Cat from Lavonia {USA}

"My husband and I brought our house cat with us on vacation for the first time to visit my 90-year-old grandmother in Lavonia, Georgia," says Traveling Cats reader Kayla Fletcher. 

"He has never been outside before because we live in a condo in St. Pete, Florida, but he finally got to experience the outdoors for the first time." 

This traveling cat loves to chill by the dock, listening to the fish splashing in the water nearby and to the birds.

Text and photos: Kayla Fletcher

Cat from Cadaqués {Spain}

Salvador Dalί used to live in Cadaqués and his eccentric house is now open to the public. Once you've been there, you'll probably want to call Cadaqués your home as well. This former little fishing village is super cozy with its cobblestone stairs leading up the hill, its whitewashed houses, and street cats around every corner. At the foot of the village, you can enjoy a sangria at one of the many bars or restaurants while watching the sunset over the Mediterranean Sea. Have a look at more pictures of Cadaqués here.
Cat pictures submitted by Dimitri Pletinckx.

Previous cats of Cadaqués here and here.

My latest book Avalon: a Heartwarming True Cat Story is now out in paperback!

Cat from Sint-Amandsberg {Belgium}

This past weekend, the short film based on my story Next to Her (aka Avalon) was shot. It's the story of an elderly man, Maurice, who visits his wife with dementia at the hospital. A shared lunch is all they have left, but his wife's thoughts drift off towards the ghost of her cat, Avalon, whose picture sits on the bed stand 'next to her'. As Maurice gets more frustrated with his wife's behavior, the fine line between nurturing and torturing is easily crossed.

 The majority of Next to Her was lensed at the resident care center Het Heiveld in Sint-Amandsberg, Belgium. It turned out Het Heiveld has a cat: Sheba. 

The cat loves to stroll through the hallways, peeps into the rooms, sunbathes in the garden and keeps the elderly residents company in the refectory during lunchtime. His food and water bowls sit together with a small scratching post next to the reception area. 

By following the cat around, I also discovered he has his own room with an even bigger cat tree. At the refectory is a framed picture of the cat. “Sheba is really kind and likes cuddles. We all love him,” one of the residents said.

You can read the story on which the film is based here and see pictures of the film set here.

Cats from Los Quemados {La Palma}

Rumor has it multi-colored cats bring good fortune. 😸

Calico cats (as multi-colored felines are often called) are considered "lucky" because they are such rare creatures. 

In order to be considered a "true" Calico, the cat's coat must display the colors white, black, and orange.

Calicos are almost always female cats because the black and orange color information is linked to the X chromosome. 

Because female cats have two X chromosomes, they can display both the black and orange colors at once (white fur is coded by another gene). 

Male cats, on the other hand, typically have only one X chromosome, so they tend to be either orange OR black.

In some old religions, these three colors stand for the "cycle of life." 

White stands for (re)birth, red for life, and black for death.

In earlier times, Japanese sailors traveled with multi-colored cats to protect their ships from evil and to guarantee a safe trip. 

They are still the official symbol of good fortune in Japan.

You certainly know the Maneki Neko, the waving-cat talisman, frequently seen in Japanese shops and restaurants. 

The Maneki Neko is almost always a Calico.

Pay attention to the position of the Maneki Neko's paw. 

A raised right paw bestows good luck and wealth. A raised left paw supposedly brings in more customers. 

The higher the paw is raised, the luckier the owner of the Maneki Neko will get.

"The multi-colored cats on these photos definitely brought luck and happiness during our stay in the Apartamentos Villa Colon in the small village of Los Quemados, which is part of Fuencaliente, in the south of the island of La Palma," says Traveling Cats reader Claudia Mannes.

"These magical felines visited me every day," Mannes recalls. 

"The loveliest of them all was the red-black-white one, who, most of the time, brought her little kitten daughter with her (the tiny grey-red-white one)." 

The apartments are a perfect hideaway. 

Situated at the end of a steep road, Villa Colon consists of only a handful of apartments, surrounded by a garden overlooking the sea. It is very quiet and peaceful. 

Photos by Claudia Mannes 

In other news, my short film script Next to Her will be filmed on August 8th and 9th. My cat Avalon has a HUGE part in it. The film will premiere in October at the Flanders International Film Festival Ghent. 

If you can't wait for the film (and if you want to know how Avalon's part plays out), you can read the script here. If you are a Kindle Unlimited member, it's free.

Read next => These photos of kissing cats in Pampaneira will bring a smile to your day