In my pretentious mission of visiting all Greek islands, I got to know Donousa this year.

A little less than 7 hours away by ferry from Athens, you will find this little island that has, basically, all you need in life:

  • Paradise desert beaches
  • Lovely houses, landscapes, good food blablabla
  • HUNDREDS OF SOFT AND FAT CATS

I’m not a person who cries, but when I left it, it was kind of touching. I just wanted to spend there my entire winter and probably my entire life.

I could keep on talking about the beauty of the island, but what really made the difference in my experience is definitely the cats.

Donousa cat

He is the softest cat on the island and he’s totally aware of it.

Cats of Donousa

I hope this post will contribute to bringing awareness to the world about those cats. People need to know how fluffy they are.

Donousa has a population of 167 inhabitants and more than 300 cats. This means that you’re more likely to spend time with cats than with people.

Haven’t you imagined heaven to be exactly like this?

Well, nobody had ever told us that hidden in this corner of the Aegean sea, you have the softest cats on this planet.  I’m afraid Lonely Planet does not even have a line about these cats, if not for Donousa at all.

If you are wondering about the degree of their softness, yes, they are the softest cats you will ever meet. Forget all the other cats you met (unless you met Boncy, my deceased but never forgotten giant cat) until now. Donousa is a completely different story.

You can make a donation for the cats everywhere on the island. My idea is that those 167 inhabitants invest a lot of money in conditioner for these cats. And they clearly want to keep the cats for themselves, because this soft fur is not really mentioned as the main tourist attraction.

To supplement the information provided so far, we shouldn’t forget to mention these cats are also fat. Not too fat that you can’t hold them, or that you should worry not to give them all your leftovers from your plate (so that they can casually keep coming under your table at the restaurant and you can pretend every time to be surprised). Not that kind of fat. They are just chubby enough to have chubby paws and chubby cheeks. Just the perfect level of chubbiness.

Without dragging on further, we can fairly say they represent perfection.

Therefore, as it should be, they exercise at all times their powers of sovereignty on the island. You will find them on the beach, on the trees, most likely on your bed. They decide if and when you have to enjoy your holidays, if and when you have to rub their belly. You will never say no, you will never want.