NAXOS, Greece — This country is known for a lot of spectacular aspects … breathtaking landscapes, centuries-old antiquities, its food, its music and its people.

It also is home to perhaps millions of stray dogs and cats that roam through city streets and rural gardens with nary a care in the world.

My traveling companions and I have made a friend of one of the wanderers on Naxos, where we will spend the next few nights. I am going to call her “Calico,” as she is a calico kitty, and I believe a young one, too.

Calico doesn’t act like a feral animal. Her fur is groomed, she purrs constantly, she loves being held and she also seems willing to join us indoors in the resort where we are staying.

Stray dogs and cats have been a source of discussion among Greeks for years. As Greece was preparing to host the 2004 Athens Olympics, a tempest erupted when the government considered methods to, um, “reduce” the number of stray animals who officials thought would bother the millions of tourists who came here for the Games.

Citizens here said, “Not so fast!” They resisted any thought of mass slaughter of the pooches and kitties. Indeed, we witnessed a woman the other morning in Athens feeding about 20 cats gathered around her for a meal.

These adorable critters, such as Calico, are part of life in Greece.