When I look back over photographs of places I’ve visited, I can’t help but notice all the cat photos amongst them. Maybe it’s because I miss my two when we’re away, or maybe it’s because I just love cats.
Then I discovered that Michelle runs a Weekly Pet Challenge over at her lovely blog Hope* The Happy Hugger and I thought it would be fun to share some of these ‘holiday’ cats with you. Hopefully my two won’t be too jealous.
The challenge runs Tuesday to Tuesday and for my first entry, I’m sharing some photos of Croatian cats taken during my trip with hubby to Dubrovnik in 2012.
Here they are:
This handsome cat was definitely king of his territory inside the old city of Dubrovnik keeping close guard outside…
(c) Sherri Matthews
…and in…
(c) Sherri Matthews
This pretty young kitty was sound asleep – so sound that a passer-by actually asked me if it was alive as I took this photograph. I can assure you that it was and not about to let the gathering crowd bother it one bit, having found a lovely, comfortable ledge on which to spread out…
(c) Sherri Matthews
As you can see, this sweet ball of fur was more than a little content to take a nap on a café chair, not at all bothered by the likes of tourists like us, as happy as can be…
(c) Sherri Matthews
Then we found this darling little kitty. Surprisingly most of the cats, despite being feral, were in good shape and obviously fed and looked after by local business owners.
(c) Sherri Matthews
This sweetie was adopted by the cafe where we stopped for lunch and was more than happy to let me have a quick cuddle…
(c) Sherri Matthews
…as was this baby. Never mind our lunch…
This (c) Sherri Matthews
This beautiful kitten was one of a litter. It appeared during our walks along a path around the bay in the delightful seaside town of Lapad. Someone put bowls of food on the side of the path for him and his brothers and sisters every day. This little guy had a squint in one eye which didn’t seem to bother him too much and he soon became hubby’s favourite. You can see why…
(c) Sherri Matthews
As daylight came to a close and the street lamps in the old city of Dubrovnik lit up, this mischievous cat was more than ready for a night of adventure and hunting. Also rather coy I thought, as in, “Who, me?”…
(c) Sherri Matthews
I hope you enjoyed these beautiful cats of Croatia . For more pet/animal pics, click here Thanks Michelle!
A View From My Summerhouse 
Well done Sherri! Lovely photos of lovely cats. I do adore cats as well as does my daughter 🙂
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Cats are so lovely aren’t they? As with you and your daughter, we are a family of cat lovers! So glad you enjoyed the pics, thanks Ilka 🙂
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Good entry for Michelle’s challenge….
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Thanks Bulldog, glad you enjoyed the pics, a little something extra for the weekend. I got carried away I think 🙂
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Oh I love the title ‘Cats of Croatia’ so cool 😀 beautiful cats and I am so happy to hear people there were looking after them even if they were feral. I know of way too many places where cats are unappreciated and unloved…
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Oh thanks so much Yolanda! Yes, it was so good to see how healthy and loved these Croatian cats were, for the most part. In other places we’ve been more than saddened by cats left to breed unchecked, riddled with all kinds of health problems and not loved by anyone 😦 But we were very pleasantly surprised in Croatia 😀
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I’m just making sure my dog isn’t looking whilst I type my comment, as she hates cats ever since an ugly great tom (with all four sets of claws in the air) ambushed her when she was a puppy. Before that, she wanted to be friends with cats …
Those Croatia cats are very fine looking, indeed, and that kitty is absolutely adorable.
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Ahh…poor baby 😦 I can see she would feel that way…but glad you managed to sneak a quick peek at these Croatian cat pics. Yes, I do adore that little kitty. Thanks Sarah 🙂
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They are so adorable! I’m glad they’re being somewhat looked after. They are beautiful! 🙂
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Hi Linda, many thanks for your visit. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed these beautiful Croatian cats, they were so loved and friendly as you can see 🙂
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Even if that’s all the city had to offer, your trip would have been interesting {kidding}.
Handsome cats and it appears people are kind to them. ❤ ❤
Your photo have outshone all the other fur balls. 😮
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Haha…thanks Tess and yes, you are right, those cats did make the trip worth it 😀 It was lovely to know they were looked after and treated well 🙂 ❤ 😀
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Amazing how some cities abhor cats or ignore them, or poison them, etc.
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Yes, it’s awful…
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Hi Sherri- Cute photos.. I’m slowly becoming a cat convert. I’ve noticed that I’ve been taking photos of the cats on my mission trips!
Still stuck in a rut, but am closer to finding new work (big interview this week) and returning to blogging on a regular basis. Hope all is well with you.
