Cat from Toulouse {France}

Most cats are couch potatoes that love to watch Netflix with their humans. But some felines are such cinephiles that they prefer to spend all of their time at the film archives.

This is the case of Mr. Glouton, the cat of the Cinémathèque of Toulouse in France.

Glouton (his name is the French word for "voracious") doesn't belong to the Cinémathèque of Toulouse, though.

The first time he showed up, a little over a year ago now, the employees of the Cinémathèque noticed he had a collar containing the message, "Hi, my name is Mr. Glouton, and I live at 7 rue des Lois. If I happen to be too far away from this address, you can call 06....."

The cat loves to visit all sorts of different restaurants and bars in the neighborhood, but the Cinémathèque is his favorite place of all.

Read next => An afternoon at the cat café Chapristea in Toulouse

"Glouton usually arrives when we open the doors at 9 am, and he stays there until it closes," says Frederic Thibaut from the Cinémathèque of Toulouse. "No need to look for him, by the way, because he knows when we're closing. We're sensing that he would love to stay, but we can't agree to that as he would otherwise set off the alarm."

His habit is starting each "working day" with a visit to the kitchen to check if his food and water bowls have been filled. He then tours the offices (to say hello?) and looks for a place to sleep. "If it's cold, he goes to the library and settles into a chair. If it's warmer, he goes down into the hallway and curls up on one of the red upholstered benches. The visitors of the Cinemathèque are used to Glouton, and no-one will bother him," says Frederic Thibaut.

Every employee of the Cinémathèque of Toulouse is obsessed with Glouton. It's surprising how every conversation, no matter what it's about, eventually leads to a story about this cat.

And there are more than enough stories to tell...

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Earlier this year, he surprised everyone by bringing a giant mouse inside the Cinémathèque. "It was right before a screening," remembers Frederic Thibaut. "He had put the mouse right near the entrance, where everyone passes to buy tickets. He then 'played' a little with it in the yard before it fell through a drain. He was so disappointed. But not a single visitor flinched or said something bad about Glouton."

Glouton was also the main attraction during the open-air screenings, and several filmmakers and actors who have visited the Cinémathèque have posed for pictures together with their new favorite feline.

He might even be responsible for some of the Cinémathèque's programming. The latest edition of the film festival Extrême Cinéma, which took place at the Cinémathèque of Toulouse in February of 2020, opened with a cinematic concert to the 1927 movie The Cat and the Canary. We suspect that Glouton had something to do with the choice of that title.

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Now that the Cinemathèque of Toulouse is temporarily closed due to the Corona crisis, Glouton is back home. «We met his owner right before the confinement, and she couldn't believe all the stories we had to tell about her cat,» says Frederic Thibaut. «And I have to admit that we all miss him very much.»

What do you think about Mr. Glouton? Feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and don't forget to share this post with your friends, especially cat lovers!

Photos 1-4 by Vanessa Morgan / Photo 5 by Frederic Thibaut / Photos 6-9 by Damian Galli

Cats from Toulouse {France}

The fourth-largest city of France – Toulouse – is known for its churches, pretty river banks, and numerous buildings in pink terracotta bricks. But a trip to Toulouse would never be complete without a visit to its 'bar à chats', Chapristea.

Chapristea is a café filled with a bunch of cats that wander freely, climb the shelves, and nap on the customers' laps. And the best part is, customers can adopt a cat and bring it home.

The cat café is located in the middle of the center of Toulouse, at only a short walking distance from the shopping streets and the Place du Capitole.

A sign-post at the crossroads between the shopping street Rue Saint-Rome and the tiny Rue Jules Chalandes (where the café is located) indicates that you have arrived at your destination.

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Chances are there will be a long line of people waiting outside the cat café, even during weekdays. Don't let this discourage you, because it's worth the wait.

It's possible to reserve a spot in advance, but only for lunch between 12 pm and 2 pm. After that, your only option is to wait until someone leaves the café.

Once inside, a staff member will show you to your place, which will be either on the ground floor near the entrance or on the basement floor.

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Lunch options are extensive: brunches, quiches, salads, croques-monsieur...

After 2 pm, you can opt for ice cream or cake, together with a large variety of teas, coffees, juices, smoothies, milkshakes, lemonades, and ice teas.

Chapristea has partnered with the organization Le Chat Libre de Toulouse to make several of their cats available for adoption. The cats that permanently stay at the cat café were chosen based on their ability to live comfortably with large groups of both cats and people.

