Cat from London {England}

When you're in London and are planning to visit Camden town and its markets, make sure to stop at the music pub The Old Eagle. A good reason for your visit would be their cat, Churchill (or just Church for the friends).

Churchill arrived at The Old Eagle two years ago during Christmas-time. Someone came to the pub holding in his hands two kittens that had been rejected by their mother. The pub manager, Jimmy McGrath, decided to keep the kittens and named them Winnie and Churchill (after Winston Churchill).

Unfortunately, Winnie was run over by a car and is no longer with them. «Church is a lot more characterful and has a lot more swagger since Winnie is not here anymore,» says Allison, the pub owner's daughter. «He's also a good hunter. He does the work he's here to do, and sometimes more.»

Read next = Meet the cat of London's Gipsy Hill Train Station

Churchill is extremely popular with tourists. Especially Americans want to meet him, but Japanese tourists as well.

The regulars like him, too. Each day, an elderly man comes to the pub, just so he can sit next to his favorite cat.

«Sometimes, there's literally a queue of people for the cat,» says pub owner Jimmy McGrath in the book London Pubcats.

Read next = The Ghosts and Cats of London's Highgate Cemetery

If you want to meet Churchill, make sure you visit The Old Eagle pub during the day. Often, tourists come in on a busy Friday night and wonder why the cat is not there. Churchill likes his peace and quiet.

But sometimes, he can be out for the day, so you never know for sure whether he'll be around or not.

Ask the owner or staff for some treats if the cat is around. Except... he's not allowed Dreamies. «He goes psycho when he has them,» Allison explains.

Also, he's known for snagging a prawn from your plate if you let him.

Read next = Move over cat cafés; this is Britain's first ever cat pub

The Old Eagle pub is open from Monday to Friday between 12 pm and 3 pm and between 6 pm and 10 pm, on Saturday between 1 pm and 10 pm, and on Sunday between 1 pm and 9 pm.

Address: 251 Royal College Street (near Camden Road), London, England.

Check out the book London Pubcats by Vicky Lane and Tim White if you want to learn more about Churchill and all the other pub cats of London.

Cats of Kotor {Montenegro}

The photo above was snapped near an old fort high above Kotor, Montenegro, where a cat was enjoying the last heat from the rocks as the clouds moved in.

Tourists often call this coastal town the "city of cats." But despite the sun and scenic beauty, life is not that good for the animals of Montenegro. It's still a developing nation - formed in 2006 after the break-up of former Yugoslavia - and is dealing with quite a few economic struggles.

Because of these problems, there's no official spay-neuter program for animals; there are no shelters. Most of the cats are unwanted and thus uncared for.

In June 2018, the organization Kotor Kitties started addressing these unmet needs. Their mission is to improve the health of Montenegro's street cats and to reduce their number through spaying and neutering.

Kotor Kitties reached out to the locals who feed the large colonies of community cats and works with a private veterinarian who was kind enough to reduce his fees.

You can help pay for the spaying and neutering of the cats of Montenegro through the GoFundMe page Kittens are Cute, But Neuter is Cuter. Kotor Kitties currently have over 150 cats waiting to be sterilized, so all help is welcome. On their Facebook page, you'll find pictures of each cat immediately after surgery.

Kotor Kitties also faces roughly $1,000 in fees to incorporate as a non-profit charity in the USA, to secure a business license, and to apply for official NGO status in Montenegro.

If you're in Montenegro and find a sick, injured, or dying cat, you may contact Kotor Kitties, so that they can connect you with caretakers and veterinarians.

Please share this post to help spread awareness about the street cats of Montenegro.

Cat from London {England}

The Charlotte Despard in Archway is one of the coziest pubs in London. Lots of candles, warm lighting, comfortable furniture, local beers, and...a cat named Legz.

Legz arrived at Charlotte Despard nearly six years ago. Chris Sparks, one of the pub's owners, saw a video of Legz when was recovering from an injury after being hit by a car, and it was love at first sight. He went to the shelter to meet him, and the rest is history.

Legz is a three-legged cat, but you will hardly notice he's missing a limb. He's extremely agile, races from one corner of the pub to the other, and constantly jumps on and off the counter and the tables. Only once in a while, you will see him limping a little, but only if you pay close attention.

He's very sociable but doesn't seem to like it when the initiative comes from customers he's not familiar with.

But don't worry...Legz will be with you in no time, looking for attention and headbutts.

Sometimes, the pub owners will present Legz with three glasses of beer, and the one he chooses is discounted for the night.

Legz has been featured in the book Pubcats of London, in a Japanese cat book, as well as in several local newspapers. He was also named UK Cat of the Year in the National Cat Awards 2014. 

Thanks to his notoriety, many customers now show up at the Charlotte Despard to meet him and bring him treats and toys.

He has inspired many pubgoers to adopt a rescue cat of their own.

Do you want to meet Legz?

The Charlotte Despard is open from Monday to Saturday from 5 pm to 1 am and on Sunday between 5 pm and 12 am.

Address: Archway Road 17-19, London, England (near Archway tube station)

By the way, the pub is situated close to Highgate Cemetery, which is teeming with cats.

Cats from Cairo {Egypt}

Wanderlust and a sense of professional adventure took Lorraine Chittock to Cairo in 1991 to work as a magazine photographer. Her fascination with the camel trade culminated in the coffee-table book, Shadows in the Sand: Following the Forty Days Road, an account of her arduous trek along an ancient caravan route from Sudan into Egypt.

Cairo Cats looks at another creature which is as intrinsic a part of Egyptian culture as the camel. During her seven years in Cairo, she explored the nooks and crannies where the feline denizens of the city hide in order to obtain her intimate portraits of these wary inhabitants.

Shop cat in Ataba.

Near Sharia 'Abu 'Alam, Bab al-Louk.

Mish-Mish on the banks of the Nile River, Zamalek.

In the mosque of Ibn Tulun.

Source: Cairo Cats: Egypt's Enduring Legacy

Cats from Pérouges {France}

These cats occupy one of the most beautiful villages in France: Pérouges.

Most of them have owners who treat them like treasured, indulged pets. But like in nearly every village, there's a pack of "gutter cats" too. Some are unwanted strays; others' owners have died or moved away. Regardless, there's always someone who feeds and looks after them. 

Source: The French Cat by Rachael McKenna

Cats from Venice {Italy}

Venice regains its natural rhythms in the winter when the sightseers have departed and the residents can move throughout their city unhindered by tourists. In the spring, I abandoned the well-trodden paths and was able to sense the quiet life of the local people.

One afternoon, I came upon a woman feeding stray cats in a park. When I approached and took her picture, she became visibly upset. I tried to get her approval, but she would not say anything. To avoid upsetting her, I joined a child who was watching as the woman fed her cats.

Each cat received a portion of the meal: ground meat mixed with pasta. When the cats finished, she cleaned up and handed dry food to the cats that still looked unsatisfied. As I left, I said good-bye and she finally smiled.

Another morning, I ran into a man feeding stray cats in a plaza next to a canal. In my poor Italian, I asked permission to snap some photos. He grudgingly said okay, but seemed suspicious: why would this strange tourist want to take his picture. I, of course, could not converse with him in Italian, but I wanted to photograph him feeding the cats. I did not see him again even though I returned to the same plaza a few days later.

Source: The Cats of Venice By Shin Otani