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.

cat in puerto rico

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.

cat in puerto rico

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.

cat in puerto rico

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.

cat in puerto rico

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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Rae Tilly

Rae the EIC of LFB and YEOJA Magazine. She is also a photographer and social media influencer.

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  • Ahh the cat is just the cutest!!

    Candice | Beauty Candy Loves

    • rae

      Thanks, Candice!

  • Awww what a cutie!

    • rae

      Isn’t she though?!

  • megsiobhan

    What an adorable cat, striking a pose for you :)

    Meg | A Little Twist Of…

  • Awww what a beautiful one, it looks like it’s wearing ankle leggings haha!

    Sally ~ DiagonSally

    • rae

      Thanks, Sally!

  • Oh my goodness! What a cutie!

    • rae

      Isn’t she though?!

  • I’m a HUGE lover of felines. HUGE lover, especially cats. The population of street cats pains me just because I know that, sooner or later, when the particular city of area they live in decides to take care of the issue, they won’t be left strolling the grounds looking for food or posing for photos anymore.

    Street cats are a huge issue where I live, too, and it is absolutely heartbreaking. We do have a local non-profit trying to help as much as possible but there’s only so much an organization can do. My mum and I take in cats when we can (our current feline resident was once a stray!) and eventually find them good homes once we’ve nursed them back to health. I wish we could take them all in — all the stray furries — but it’s unfeasible. Thank you for raising awareness on this issue, Rae.

    This little cat you snapped pictures of looks like such a darling!

    May | THE MAYDEN | bloglovin’

    • rae

      It’s so hard when there is not a lot of education and infrastructure in place, you are right volunteers can only do so much! It is awesome that you and your mom have actively helped out though!

  • Danielle

    Such a cute kitty!!! Love these pictures they are so perfect! Have an amazing weekend! Must have been so hard to leave!

    Daniele

    http://www.blushblossom.com

    • rae

      Thanks, Danielle! You too!

  • I always am so heartbroken when I see animals just roaming about without a home. I wish I could take them all. This cat is so gorgeous <3

    Enclothed Cognition/Bloglovin

    • rae

      I know me too :( I literally wanted to take all the cats home.

  • What a sweet series of images of your new furry friend! I love coming across cats when travelling/visiting new places :)

    Gabrielle | A Glass Of Ice x

    • rae

      Thanks, Gabrielle!

  • Oh my gosh, I’d love to take this one home :3 That’s too bad about them being considered a nuisance. I would be happy to see cats randomly XD

    http://www.deasynoel.com

    • rae

      I know! And yes, it is unfortunate, but it is good to know there are some organizations trying to fix the problem!

  • U have some great shots! Great cause!
    Thestyletune.blogspot.com

    • rae

      Thanks Chichi!

  • What a sweetie to let you take photos like that! Too bad their population is such an issue; it’s like a catch 22 though – the longer they are in the streets the harder it is to contain their numbers. Hopefully the programs in place will be able to find them homes and they’ll be a “nuisance” no longer!

    xo, Alice || a l i c e / T Y P E N U

    • rae

      I know, she was so friendly! And I agree it is so difficult!

  • What a cute little kitty! I haven’t had a cat since I was a little girl, but I remember cuddling with her every night, she would just pur at the end of my bed. Our furry friends are just as special as our human friends!

    Xo Melissa
    Cherish & Bloom

    • rae

      Isn’t she just the cutest?! And your old cat sounds amazing!

  • The Beaute Blend

    What a beautiful kitty! That was a really interesting post…I did not know they had a problem with stray cats.

    • rae

      Thanks so much, lady! And yes, it is sad to learn that. Although it is promising that they are trying to fix the problem!

  • Awh she’s so cute! She has such a gorgeous eyes and the little white specks are just adorable. I’ve never had a cat – I have a dog, but all animals are just so sweet.

    Angelina Is | Bloglovin’

    • rae

      Isn’t she though! Dogs are also very sweet but I am legitimately scared of them!

  • My town also has a large of numbers of street cats and have same issue. They are strolling for food and live freely. Cats are the cutest, somehow it is too bad, see them hunger and they’re meager of nutritions.

    x
    Dayu | PR.JA

    • rae

      Where are you from? It is really sad to hear that they are thin and hungry! Maybe you could set up some kind of program for them with friends!

