It's a Cat's World Out There

I recently returned to one of my favorite cat hot spots in Florence, the rose garden. I needed a little cat action in my day so I hopped up there because I knew I could count on the cats there.

Some of the cats of the Rose Garden:

So I was sitting there, seshing with 4 different cats, feeding them some treats when all of the sudden, a woman arrives with a duffel bag filled with an endless amount of canned cat food. The cats instantly flocked to her as I put my measly bag of cat treats back in my pocket.

The woman only spoke Italian, but from what I could gather, this was a daily occurrence for her. I mumbled a quiet "mi piacciono i gatti" and watched the rest of this process in awe. 

She knew these cats well, and they knew her. I was envious of the connection that she had with these cats. 

This was a good reminder that cats ultimately just run the world. This woman feeds these cats out of the kindness of her own heart, and gets no reward or recognition for it. 

It's a truly inspiring act of kindness and I hope to be just like her some day. 

So This one Time in Orvieto...

This past weekend I ventured to the beautiful city of Orvieto just north of Rome. This town is unique as it is situated on the top of a volcanic mass, which has been honey-combed into a complex mass of caves. These caves have historically been used as personal storage for the houses above, and during World War 1 as bomb shelters. Some of the caves remain undiscovered while some are still in use and others open for public touring. 

Because of the distinctive landscape of this town, I was unsure about the cat population that would reside there. Unbeknownst to me, I was in for a big surprise. 

To reach the city, we had to take a funicular, which is a tram that runs up and down the slopes of cities and mountains: 

Once the doors opened at the top, I had a gut feeling there were cats in the air. 

Before it was even lunch time, I had already seen 9 cats, blowing my past record out of the water. Some friendly, some not so friendly. 

I had a good sesh with this cat: 

4/5 Purrs.

who quickly ate all the treats that I had brought. 

That was hardly the end of it. I ran into 2 beautiful kittens who were stuck inside a shop window, being taunted by 2 strays outside of the shop. Once the owner returned, I jumped at the opportunity to meet the two little kittens.

PC: Emily Chafetz, 2013©

I still had many cats to conquer in Orvieto. While looking over the scenic outlook:

I turned a corner and stumbled on the motherland of all cats. I was completely surrounded by upwards of 14 cats, I lost count!

By far, my favorite cat that I met in Orvieto was this cat who I met in a small sandwich shop in the center of town. This cat lives my dream. Spends all day just being a cat and watches great sandwiches being made. He even hopped up on to my lap to sample some of my porchetta. 

The owner of the told me that this cat comes in every morning and leaves every night, he just likes to sit in that chair and soak up the sun and company of others. Man, what a life. 

I will be back, Orvieto. I will be back. 

The Day of Five (5) Cats

What a day, man. What a day. 

Midway through my run this morning, I decided to take a pit stop in my favorite garden just outside of the city, long enough to take in the sights and grab a quick breath of somewhat fresh air. 

Giardino delle Rose

I turned to continue on my way, but not for long. As I was exiting the gardens I was stopped dead in my tracks. 

A black cat.

I nervously approached, but was eagerly greeted by the sickly looking feline. Boy was this cat happy to see me. He was loving the pets that I was dishing out. 

4/5 purrs

We had a great time together, and although I got some odd looks from the surrounding tourists, I was so happy with this cat.

The even better news is that I discovered this cat's owner and he informed me that he lives nearby and so does the cat. I finally had to continue on with my day, but I will be back for this loving cat.

Back down the hill I went. Low and behold, a familiar cat! 

This cat and I had crossed paths a few months prior (see post #2). He was still quite timid so this was the closest I could get before he scurried away. Still, it's great to see old pals. 

Later that day, I decided to take a stroll through the Boboli Gardens. 

 

In the past when I had visited these gardens, my cat senses were at an all time high, but I just couldn't seem to find them! Well today, I had the pleasure of finding THREE WHOLE CATS. 

I spotted the first one after seeing two small cat houses (picture a dog house, just smaller). I peered further through the bushes and there he was. A majestic, fat, and fluffy cat. 

1/5 purrs

We dipped into the bushes and to my surprise. There was another cat. This one was orange, and equally as fat. 

The first cat promptly ran away but I approached this cat with a graceful feline form and before I knew it. We were vibin'. 

We got along great. It was so content in just hanging out with us and being pet. 

She even liked my roommate!

5/5 purrs for sure.

After a while, we decided it was time to move on. Though we swore to return to find this cat, next time bringing it well deserved treats. 

Upon exiting the gardens, another black cat appeared. This cat was so difficult to get a read on. 

0/5 purrs

In fact I had an unusually unpleasant experience with this cat and he is hardly worth mentioning. This cat may or may not have given me a serious case of cat scratch fever. Only time will tell. 

