The Cats of Old San Juan.

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I was in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, two weeks ago for a conference and through a colleague who had gone there with her husband and is crazy about cats, knew that there is a program there called Save a Gato (Save a Cat), where they capture homeless cats, spay or neuter them, and then release them to wander the streets of Old San Juan, where people leave tins of food and bowls of water outside for the cats to eat. They can of course, and probably have to, also fend for themselves. So I wondered how common the cats were and whether I would see any, as I too was wandering the city – well the Colonial part of the city – on my breaks. Founded in 1521, Old San Juan is not very large – about 7 blocks long and 8 blocks wide, but I did run into quite a of of the kitties! I was surprised to find some even outside the city walls, climbing on the rocks by the ocean! Here is my pictorial ode to the cats of Old San Juan:

“The cat and its housekeepers live here.”

This cat was sitting outside the door of this house!

Cat chairs in a plaza:

Exploring outside the city walls:

Back in town:

The city walls from outside:

The colonial city:

1 Apr, 2012
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Comments

Raquel

A historical tidbit: once El Morro (the fortress and walls that surround Old San Juan) was completed, it was virtually impenetrable, and fell only twice I believe, in the 1600s - once to the Dutch, and once to the British under Sir Francis Drake! The British had to leave after only 10 weeks of occupation though, because everyone fell ill.

1 Apr, 2012