Unbeknownst do me before arriving in Puerto Rico is that Puerto Rico has a large amount of street cats. The forefathers of the cats in Puerto Rico were initially brought over to quell the local rat population. However, when the cats themselves began to rapidly reproduce, they found themselves labeled as the new nuisance.
Since then, programs have been put in place to try to find homes for Puerto Rico’s feline populations, but many still roam the streets freely. Although a few cat colonies exist on the island, especially in Old San Juan, we encountered these furry beauties throughout our stay.
Now I am not sure how many of them are happy to fend for themselves and taken care of by local shop owners and residents on the island, as many looked to be pretty healthy, but I can definitively tell you that every single cat we came across tugged at my heart strings.
We met this particular beauty while exploring Santurce and I immediately fell in love. Not sure if she belongs to one of the shop owners or not, but I definitely wanted to snatch her up immediately and bring her home with me to live with Hexe and Hummel.
Although we had to say farewell to this furry feline – who, by the way, had such personality and was extremely friendly – I managed to snap a few pictures to remember her by.
If you are interested in helping out the cats of Puerto Rico, check out Save a Gato.
Photos: Rae Tashman
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