So that concludes a very amazing day, cat-wise. It's so comforting to know that there are plenty of cats out there in the world, just waiting to be discovered. 

Paris: The Land of the Cat

WOW. Is all I have to say about the cat culture in Paris. Man, what a trip. 

Due to the transportation strike in Italy on the day of my departure, my trip was delayed for a little, but the cat scene in Paris certainly made up for that. 

Paris was SO DOWN with cats. A lot of stores had cat decor and some even had residential cats. The first cat I saw was LARGE and in CHARGE and ON TOP OF A CAR. 

4/5 purrs for this cat. It scratched me, which was weirdly a nice reality check, but definitely could have been more down to chill. 

The next cat I saw was a little peeved that I had interrupted it's mid-afternoon nap. That didn't stop me from snapping a quick pic. 

2/5 purrs

I also have to give a shameless shout out to this pug that was present at Starbucks every morning. Too unreal for words. You go, pug. 

My mom and I took a stroll down a very touristy street in paris, and I was graced with the presence of the most friendly feline I have encountered in Europe thus far.  Between my positive cat vibes, and this cat's desire to hang, our sesh was unreal. 

5/5 purrs. 

This cat followed me down the street after I was forced to bid it adieu. The owner of the restaurant it resided at even said I could take it with me if I wanted too. Don't tempt me, Sir. Don't tempt me. 

The next stop in my Parisian journey was the Palace or Versailles. I had a gut feeling that I would see a cat or two here. Boy didI!!!

Unfortunately, I was not able to interact with these two cats, but I did see one of the most epic cat chases of all times. Just watch this sequence unfold: 

Cat #1 takin a little bath while cat #2 approaches in the background. 

The chase continues throughout the palace's garden. You can bet I was running around watching it unfold. 

 Good cats, just not down to chill. 1/5 purrs for them. 

The last cat I saw in France was an adventurous little monster who I spotted in the entrance of a boulangerie.  I sat down to have a drink and before I knew it, I had looked up to see the same cat stuck on the roof! Don't worry, after many trials and tribulations, he eventually made his way inside. 

3/5 purrs. 

So that concludes my journeys in paris. What a trip. Can't tell if I was more excited to see my parents: 

5/5 purrs

or the cats. I think we all know the answer to that. Great trips, great company, GREAT cats. 

. 

An Unexpected Sighting

I was in a bit of a dry-spell of cat sightings before this past sighting. My roommates had even given me a pack of cat treats as a half-birthday present to me in hopes of me finding another cat or two. 

My Aunt and Uncle were in town and invited me out for dinner with them. Outside of the restaurant which was just outside of Florence, mid way through the dinner, my Uncle's brother-in law saw a cat.

Naturally, I sprung from my seat, and fled towards the outside and instantly embraced this ferocious feline.  

This was the kind of cat you dream about. Amazing coat of fur, and a personality that wont quit. 

I had a lot of fun with this cat. I know that I will be thinking of it for years to come. I watched as it chased a moth around the yard for a while. The moth, eventually falling victim to the cat, left me kicking myself for forgetting to bring my cat treats with me. 

5/5 purrs for this cat. I hope we meet again. 

Cinque Terre

This weekend I ventured to Cinque Terre on the northwestern coast of Italy. Cinque Terre, meaning "five lands" is made up of carefully built and colorful houses on the cliffs overlooking the Italian Riviera. 

Due to the precarious nature of the constructions of the towns, it is very difficult to travel between the towns. I was lucky enough to go to 2/5 of the towns called "Monteroso" and "Manarola" and the larger town of La Spezia, just outside the Cinque Terre region. 

I wasn't expecting to see a lot of cats. But boy, did I see some cats. 

The first cat I saw while we were hiking between the towns definitely ran shit around Cinque Terre. It was not overly pleased to be handled by me, but still went with it. Great cat. 3/5 purrs. 

The journey didn't stop there. I saw 4 more cats! My roommate was nice enough to snap some pics. 

4/5 purrs. Great cat, definitely down to be pet. 

3/5 purrs for this cat. Wasn't too pleased to be hanging out with me, but still humored me.

1/5 purrs for this cat. 110% absolutely had fleas. Don't want to discriminate against the less fortunate stray cats though. 

As you can imagine, this was a very exciting day for me. I was overcome with emotions and one point or another. 

The journey didn't stop there however. That night, we spent the night in Lucca, a town which is famous for laying within it's in-tact renaissance city walls. 

My fellow peers and I were a tad lost within the city, and while we were trying to find our way, 3 cats appeared as if from a dream. 

The only one I managed to grab a pic with was a little put off by my man-handling, but nonetheless, was down to be pet. 3/5 purrs.

What an adventure on the west coast. If you're looking for some quality cat-seshes, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, as many of the cats were very skittish and put off by the presence of humans. Nonetheless, it was an unforgettable feline journey.