- liveletroam
Oh the kitties, we'll see - Spain, Andorra
Updated: Jul 31, 2022
Cat lover's view when exploring the world
I'm not alone with adoring cats. They have always brought me comfort and peace. This blog and probable series of blogs will house my cat talk, pictures, and obsession on our travels.
I grew up with cats pretty much my whole life. As a child in NYC, my sisters and I would name strays that would wander into our house. Later on, in high school, I got the chance to help my cat as she gave birth to 5 kittens in our basement.
Since I've moved several times for work and now that we're traveling, I haven't had the chance to get my own fluffy Xanax. When I travel I get my fix seeing a surprise kitty or especially when visiting a cat cafe.
Before we set off from NYC I stayed with my sister and got some quality bonding time with Sasha. Sasha named after Beyonce is shy and feels like cotton candy. I've met Sasha many times but after staying with my sister a few days she warmed up,...finally..., even letting us pile monopoly money on her. Stressed from all the things happening in my life it was here at my sister's and with Sasha I began to find some peace.
In Madrid, we saw lots of cute pet dogs. I love dogs as well but cats are where it's at. It wasn't until we explored the city on day 2 after the dust storm that we saw our first kitties. I called them the "Dusty kitties". There were several of them that lived in and around this park adjacent to a church. Although dusty from the recent dust storm they still looked good but were wary of our peeping eyes.
On our day trip to Segovia, walking back to the bus we were surprised as we turned the corner to see about 10 cats of all flavors. They quickly scurried away to safety behind a door as I squealed with delight fumbling with my phone to try and take a picture. One was bold enough to stay in view as the others hid. If you look closely another one is peeking in from the open door.
In Bilbao, no kitties spotted lots of pet dogs. Zaragoza is where we hit the jackpot. We were walking to our Air BnB and it was across the street. A colony of cats living alongside Muscovy and Mallard ducks. Our temporary residence was above 2 vet clinics so I can see how the cat colony came about. I like that there were little homes and food for them. The cats were more skittish than the ducks and the pigeons just inserted themselves anywhere they see food. We visited them several times and snapped a few pictures.
The second jackpot of the trip was Andorra. We discovered it on our way up to the Rec del Sola Trail. Walking from our hotel the closer to the trail we started to see cats follow us to see where we were headed. I believe the kitty chirp relay system told the others we were coming. As we climbed further up the trail we saw more and more kitties sprinkled in different areas of the mountain. Therefore I named the area Cat Mountain.
Upon ascending Cat Mountain we passed a kerfuffle between a black cat and a white and gray one. We stopped to take pictures, watch and record video since they were persistently growling and hissing at each other. Check out our Instagram for more videos of this battle of minds. Once at the top, as you walk the trail you can see sneaky and sleepy kitties below. At one stopping point, we saw a woman trying to trap one and some young children feeding another small group of cats Vienna sausages.
Seeing and experiencing these little moments of kitty time brings me joy. Although not all feral kitties are in good condition the survivor instinct continues. Please ensure spaying or neutering your cats to keep populations in control and share a little love and kindness to those you pass along the way. Check out humanesociety.org on what we can do to help.
More cats to come as we explore more cities...
About the author:
Christy is an artist/creative spirit & blogger/podcaster with a passion for many things especially the arts, nature, and weird things around the world.