Cats from Sóller {Mallorca}

There are two types of cats that live in Port de Sóller on the Balearic island of Mallorca.

The first type is feral and lives near the restaurants where they get enough food from tourists to go about their day. These cats are often very timid.

The second type consists of house cats that couldn't care less about the proximity of tourists.

The cats in the pictures below were napping in the Carrer de Santa Apollonia, a small and picturesque alley right behind the Port de Sóller.

P.S. If you can't find these cats, they are probably hanging out on the terrace of the restaurant So Caprichos.

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Cats from Gimmelwald {Switzerland}

Look beyond the mountain views, hiking routes, chocolate, and cuckoo clocks.  The small village of Gimmelwald in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland is all about... cats.

Gimmelwald hangs on the edge of a cliff, high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, and is inaccessible by car because there is no road connection. Therefore, it is one of Switzerland's best-kept secrets.

With just over one hundred inhabitants, one wouldn't expect to see many felines in this place. But don't be mistaken; cats are almost everywhere you go in this sleepy village.

One of Gimmelwald's cats even managed to become an international news item, when a hiker got lost in the mountains, and the nifty little "guide" showed him the way back to civilization. You can read this cat's full story and see pictures here.

Cat pictures by Matthew Craven

Cats from Cairo {Egypt}

“The ancient Egyptians did everything to make their cats happy,” writes Annemarie Schimmel in the book Cairo Cats: Egypt's Enduring Legacy. “They were groomed and bathed, anointed with fragrant oils, and of course fed with excellent food for a cat's life was as important as a human life, and even during famines some food was apportioned to cats.”

In Egypt it was not unknown for someone who killed a cat to be executed or, if he happened to be caught in the act, lynched by the furious masses. 

Today, as these photographs prove, the mystique of the cat is still very much alive in the Egyptian environment.

Soda stand on Sharia al-Falaky, Bab al-Louk.

Al-Ahram supermarket, Digla.

Mr. Ibrahim and Mish-Mish on the banks of the Nile, Zamalek.

A stray kitten in an old man's hands, Darb al-Ahmar.

1079 Corniche al-Nil, Garden City.

Source: Cairo Cats: Egypt's Enduring Legacy

Cats from Chiang Mai {Thailand}

This is a guest post by Emily Parker from Catological.com.

When it comes to cats in Thailand, you can never be sure just where a local might stand on the issue.

Some absolutely adore them. They live in temples, the gym I went to, the coworking space I worked at, and cafes galore.

In many cases, they’re loved and accepted, though most will still live outside the majority of the time.

However, there’s another side to the story here. For some reason, a large group of the population thinks that cats are “dirty”, and will discriminate and act terribly toward them.

I met people who had lived in the city for years, and they told tales of being kicked out of houses they were renting with no warning because the owner didn’t like the fact that they had cats in the house explicitly because they thought cats were filthy.

I’ve heard tales of neighbors becoming enraged when they found out the people I met had been feeding the kittens that lived in the neighborhood.

Unfortunately, overpopulation is a big issue in Thailand, too, as many people do not believe they should spay or neuter the local animals. Even if they did, many of them do not have the extra money in their budget to pay for the surgery.

However, I am happy to say that I experienced more of the good than the bad, and met so many beautiful kitties along the way.

From the beautiful cat who so casually jumped onto my chair to clean herself when I was about to start working at the coworking space, to the tiny kitten we came across down one of the back roads who just wanted to be held, my “cat radar” was always going at maximum capacity.

If you decide to take a relaxing trip to Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand, just watch your step when you’re walking down the alleys and inside the shops, because you’re bound to come across a furry face multiple times every day!

Cats from San Juan {Puerto Rico}

Buy a cat portrait and help the people (and cats) of Puerto Rico rebuild. All profits go to Puerto Rico hurricane relief.

"Around this time last year, I had the good fortune of finding myself in Puerto Rico for the first time," says A/J Jackson. "Just a few months later the devastating wrath of Hurricane Maria would sweep through and destroy much of the beauty I witnessed, leaving millions in a dire situation."

"After donating to various Puerto Rican hurricane relief charities I had an idea for another way I might be able to help. While going through my photos from the trip, I noticed a lot of really interesting images of Old San Juan's street cats. Something about them was captivating, like they were old souls wandering the timeless streets of the barrio. I thought, if there is one thing the Internet loves more than anything...it's cats. So I decided to start this philanthropic experiment in hopes that people's desire to help those in need and their endless love of cats might merge together to form the perfect charitable package."

Today, it is estimated that 11% of the population of Puerto Rico is still without power. Many people are without reliable access to clean water. And, for others, damage to buildings and communications infrastructure during the storm has made it difficult to find and keep work. Some estimates suggest that in the wake of Hurricane Maria the poverty rate in Puerto Rico has increased from 44% to 52%, and may reach as high as 59% this year.

When you buy a cat portrait, you will help the people and cats of Puerto Rico rebuild. All the photos are signed and printed using the highest quality standards from Art Works Fine Art Publishing in Highland Park, CA and matte framed by hand by Mission Framing of Los Angeles. 100% of the profits go to Puerto Rico hurricane relief and will be donated to Roofs for the Caño and the Humane Society of Puerto Rico.

More info: The Cats of Old San Juan

Cat from Chora {Naxos}

Under the right circumstances, almost any cat will hunt a mouse. As many of the cats on the Greek island of Naxos are strays and thus not allowed inside the homes, many of them live for the hunt.

World-renowned photographer Hans Silvester managed to capture the fascinating behavior of a mouse-chasing cat in Chora. The result is in these pictures.

Is your cat a mouser too? Or does he prefer to hunt other animals?

Source: Cats in the Sun by Hans Silvester