Rome remains a mystery. In my entire week there I didn't see a single cat outside of the Largo Argentina cat sanctuary. I don't know what's happened to them all.
However, on my very last day, as I was returning from my mandatory COVID test (negativo, thank you very much), I finally ran across a pair of pet cats. They obviously belonged to the same person, and they were both meandering around the tables of a couple of local trattorias. They weren't making any trouble or begging for food, but I'm sure they didn't take any handouts amiss.
Both were friendly but oblivious. They didn't mind if I came up to pet them, but they also didn't care and would just walk away. Very Roman, I suppose.
They have the same eyes.
“…. they also didn't care and would just walk away. Very Roman, I suppose.”
Are you sure they aren’t French tourists?
Or cats? 🙂
Hilbert and Hopper with Italian style!
Blue collar kittehs.
Meanwhile, the doings of their Russian comrade: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/07/olympian-bat-killed-by-cat-after-record-flight-from-uk-to-russia
Yeasrs ago I was travelling through Morocco, and ended up in Essaouira on the southwest coast. I was enjoying a sardine sandwich at a cafe when I noticed a cat prowling around underfoot. Being used to starving scrawny third-world cats, I bent down to offer it some. The cat glared at me and walked away disdainfully.
Looking around, I saw-the town was full of plump, well-fed cats, and I( found out why. A woman coming from market spread a few fresh sardines for an appreciative audience; a fisherman threw some of his catch down for the local onlookers- it was a custom in that town to feed fresh fish to cats. I don't know why- but "The Cats of Essaouira" would make a great title for a story.
You should go to Turkey: cats (and dogs) everywhere. Even in malls, they hang out on counters in shops and on benches. Most of them are pleasant, people loving, happy critters.