  • idu

    My daughter would love to be there and mingling with the cats. She wants to be a vet and her love for cats is undying. This place would be heaven for her. Glad to hear the cats look healthy. Isn’t it funny how they went from one problem to another. Mice to cats. I’ll take cats over mice though lol.
    http://fashionablyidu.blogspot.com/

    • rae

      Oh wow that is so cool that your daughter wants to be a vet! I really hope she can pursue her dream and help animals when she is older.

  • sileas

    Haha, Hexe and Hummel are such cute names ;) Wonderful shots of this particular beauty, I totally understand why you fell for her!

    sweetescapes.net

    • rae

      Thanks so much, lady!

  • OMG so cute!!! especially those eyes, they’re so adorbs! also loving your blog very much Rae!

    http://www.elizabethangelia.blogspot.com

    • rae

      So glad you like my blog, Elizabeth! Thanks!

  • She reminds me of my Dave, he was black and white and super friendly and cute too. Recently in the town centre we’ve had people from the cat charities getting sign-ups and looking for fosters homes and it takes so much self control to not just say “I’ll take them all”, because really, I am a mad old cat lady and nothing is better than cats. Have you seen the video of the woman crying on youtube “I just want to hug every cat”? I think that sums me up adequately.
    comadiary

    • rae

      Oh I totally feel your pain. Aand yes, that lady must actually have something legitimately wrong with her, and yet I can totally feel her pain, lol. So glad to hear you found your little one who went missing too, Erin!

  • What a beautiful cat! I love her one little bootie.
    I remember the feral/street cats in Greece were really surprising to me – also just the way that people let their animals roam! We had dogs follow us around off-leash on an empty street just hangin’. And cats meow at us as we left the airbnb every day.

    • rae

      I think it can be quite startling for those of us from countries where that really isn’t the norm. I just found myself worrying a ton about all the cats we encountered. There was one we saw inside an abandoned shop and I went back the next day to see if she was still there – she wasn’t so I asked the nieghboring shop if they knew anything and apparently there was a cat colony behind the building and they just went in occasionally.

  • So cute!! ♡ Kisses!!
    http://www.alasdeangel.net

  • Josie

    What a cutie! I’m always surprised to see wild cats when I go away as where I live there are none – any strays are taken to a rescue home! x

    Josie | Sick Chick Chic

    • rae

      I was surprised too, but I guess each country has a different relationship with animals and a different infrastructure for caring for them.

  • This awas so interested to read!! I’m not a big fan of cats but I have to admit that this little one is charming :)

    http://www.blossomikebana.com

    • rae

      Glad you enjoyed the post and yes she is!

  • Oh my God, she is sooooooo beautiful! Thanks for sharing this! xx

    clumsyagenda.blogspot.com

    • rae

      No worries, lady!

  • It´s so beautiful ♡

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    • rae

      Thanks, Gabrielle!

  • Nadia

    I befriend every cat I see in the street when we travel. Hubby hates it but I can’t walk past them. Funny thing is they feel the vibe and sometimes approach me first :)
    This kitty is gorgeous. Also, I like what Save a Gato stand for <3
    xox N.
    http://www.mielandmint.com/

  • Aww what a pretty kitty! We saw quite a few strays around Spain as well. There was a park I went to in Lima, Peru which is home to a population of stray cats (literally cats everywhere you look), apparently with volunteers feeding them and checking on their health.

  • I love ‘street cats’ when on holiday abroad. So cute :) I remember when I went away to Turkey there were so many cats around, I made friends with a few of them and loved it when they followed me as I walked. Lovely post :) Laura http://www.shehearts.net

  • Major cat lady here! I love kitties and would love to visit a place where they run around so freely :)

    Pop over to my blog!

    Sarah
    sarahinks.co.uk

  • minaali

    Oh her eyes <3

    Minaali

    The Snap Narrative

  • A good Instagram friend is an advocate of Sato dogs – street dogs of Puerto Rico. She has one, a 19 year old, and encouraged her friend to foster as well (he eventually was adopted by his foster). There are so many good resources on how to bring home animals from abroad to adopt. It’s heartbreaking to see so many homeless animals and some of the harsh conditions they live in.