However, certain rules apply on how to behave with the cats. For example, customers are not allowed to pick up the cats, to wake them up, feed them, or to photograph them using a flashlight.

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What's better than curling up with a good cup of coffee and a cuddly cat?

What do you think about the cat café of Toulouse? Feel free to let us know your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to share this post with your friends, especially cat lovers!

Cats from Agadir {Morocco}

"The hotel I stayed at when I was on holiday in Agadir, Morocco, used to have a problem with wild cats. Many of these felines were abandoned by their owners and came to the hotel, pregnant," says Traveling Cats reader Julia E. Dahlgren. "Instead of trying to get rid of them, they decided to spay, neuter and vaccinate the cats and feed them daily."

Nowadays, the hotel grounds are full of healthy and happy cats. They are everywhere you go, even inside the restaurants, and they are not too shy to jump on people's laps.

The name of the hotel is Riu Tikida Dunas, in case you want to visit 😉

As a reviewer on TripAdvisor says, "If you like cats, this is the hotel for you. It's a cat's paradise."

Read next => Meet the cats of the Sunrise Resort in Eftalou

Photos by Julia E. Dahlgren

Cat from Ocean City {USA}

Pip the Beach Cat was once wounded and abandoned. Now, he's a famous spokes-cat for underserved children and seniors and even has his own book.

If you take a trip to Pip's hometown, Ocean City in Maryland, chances are you will meet this local feline celebrity.

He enjoys walking among the crowds and socializing with passers-by.

What he loves most, however, is spending time at the Ocean City beach. He can spend hours chasing seagulls, digging holes in the sand, running behind leaves, and even surfing on a boogie board. Because he spends so much time at the beach, local reporters named him 'Pip the Beach Cat'.

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Pip is a real head-turner, and it didn't take long before he became a local celebrity. He is even doing official meet-and-greets now.

Once Pip was featured on the news, his human, Meadow, started to research other 'adventure cats' and found that many of them were not only traveling a lot but also wearing outfits, and 'working' as therapy cats. Soon enough, Pip followed in their footsteps.

While Pip isn't an official therapy cat just yet, he often visits kindergartens and homes for the elderly in order to spread smiles in the Ocean City community.

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In May of 2019, Pip published his first book: Pip's Guide to Ocean City: Volume One. This cute little book is meant to teach children about their upcoming trip to Ocean City, or to remind them of all the fun memories they made there during a previous vacation.

The book will help raise money for three important charities in Ocean City. You can read more about these charities on Pip's website.

If you like Pip and want to support his cause, then don't forget to share this post with your friends and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

By the way, Pip is feeling very generous today, so he's giving away a one hardback copy of his recently released book Pip's Guide to Ocean City: Volume One to one lucky reader of Traveling Cats. To enter, fill in the Rafflecopter below. The giveaway is open worldwide and ends on February 10, 2020. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cats from Málaga {Spain}

Feral cat communities can mainly be found in three different places in Málaga. Most of the cats reside at the Alcazaba fortress, but you can also find them at the Roman theater and at the Castle of Gibralfaro, which are all located in the proximity of each other.

The Alcazaba fortress stems from the 9th century. It is built against the Gibralfaro mountain and towers high above the city, which means that the views from atop the walls and gardens are stunning. From here, you can see the port of Málaga and the peer Muelle Uno on one side, and the Montes de Málaga and the old center on the other.

Just like the Alhambra in Granada, the building features many Arabic influences from the time of the Moorish rule, such as richly-decorated arches and an irrigation system in the gardens.

The cats of Málaga are protected and well cared for. They are being spayed and neutered and receive medical treatment whenever necessary. Volunteers feed them on a daily basis.

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You can find the majority of the cats near the lowest roads leading up to the Alcazaba.

These cats are not afraid of people, but during the tourist season and on weekends, they prefer to nap in the bushes where you can't easily see them.

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On quieter days, however, the cats are everywhere you look.

Some of them remain shy, while others are sociable and seek out your company.

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An entrance to the Alcazaba costs 3,50 euros, but you can visit the surrounding gardens and the cats without buying a ticket.

For 5,50 euros, the ticket also includes a visit to the higher located Castle of Gibralfaro where even more cats will be waiting for you.

It's possible to book your tickets to the Alcazaba Castle and the Roman Theater in advance. This way, you can rest assured you won't miss out on the cats of Málaga.

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Text and photos: Vanessa Morgan