By: Jackson Warner

When you first arrive at the hotel after getting off the plane, one thing you will immediately notice is the large number of cats outside. In Cyprus, there are more cats than humans; there are around 1.5 million cats living on the island. The majority of these cats are stray cats, and they can be found on every street in Cyprus. You will often see them around restaurants, where they will walk around your table, looking for food or hoping you will give them some. You might ask yourself why there are so many cats in Cyprus, as I did when I arrived.

            The earliest known written records and a legend in Cyprus suggest that the arrival of cats on the island dates back to the 4th century AD. It is a story of Saint Helen of Constantinople, in the 4th century AD sent two boatloads of cats from Egypt and Palestine to deal with a snake infestation at a monastery. The monastery would become known as the “cat monastery,” where cats could roam freely and were well cared for. However, it is just a legend; there hasn’t been any conclusive evidence showing that two boatloads of cats were received in Cyprus. However, the legend suggests a possible bleedover into the cultural acceptance of stray cats, which is evident in modern Cypriots. Often, you will see food on the side of the street for stray cats that locals have left out, and they will often care for them as they are viewed as companions in Cyprus. For instance, in Lefkara, a shop owner was taking care of four stray cats and told us how he loved them as his own. The cats were hanging out in front of his shop with food bowls there for them to eat. However cats have been in Cyprus much longer than the legend of the “cat monastery”. In a 9,500-year-old grave, cat remains were found alongside human remains, indicating that people in Cyprus had cats in close proximity for much longer. 

            In Cyprus there is a complete lack of spaying and neutering programs for stray cats and the government has insufficiently addressed the issue of stray cats. With locals feeding and taking care of stray cats, and no programs to control their population size, these factors compound the issue. Cats have large litters of kittens and can produce those large litters multiple times a year, resulting in significant population growth of cats in Cyprus. 

            The cats in Cyprus are generally very friendly and are extremely cute! But be careful they do have claws and can definitely scratch you. Also, when you go to a restaurant and eat outside, you can definitely be swarmed by a group of cats looking for a meal. It will be extremely hard to miss seeing cats out and about in Larnaca and Cyprus and you will have plenty of opportunities to take pictures of cats.