because they really like their cats. Most homes and businesses seem to have at least a few adopted cats they feed and in some cases make full pets. Prokopis who owns the hardware store has a cat who sits behind the counter and sprawls across his chair who he calls "my princess" as he strokes her (watch out Mr Bigglesworth). A little like Balinese with dogs, the relationship between Greeks and cats is not always the kind of pet relationship we have in America or exemplified by Australian-born Prokopis, but more of a friendship with animals who have their own lives and who in turn may provide protection. Balinese value dogs who guard and protect their homes, while Greeks seem to value cats for their mousing abilities.
Sennen and Ailyn, who have never been cat people, seem to be thinking differently about felines – certainly appreciating and getting to know them better. If nothing else, our feline residents are part of our Patmos life. So long as they can endure being named for exotic rice dishes and condiments, I think they too will benefit greatly from our newfound friendship.
Khao Neow Mun
Gingos 
Caramel and Gingos
Patches/Pebbles and Gingos