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Hi Tieshka! Lovely to see you again 🙂 Ahh…sounds as if you are being bitten by the cat photography bug too! All the best with your interview, really hope it goes well for you and of course looking forward to catching up on your blog. I am hanging in there, life’s rich pattern and all that, thanks for asking Tieshka. Keep me posted 🙂
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How sweet to take photos of cats on your travels. I love the photo of the sleeping cat – how she/he didn’t care about the people nearby and was in deep sleep. May we all sleep so deeply!
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I hadn’t realised quite how many cats I’ve photographed over the years Letizia so it’s nice to be able to share a few here with fellow cat lovers 🙂 Yes, that sleeping kitty was oblivious and yes, oh to sleep like that…we want want he/she has 😉
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The sleeping cat is my favourite too – so comfortable in its world. Rome is the place I always remember for cats, of course it’s famous for it. I have noticed recently that we now have a ‘metro’ cat in our town – it’s obviously not a stray but obviously finds enough excitement and people to hang around the metro station all day. One of our libraries used to also have a library cat. Amazing what these domesticated cats get up to when their people aren’t around.
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‘Sleeping Cat’ seems to have won a few hearts here Andrea 🙂 I remember seeing a lot of cats in Naples and dogs too, wandering in and out of shops and restaurants. How cute to have a metro and library cat. They do seem to love the stimulation and the buzz that human interaction gives them. Fascinating animals aren’t they?
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I am SO HAPPY to see a cat post!! Wonderful.
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You KNOW I thought of you when I posted this Bev… 😀
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Love this, Sherri! The sleeping cat on the red carpet looks like me when I pray. 🙂 I’ll never forget when I was in St. Lucia eating dinner in a French restaurant. I was wearing a summer dress and I felt something rub against my leg…no, it wasn’t DFD, it was a cat! Before I knew what it was, I freaked out and had to peel myself off the ceiling. I had no idea, that it’s common to allow cats or dogs to stroll through restaurants. I hope you’re having a purrrfect weekend! xo
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Haha…oh Jill, what a great story but what a shock when you discovered instead that it wasn’t DFD but a cat 😮 I was shocked the first time I travelled abroad and watched amazed as cats and dogs wandered in and out of shops and restaurants unheeded. Jill, I am laughing so hard, I can’t stop 😀 I’ll think instead of that image of you praying like that sweet cat 🙂 It has been a good weekend thanks, feeling better after a horrible tooth extraction so not quite purrrfect but getting there…and hope for you too, with no unexpected ‘surprises’…say no more, ha! xoxo
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Sorry to hear about your tooth extraction…ouch! DFD must have been feeling your pain, he woke up this morning with a tooth ache. It’s better now, I think it was sinus pressure. Have a great week! xo
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Ahh…thanks Jill. Oh no, poor DFD! Sinus pressure can do that, this feels like that only magnified, but getting better slowly. Glad for DFD too. You have a great week too and see you soon my friend 🙂 xoxo
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Beautiful cat pics and story. I feel so relaxed.
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How lovely, thank you so 🙂
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A wonderful assortment of cuddly furry friends, Sherri. The stretched out-sound asleep cat reminds me of our Siamese, Calla Lily. She would run through the house, up and down stairs, leaping over furniture, skidding on wood floors and turning corners balanced on two paws. THEN she would stretch out, perfectly still, and several times we wondered if she’d had a heart attack. She was almost 19 when she died, and it was in her sleep.
Great pictures.
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Oh Marylin, what a wonderful story! Calla Lily sounds like such a beautiful, unique cat with so much character. What fun you had with her…and some scares too, yikes 😉 As you know, I grew up with Siamese cats so I understand their uniqueness. What a blessing that she lived so long and died so peacefully. Glad you enjoyed the pics, I thought it was time to share some more cats 🙂
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A wonderful story accompanies with beautiful cat photos! Lovely, Sherri!
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Thanks so much Amy, glad you enjoyed the kitties 🙂
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Hi Sherri, I really enjoyed the pics of the cats.
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Hi Donna! I’m thrilled to share these beautiful kitties with you, thank you 🙂
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I love, love, love this post! There should be a Lonely Planet guide – The Cats of Europe.
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Ahh…thanks so much Rachel and what a great idea, you could be on to something there! I love sharing cat photos 🙂
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Beautiful shots, love the little kitten at the door!
