Last Updated on 10 July 2025 by Vanessa
Under the right circumstances, almost any cat will hunt a mouse. In Greece, many cats live as strays. Hunting isn’t just instinct; it’s survival. These cats live for the hunt. They usually aren’t allowed inside homes and aren’t treated as pets the way they might be in other parts of Europe. Some locals might leave out scraps or water, but most of the animals rely on themselves. They stay outdoors all year and have to find shelter in alleyways, ruins, and under staircases. To survive, they hunt small prey like insects, birds, and mice. This independence shapes how they behave. You’ll often see them patrolling courtyards, prowling rooftops, or waiting silently near likely food sources.
Photographer Hans Silvester explored this part of Greek island life during his travels in the 1990s. He photographed stray cats in Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, and Naxos. While in Chora, the capital of Naxos, he caught the fascinating behavior of a mouse chasing cat. The result is in these 12 pictures.
Hans Silvester’s mouse chasing cat from Naxos
About the photographer
Hans Silvester is a German photographer born in 1938 in Lörrach, near the Black Forest. He began his career in the 1950s, traveling across Europe, South America, Africa, and Asia. His work often focuses on the environment, endangered landscapes, and traditional ways of life. He has published numerous photo books, including series on the painted tribes of the Omo Valley in Ethiopia and disappearing rural cultures in Europe.
In his book Cats in the Sun, in which these photos of a mouse chasing cat first appeared, Silvester shifts his focus to the Mediterranean, photographing stray cats across Greek islands like Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, and Naxos. He captures them in alleyways, on rooftops, sunlit staircases, and among ancient ruins. His images show how these animals move through shared spaces—between the domestic and the wild. The book offers a visual record of how the cats adapt to their environment, live independently, and blend into the architecture and rhythm of island life.
