It's time for my annual blog about cats. I am passionnée, as they say in France: passionate about cats. And also distressed that we have way too many of them on the planet who are neglected and abandoned, and they are the focus of my volunteer work.
So today, my yearly photo post on French cats. Our lead supermodel is Artistic Cat, who was perfectly posed for a portrait, taken through a village gate.
One lovely thing about France is that pets are allowed most everywhere, and many restaurants and shops have their own. In Cluny the main hotel is on the square, and the sassy calico who has been the hotel’s celebrity resident for years can be found lounging on a sofa in the foyer, working the tables in the restaurant, or sunning outside the front door. There is an automatic sliding door at the entry, and I often see her waiting outside patiently until a guest enters or exits so she can zip through. Below, the sassy girl lollygagging in the gravel on the outdoor dining terrace, by our table:
And here are two shop cats, taking in some sun:
I volunteer at a Swiss neighbor’s “cat hospital”, which she has built in her back yard, as a shelter for abandoned or sick cats with no homes. At the moment several of the cats have a contagious bug, so I’ve temporarily brought home two of the healthy but feral kittens from her shelter, who are now installed in our guest room. Since they’re feral they hiss at the sight of a human, so my job as a foster mother is to socialize them. I must report that after just three days, it’s going well. They’re now fond of cuddles and are sitting in my lap. That is, when they’re not bouncing off the walls, quite literally. I call them the Flying Babycats. They careen about with not a single thought about where they might land after hurling themselves off the bed or dresser at breakneck speed. Fortunately they are so tiny that they are seemingly boneless and unbreakable. Meet the Flying Babycats, Tigrou and Bolero:
Now all we need is a loving family for these two wild things. Croisez les doigts, s’il vous plâit: cross your fingers!
Finally, I must include a photo of our rescue cat Domino, whom you know from previous posts. Living in Burgundy, Domino is of course fond of testing the wine, and he has quite a good nose.
And for your French lesson du jour, I’ll end on this note: I was talking to a French neighbor about cats the other day, and she said, well you know what they say about cats: "Les chiens ont des maîtres, les chats ont des valets." In other words, "dogs have owners, cats have staff.” I was tickled to hear that they have the same funny expression we do! And as two well-trained valets, we can attest to the truth of it.
In the COMMENTS: So many of you had your own French banking stories, I loved hearing them. Glad to hear it’s not just us!
13 thoughts on “A Passel of French Cats”
LOVE this article and if you don’t mind I shall put it in my blog as a link for today. I am in Rome with my family but there is no garden here and I am bereft, but still, a view of the Doria Pamphilj museum and palazzo is not chopped liver.
Uh, oh. Said the magic word! Off to lunch and thank you for a wonderful site. I think Domino and I are for sure related!
Is there a Trap/Neuter/Release program near you to help with feral cats? Are there Vets that help with spay/neuter procedures to help with the over population of animals? Where I live in western Massachusetts there is one organization that focuses on feral cats. They take donations and also put money collection cans all over the county just to help these wild cats. Do you have such a fund?
I have two dogs and two cats and love them all. They cats were rescued and have such amazing personalities. I,too, am distressed by the way cats are treated.I live part of the year in North Carolina and there are feral cats everywhere. It breaks my heart. When I live here full time I plan to volunteer at a local shelter. In the meantime,I donate to help them out😭.
Thank you for the post. I too have many photos of French village cats because while here on holiday I miss ours at home in the States.
We became very fond of Chippie the Hotel cat during our stay in Cluny
How darling these cats are & I didn’t even sneeze while reading this. I love looking at them from afar but due to my allergy of cats, I must keep my distance. Cats cater to me & I’m not sure if it’s because they detect my reluctance or what the reason is. Great names by the way!
Beautiful cat article. Your cats are quite the “artistes”.
Lynn, merci beaucoup pour le blog des chats. Je suis aussi passionee.
I especially like the cat by the red store front, because he/she appears to be a black tabby like my Sassy.
The photo of Artistic Cat seen through the village gate is amazingly perfect.
I often think of volunteering at the KY Humane Society. The only thing that stops me is that I’d want to bring them all home. So I volunteer at a horse rescue, because I KNOW I can’t bring them home, LOL.
I love the fact that in France dogs and cats are so welcome. Another thing to love about France and the French!
Oh, I forgot, my Sassy, like your Domino, is intrigued by wine – and as a true KY cat, by bourbon, as well. 🙂
Lynn,this is another wonderful post,particularly because it focuses on animals in need and the beautiful people who help them.
We badly needed to know that caring and compassion are alive and well after the horrific dog and cat eating carnage that has taken place in Korea.
THANK YOU for bringing us smiles and lightened hearts.
Loved this post and the adorable pictures of When I walk my dog Sally early in the AM I always take a small bag of cat food and feed a few stray cats, all of whom adore the dog. I call them my “morning cats” and I’ve been doing this for years. At one time I was giving breakfast to about 15 but am finally down to 2. All of my morning cats were neutered and over time have simply failed to show up for breakfast. I actually fed one stray for 16 years!! There is a group here that traps, neuters and releases stray cats and that has greatly reduced the population of strays . . . at least in my area of town.
Your Domino certainly has good taste!!
Thanks so much. Tigrou & Bolero look very happy. In the Ariege there are so many feral cats, and because it’s a farming area, no one seems to worry about them. It’s a problem everywhere.
My favorite book as a child was Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag. I dreamed of living in that little cottage with all those lovely cats! Thank you for sharing from your area – someday I’ll do the same from here. Here’s to fabulous summer days – finally!