Cats from Tokyo {Japan}

"If you walk along the line of the train from Yamanote to Ikebukuro, following the construction fences, you'll arrive at the small temple of Ikebukuro. It is the mark of a dozen cats. Both passers-by and regulars come here during their lunch break to feed or brush them."

Text and photos: Neko Land

P.S. Do you want to see the latest feline short film Avalon? We are giving Traveling Cats readers free and exclusive access to the film, which is currently a finalist for the Vimeo Audience Award in the 2016 Sundance Short Film Competition.

Avalon tells the story of an elderly man, Maurice, who visits his demented wife in the hospital. A shared lunch is the only thing they have left, but his wife's mind drifts off to the ghost of her deceased cat, Avalon, whom she sees walking around in her room.

Click here to have access.

Cat from Oudergem {Belgium}

Meet Minus, the feline manager of the locksmith store Henrard Serrures in Oudergem, Belgium.

Her owner adopted Minus four years ago, and she's been at Henrard Serrures ever since. "A friend of mine gave away a clowder of kittens, and I picked out the best one," he says. "Now the entire neighborhood is crazy about Minus. She visits the other stores in Oudergem and even sleeps in our neighbors' beds. They all love her."

Each time I enter Henrard Serrures, Minus is curled up on a chair in the customers' area. When she notices that I am in for a cuddle, she follows me around. She sometimes jumps on the racks to make sure everything is in order.

"Can I get a double of the cat as well?" I asked when I needed a double for my mom's keys. "Oh, no, Minus is way too precious for that," the shop assistant answered.

Apparently, Minus is almost always around, so you can go greet her too if you want.

Address: Henrard Serrures, Chaussée de Wavre 1337, 1160 Oudergem, Belgium.

Text and photos: Vanessa Morgan

Cat from Ryde {Australia}

There's something special about the Ryde Veterinary Clinic in New South Wales, Australia. The clinic has a cross-eyed resident cat: Alf.

Every morning, Alf waits at the front desk and greets furry patients and their humans as soon as they come in.

Alf has been at the Ryde Veterinary Clinic since October, 2014. The staff took him in after they found him abandoned in a box on the clinic's doorstep along with his two siblings.

Alf was only two weeks old back then, but he was already a fighter and his will to live kept him getting better and stronger every day. 

Sadly his siblings didn't share the same luck. When it was time for adoption, nothing came through. It became apparent that everyone at the clinic had fallen in love with little Alf, and that they couldn't part with him. Alf has had a permanent home at the clinic ever since.

Source: LoveMeow

P.S. Have you met Andre the giant cat from the High Paws Pet Supply Store in Fairplay?

Cats from Naha {Okinawa}

I stroll through the covered and slightly dilapidated downtown shopping streets of Naha, on the Japanese island of Okinawa. I see a cat in a very narrow lane. I follow him, and I arrive in a half-abandoned park where dozens of stray cats bask in the sunlight. It's hot; the park is almost deserted; time seems to have stopped.

Text and photos: Neko Land: Une vie de chat au Japon by Alexandre Bonnefoy and Delphine Vaufrey