Original post date: April 17, 2016
While I was expecting a lot from Positano, I never expected the town to be a mecca for cats. In all the research I did before arriving in Positano, I never saw anything about the large population of local cats, so this was a great surprise to me as I am a huge cat lover. Throughout the trip, I started to photograph the cats we came across for dual reasons- one, for memories; two- because I truly got a kick out of the cats and their random lounging around the town. We came across cats on the beach, on the main road, perched on stairs and walkways, and even IN OUR ROOM! That's right, our hotel room!
Our first night in Positano, we were enjoying a bottle of wine in our room with the balcony doors open to admire the weather and starry skies. I was looking out onto the balcony when I saw a fluffy cat by the open doors and she waltzed right into our room like she owned the place! Our room was on the 3rd floor, so how she scaled the wall or climbed to our balcony I'm still unsure of, but I took it as a sign that our trip was going to definitely be a memorable experience. The cat walked around our room, smelling our bags and searching the whole perimeter of the room. After our initial shock of this cat in our room, my husband and I were laughing and I pet her for some time before we put her back out on our balcony for the night. The next morning I woke up early and opened the drapes to the balcony door, and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw she was sitting by our door. I don't know if she stayed here over night or came back early in the morning, but her appearance put me at ease, as if she was welcoming us to Positano.
After the hotel cat experience I keep my eyes out for the cats around town and admired them as we would walk by them in the streets and walkways. I even started to take bread from our breakfast buffet in my purse to feed the cats we came across. After walking the town a few days, I started to notice the same cats in the same areas as if they had their own neighborhood hangouts. The locals also love the cats, I observed many restaurants (especially La Pergola) leaving cream and food for the cats who would wait by the restaurant doors; and our hotel staff told me the cats are respected in the town which really warmed my heart.
As a cat lover, I wanted to pay homage to the Positano cats who add character to the charismatic town in this blog post. If you are ever in Positano, keep your eyes peeled for cats in unexpected places.
XOXO
Blonde in the District