I sat down on the steps in front of the house and acted all cool. The cats – Gingos and Ketchup – came over and I pet them. After my attempts to put a flea collar on Gingos on Sunday, he was understandably hesitant to come to me. Fortunately, Gingos is nothing if not desirous of having the support and affection of the people who live in this house and after a minute of staring, he slowly approached. I let him sniff my hand, pet him behind his ears, around his mouth and soon he was very happy. Then I pulled out the collar and began trying to get it around his head. He pulled back – not running away in horror, but not allowing it either.
I decided this couldn't be another long process. It was now or never. So I gently grabbed Gingos by the nape of the neck and in his momentary surprise, I slipped the collar right over his head. He then bolted – but the collar was on. I didn't get a chance to fully cinch it, but it wasn't falling off and he wasn't making any strong attempts to remove it. We stared at one another and I think Gingos realized I had met my objectives and my rouse was over. He didn't object to the collar once on him, so I had no need to take further action at this time. I could find another moment to better fit the collar, although maybe this is more comfortable and I should just leave well enough alone?
Either way, Gingos was now certified to enter the foyer of our house. It seemed to me the best way to move on from our torrid incident was for Gingos to go inside – the thing he prizes the most. The kids opened the front door and sat down in the foyer – cat treats in hand. Ketchup – who now had two days of collar wearing under his….collar?….was more emboldened. He followed their trail of treats until he was being fed and pet in the foyer. Gingos sat back watching. His torment was obvious. He WANTED to be in the foyer getting those pets and treats – but would something terrible befall him? And Ketchup – that dumb oaf who he has taken under his wing and who can't even be trusted to protect the yard from unwanted interloping cats – was getting all the love and treats INSIDE the house as Gingos had so long sought…. it was a bitter pill to swallow (not that Gingos swallows pills).
Still, Gingos didn't get to be the boss of the yard by acting impulsively. As hard as it was, allowing Ketchup to be a test case was a wise course of action. Gingos likes Ketchup a lot, but Ketchup is replaceable. Gingos decided to bide his time, staring intently. After several minutes, it appeared no harm was coming to Ketchup but a lot of treats were going to the wrong cat. So, hesitantly, Gingos came forward and slowly, with great care claimed his rightful place in the foyer.
After ten or so minutes of pets and treats, both cats looked like they had other things to do and really had no idea what would come next in the foyer. So, the kids let them go back outside and everyone returned to their typical evening.
In the light of day, Gingos appeared happy and completely content with his new collar. He was happy for me to give the two cats their morning food and water.
Will there be another foyer gathering? Probably. Will I have to be involved any further? Hopefully not. I would like to retire as a cat collarer.
Prior to that important and conclusive moment in our Patmos sojourn of 2025, the kids and I spent the afternoon swimming and eating at Pleiades. The incredible view of Sapsilla Bay and the expansive Aegean is always breathtaking and the pool always refreshing. The older I get, the less I like chlorine – which typically has me opt-out of most swimming pools, especially hotel and public ones. I can enjoy a good saltwater pool – few and far between as they are. Pleiades has some kind of technology that makes it a freshwater pool – no or very limited chlorine. Supposedly the water is always being filtered. It's a dream for me and I have no problem going in frequently with the kids, swimming under water, playing games. No terrible chlorine sweats afterwards. When we hang out at the edge of the deep end there's also that awesome view.
An afternoon of aquatic joy for the cost of two gourmet burgers and an avocado toast. Pleiades even offers free, unlimited, cold filtered water – something quite rare in Patmos!
Equally rare and surprising is that Pleiades – despite being attached to a boutique hotel – is really a locals' spot. In the afternoons and on Sundays, we often see Patmians who have come to relax and enjoy a swimming pool instead of the sea. Yesterday it was the guy who owns the produce shop and his wife among a few others we didn't know as well. The crowd is usually small and mellow and there's absolutely no pressure to turn over the tables – people are expected to stay and swim for hours.
From our perch at Pleiades, we could see every boat entering or leaving the Patmos harbor, making us aware of whether cruise ships were at anchor. There was one when we left town which departed in the mid-afternoon. Another arrived in the late afternoon and anchored off-shore. The kids are now firmly anti-cruise-ship and particularly take issue with Celestyal Cruise boats – the late afternoon ship – which tends to have a large American population. Sennen and Ailyn would prefer us to be the only Americans on Patmos, but if that's not possible – then the Americans here should represent us well. Although I have been trying to offer them alternative perspectives, the kids largely feel cruise passengers aren't the most capable and engaged travelers.
In fairness, many of the cruise passengers seem to lack some travel finesse. I would guess the vast majority take the tour up to Hora for the monastery and then mill about Skala shopping, never seeing anything else on the island. Not that the monastery and Skala aren't important – but they don't get to the really lovely beaches or other historical or religious sites outside town. However, they are great for business – which is why Patmos has worked with the cruise companies to increase the number of boats stopping at the island. I am sure Stelios sells at least double the gelato thanks to cruise ships.
When we come back to town during the time a Celestyal Cruise is in port, Sennen and Ailyn keep an eye on the welfare of local cats. They have seen several incidents of tourists crowding around a local cat, prodding it, "playing with it" in ways the cat doesn't appreciate. Sennen has taken it on himself to inform people when they're making a cat uncomfortable and in a few cases, removing the cat from its situation, dropping it off in our yard for it to regroup at take refuge. Yesterday, he extracted a cat from people grabbing its paws and though the cat had never been to our yard, nor did it stay, it did seem relieved and took its leave after a few minutes' breather.
So it seems Sennen and Ailyn are increasingly becoming cat herders. Even the mighty Gingos has fallen to their will – taking on a collar, becoming more domestic. Only, while Gingos hasn't figured out how the collars link to being allowed inside, they actually work with his goals. For two years, Gingos has been trying to sneak into the house – something I have never wanted for him, or me. He wants more time with the kids and is at least curious about domesticity. When informing her of my success in getting a collar on Gingos, my sister Andrea said, "Soon enough Gingos will realize he's got you right where he wants you."
