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Old San Juan is filled with cats. Not to the point where you’re tripping over them or anything, but enough that it’s noticeable. I’m sure some are pets, but many are feral cats. Some residents think they’re a nuisance, while others think they’re part of San Juan culture and welcome them. There’s even an organization of volunteers called Save a Gato that monitors and feeds the colony of cats, implementing a “trap-neuter-release” program and trying to get kittens who can still be socialized adopted.
One of the things I love most about solo travel is being able to indulge in my love for photography. And among my favorite subjects for photography are animals (cats, dogs, squirrels, iguanas, farm animals, you name it). Once I see an animal I want to photograph, I tend to stalk it, snapping dozens of pictures. But the cats I ran into in Old San Juan were generally out prowling after dark, when I didn’t have my camera, or they would dart under parked cars when I started to draw close.
I took the above picture from the Paseo de la Princessa, a lovely waterfront walking path beneath the city walls where I have heard the cats tend to hang out (though I only saw this one that day). I snuck up behind this little guy when he wasn’t looking, which is, I’m sure, the only reason I was able to get it without him running off.
It’s not the best animal photo I took in San Juan by a long shot, but there is something I really like about it: That solitary cat just sitting there, looking kind of sleepy and staring off toward the water, captures my imagination. Is he a beach bum kitty, getting some sand between his toes on a lazy afternoon, maybe thinking about going fishing? Did he just wake up after a long night of carousing? Is he a solo traveler, like me, pondering what corner of the city he wants to explore next?
