Street Cats and Where to Find Them by Jeff Bogle

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

The subtitle of the book is “The Most Feline-Friendly Cities and Attractions Around the World”, which is a good summing up of the contents.  While there was a similar book recently, Cats of the World by Hannah Shaw, this one focuses more on places to interact with cats or cat-related items: cat cafes, museums, festivals, etc.  Bogle does visit some places where street cats abound, including Japan’s Cat Island, Rome, and Istanbul, but he also features lesser known locations as well as a couple of US spots : New Orleans and Tangier Island, Virginia, neither of which I would have thought of as being cat locations. 

A pause (paws?) to note that Bogle has an introduction about these cats, defining street cats, how to safely interact with them, and what to do if you find a sick cat.

This book was a real treat.  The photos are wonderful, and convey a real sense of what a place is like as well as being very attractive. Most of all, though, I really loved the tone of the book. Bogle explains that he had a happy childhood except that he was cat deprived.  More than that, he was the victim of anti-cat propaganda from his parents.  As an adult, he was appalled when his girlfriend announced that she was bringing home a relative’s cat and announced that the cat would ruin his life.  As Bogle explains, “Roughly four hours and two seconds later, I was an unabashed cat dad who wondered, What the hell was wrong with my parents?”

Bogle is also a professional travel writer and photographer, so his observations are helpful as well as entertaining.  For example, he offers specific locations which are conducive to cat spotting, the closest airports to the city, best ways to get around, and where to get food.  While not exhaustive, I found them handy for daydreaming about visiting some of the locations.  I also enjoyed that Bogle didn’t make it sound as if everything was always easy-peasy. On his trip to Cyprus, his international phone service failed and he was forced to find free wifi in a restaurant parking lot to figure out where his hotel was and how to get there.

Most of all, the book was fun. I know I won’t be going to many (if any) of these places so I was happy to travel vicariously.  I will admit to being a tad disappointed that some of the places were brief text only (Catcon in Pasadena or Hemingway Home in Key West) but he introduced me to so many amazing places that I can’t really complain.  Maybe next book he’ll make a stop in North Carolina’s Museum of the American House Cat. I can dream, can’t I?