Cats from Rome {Italy}

When in Rome last year, I stumbled upon these beautiful postcards by Giancarlo Gasponi.

The first cat poses near the Trevi Fountain. If you saw the movie La Dolce Vita, you'll probably remember the scene in which Anita Ekberg strolls into the Trevi Fountain as Marcello Mastroianni pursues her. It's one of the most famous scenes in film history.

The cat in the second picture makes itself at home in front of the Colosseum. Apparently, the Colosseum is home to about 200 cats, all of which are being fed and pampered daily. However, I didn't see a single feline when I was there.

The building behind the third cat is the tomb of the Roman Emperor Hadrian: St. Angel's Castle, also known as Castel Sant'Angelo or Castle of the Holy Angel.

Have you ever been to Rome? What are your favorite places here?

Also, thank you to author H.L. Burke (Thaddeus Whiskers and the Dragon, Beggar Magic, Dragon's Curse, and many other books) for presenting Traveling Cats with the Versatile Blogger Award.

Cats from Ghent {Belgium}

Yesterday afternoon, just before going to a film production meeting for my story Next to Her, I visited the Poezenboot Caprice in Ghent, Belgium. This cat shelter is known all over the world (visitors come as far as China) because it's located on a boat. You can spend the entire afternoon at the cat boat, cuddling the cats, or having a drink in their company. At the end of the day, you are welcome to adopt one of them. Once in a while, they have a few dogs, too.  

Every year, the cat boat Caprice takes in over a thousand cats. They nurture them to health and do their best to find them a home. They also bring over sick and wounded animals from Greece in order to give them a better life in Belgium. 

 The Poezenboot Caprice is open daily (except Mondays) from 2 pm to 6 pm. The address is Nieuwevaart 300 in 9000 Ghent, Belgium. To visit, you're advised to take tramway number one at the Ghent train station until you arrive at the canal. 

 Good news: when I was at the cat boat Caprice, the kitty from the last two pictures got adopted :-) 

You can find more info about tourist activities in Ghent here. 

 P.S. Have you seen our pictures from the cat boat in Amsterdam and the Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary in Rome?

Cats from Hexham {England}

If you go on holiday to Northumberland, England, you will want to stay in Thornley House in the historic market town, Hexham.

Thornley House is known as a "B&B for lovers of fine cats and fine gardens". The gardens and fields are magnificent. Thornley House is also home to two Main Coons, a red Burmese, three alley cats, and two donkeys. You are allowed to keep the feline residents in your room at night so they can sleep on your bed. Guests are also welcome to bring their own pets. Regular visitors include dogs, birds, and guinea pigs. 

Find more information on Thornley House or to book your stay, go here. 

P.S. Have you seen the cats of the bed and breakfast Au Gallodrome in France?

Cats from Manila {Philippines}

“Smokey Mountain in Manila is a world you'd rather don't want to see,” says travel blogger Sabrina from Just One Way Ticket. It's one of the world's most impoverished areas. The 25,000 inhabitants live on piles of garbage, and the way people make a living here is by picking up the recyclable parts. The air is so polluted that tourists are asked to wear masks.

Sabrina visited Smokey Mountain with Smokey Tours who donate 100% of the profits to the people in the slums.

Photo credit © Sabrina Iovino | JustOneWayTicket.com

 Read more about Sabrina's visit to the slums in Manila here: Smokey Mountain: A Walk Through The Slums Of Manila, Philippines.