Are you visiting Vis and falling in love with our street cats? Are you tempted to feed them? We think this is fine: the cats will surely love the extra food and attention. Here are some best practices so you don’t upset the cats or the local humans.
Residents complain when tourists dump food randomly on the sidewalk. If cats don’t eat it all, you’re leaving a mess for residents to clean up. Not good! What’s the fix?
Don’t just dump and run: take responsibility for whatever street cats you’re feeding for the duration of your stay. Find some small containers to leave food and water, set these in a discreet location, and never leave too much food (you can never leave too much water).
Keep food off the ground if possible, so dogs don’t eat it. A low wall or other raised area would be best.
It’s also a good idea to pick up whatever food isn’t eaten and take the food container back for a wash until next time you use it. And don’t forget to freshen the water!
If you happen to meet whoever the local caretaker is, maybe you could find out if they approve of your feeding. Remember that you’re just a temporary visitor in an established ecosystem.
If you think a street cat is sick or injured and in need of help, contact us at streetcatsofvis@gmail.com or on social media to let us know about the situation.
Please don’t take a cat into your accommodation unless you intend to adopt it. For one thing, it may already have a local caretaker, and also, it will be disoriented when you leave.
Most importantly, think of what will happen once you leave Vis, when the cats have become accustomed to your feeding. You could let us know where you’ve been feeding and make a donation towards year-round care.
Thank you for helping us help cats!
