A protected cat colony in the gardens of Alcazaba Castle.

I love coming across cats on my way, whether I’m out for a stroll or planning a walk. On many of these occasions, I’ve come across kittens of all colours, most of them friendly and affectionate, and each time these encounters bring a new experience.

I was really looking forward to taking a stroll along a special path within the gardens of Alcazaba Castle. These areas are open to the public at all times, and many tourists pass through here, as one of the neighbouring streets is where the coaches bringing tour groups park, mainly from other parts of Spain, but there are also tourists from all over Europe.

But in particular, this path is frequented by many cat lovers, and I can tell because they approach the cats, take photos of them, talk to them and stroke them. Many of the cats let themselves be touched and are happy to be close, although many others don’t, but the important thing is the walk itself, I suppose I could call it a ‘feline walk’.

But as I was saying, every walk or every encounter with these animals that I love is always unique and special, and this time was no exception. I was hoping to come across them, take photos of them, stroke them and enjoy that exchange of energy which, for me, is unique. I have two cats at home who are nearly fourteen years old, Cata and Tony; they are my darlings, my children.

But what also happens is that whenever I go for a walk, there’s always a cat that follows me, seeks me out, meows at me, ‘talks’ to me and even flops onto the ground as a sign of trust, showing me its tummy. And when I arrived at the spot, I saw that someone was feeding them. I knew that someone always brought them food, but I didn’t know anything more than that, just what I’d seen. And there was so much more.

I went over to the man who was there, took a few photos of some kittens and then, without even trying, we started chatting. He wasn’t just any man, but someone who looked after them all , more than thirty cats living in that spot and, as you can see, it’s a wonderful place.

He told me that it’s an authorised cat colony protected by the local council and that there are many like it in the city. I think this is the third one I’ve seen, but I’d never had the chance to speak to someone who knows about the subject.

All the kittens in the colony are neutered with the council’s authorisation and receive veterinary check-ups; furthermore, those who are unwell for any reason are given the necessary medication. Everything is paid for by the city council, and that fills me with joy.

In fact, that man was just giving one of the kittens some medication mixed with wet food so that it wouldn’t notice the tablet and would swallow it without any trouble. He also told me that there was only one male cat they hadn’t been able to catch to neuter, and they were hoping to do so soon.

This person is in charge of going there every day to feed them, check that they’re all right, give them water, especially during this heatwave and, of course, administer medication to those who need it. It was a very pleasant chat whilst I was feeding the cats.

Of course, I tried to take photos of all the cats that were around, although a few were missing, and I also managed to snap a photo of that slightly rebellious cat, I found him near the end of the path. When he saw me approaching, he moved away, but then, from amongst the bushes, he looked at me and greeted me with a gentle blink. This is a sign of greeting among cats.

I was also able to stroke a few of them, especially one that was sitting on a bench eating; he was very affectionate. The most skittish ones are the female kittens, and there were lots of tri-coloured ones. Tri-coloured cats are almost always female, and if there is a male, he’s neutered. Nature is incredible at times; it always surprises me.

At this place, the cats are collected, neutered and returned to the area, but they’re also fed and looked after. It’s a wonderful initiative run by the local council, and I’m glad to have learnt more about it, especially straight from someone who’s actually carrying out this work.

Thank you very much for joining me today; I send you my warmest regards. See you soon.
Amonet.

All photographs are my own.