Advice FOR Tourists

What to do if you see a litter of kittens, an injured cat, or cats around the island.

What to do if you find a litter of kittens:

First of all, do not pick up or move kittens

It is normal for the mother cat to leave them alone for a few hours while she goes out to eat, take a break, hunt, and socialise. 

We know the kittens are adorable but please do not disturb the kittens unless you have observed them being alone, without the mother, for at least six hours. You should do this from a distance as your presence can scare the mother away. 

When you take kittens away from their mum’s milk, they will die. Bottle feeding is very risky to their health. 

What to do if you see an injured cat:

Take the injured cat to the nearest vet. (See list of vets at bottom of this page.) As with many animal rescue groups, we rely on volunteers who support us in their spare time. For this reason, we have limited resources and may not be able to take the cat to the vet. This is why we ask for your assistance. We can provide a cage for transport and help with the vet bill when funds are available. 

If you are unable to take the cat to the vet, please email anna@kalymnoscatproject.com with the location and a picture of the cat and if possible, a close-up picture of the injury.  We will do our best to help. 

Feeding the cats:

Be careful where you feed cats on the island. They may be unwelcome in some restaurants and other customers might not want the cats to hang around. This can lead to restaurant owners taking action to remove the cats from the area.

You can feed any leftover meat or fish to stray cats by the nearest rubbish bins or in a quiet place where you may see them congregating.

Purchase some dry cat food at a local market and keep it on you to feed to any hungry strays you come across.

Also, strays need water as well as food. 

Please do not give milk to cats or kittens. It will give them diarrhea.

Some islands and areas have special feeding places. Ask at your hotel if they know of feeding stations in the area.

How to help:

If you'd like to become a regular supporter of the project, please click the donate button below and set up a monthly donation.  Even if it's only 5€ or 10€ per month, every little bit helps. 

Vets on Kalymnos:

Vasiliki Lampa
'Pet in Vet'
Potami area (near Chora)
+30 2243022333

Mallia Grammatiki
Animallia
Pothia
+30 2243024133

Stefania Koutsilieri
Flaska area
+30 2243024818

Check out this great video from Nine Lives Greece (in English with Greek sub-titles) explaining the benefits of neutering stray cats.

Nine Lives Greece is a TNR charity that helps many hundreds of street cats in Athens and other parts of Greece.