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I love that little kitty too Elisa…so sweet! Glad you enjoyed the pics, thanks so much 🙂
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Lovely collection and a good writeup, Sherri! Kudos. I like the ‘darling little kitty’ the Best! 🙂
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Thank you greatly Swami, so glad you enjoyed the read and the photos. Ahh..yes, I am very fond of ‘darling little kitty’ too… 🙂
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I went from being highly allergic to cats to the point where I couldn’t be in the same room with one to (after having a beautiful stray foist itself upon me for a 17-year stay) being a cat-loving fool! LOVE the pics!
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Oh what a lovely story Shel, so glad you overcame your allergies. And it also proves that cats choose their owners and you were definitely chosen 🙂 Thank you much, so glad you enjoyed the pics 🙂
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wow – well done – beautiful images – elegant page and content – very informative!
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Thank you so much Mihran…very happy to know you enjoyed these beautiful ‘Croatian Cats’ 🙂
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Lovely, lovely photos of beautiful kitties! I thought that the first cat could have been Greta’s doppelganger! Thoroughly enjoyed your Croatia trip from my comfy chair on this Sunday morn. Thank you Sherri! ❤
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I’m so glad you were able to take a peak at these kitties Diane..yes, I thought that about the first one too! Ahh..sweet Greta, I miss her…you can see how happy and healthy they all are over there, like your sweetie 🙂 A blessing isn’t it to share despite the miles in between….will be in touch on FB…happy Monday my friend ❤
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Sherri you had me on the word CAT. We have three of them and they have enriched our lives in many ways. Love your cat post and these beautiful images. Kath.
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Haha…love it! Oh, they do so enrich our lives don’t they? What would we do without our darling kitties? Thank you very much Kate, so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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They look beautiful! I saw a load of feral cats somewhere just outside NW London and they looked far more aggressive than these ones, who look like the friendliest of cats.
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We were very surprised at how friendly and well looked after these ferals were. In Crete it’s not the same sadly. Some were ‘adopted’ and were cute, healthy and happy but others were in dreadful condition and of course are left to roam and breed and make more ill cats. Just awful. Glad I was able to share these kitties here, I’ve been meaning to do it for ages, just for a bit of fun. Hope all is going well with you Denise… 🙂
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Regardless the country, we all love our sweet pets. And those are some cute faces.
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Yes, they are same the world over aren’t they? Thanks Renee 🙂
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Lovely, lovely cats, Sherri! There are so many bloggers who love them. I do too but don’t have one currently. My Parisian cat flew to California a few months after we had moved. He was so lonely that my in-laws who had offered to keep him sent him our way. The reunion between him and our little girl was very emotional. She kept saying, “Chat! Chat! Chat!” and he kept meowing in response. Oh you make me miss having a cat!
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Cats are very popular in the blogosphere that’s for sure! I do like to share pics of my cats from time to time as you know and have been meaning to share these ‘holiday’ cats for a while now. Oh what a delightful story. When I split up with my husband he kept our dog, our lab Monty and I took the two cats for two children but they had to wait a few months before they could be sent over to us from California. Oh the happy reunion with my children just as with your little girl was just as emotional, I remember it so well. In fact I wrote an article called Happy Cats Reunion for a magazine here called Your Cat which was published last November. I was proud to write about such a special time. That is so sweet, what a precious, delightful memory you have there. I’m sorry though for making you miss having a cat…maybe another one one of these days? Great to chat with you Evelyne, thank you greatly for your lovely comment 🙂
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They are all so gorgeous, Sherri ❤ Thank you so much for your lovely entry ❤
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Thank YOU Michelle, so glad you enjoyed the pics, I love sharing them 🙂 ❤
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They are all so adorable, but your hubby’s favourite is mine too. 🙂
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Ahh…thanks Sylvia, hubby will be thrilled to know that you share his little favourite. He came out to greet him every day we took our walks along that path, it was just so sweet to see 🙂
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Cool, head-turner cats. Adorable and purrrrrefic!
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Haha…they are pretty cool aren’t they? So glad you enjoyed these purrrrrfect kitties, thank you my friend 🙂
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Sherri, what a cute post! These cats are adorable. You know, I have also noticed how many cats are in my travel photos. While in Rome last September, I visited Torre Argentina, a block of old ruins that also houses the cities cat shelter. There are 200 cats living in the old ruins. Volunteers run the shelter. It is such a great idea, and the cats are so well cared for.
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Hi Susan! Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed the cat pics 🙂 I remember seeing a lot of cats in Italy, and dogs too, just roaming around the place, in and out of shops, cafes and restaurants but particularly around ruins. Sadly, not all were in good shape so I’m so glad to know about this shelter. As you say, what a wonderful idea. Those cats are living a great life. I bet they adore exploring the ruins like that, especially knowing that they are also healthy and happy. A lovely thought isn’t it 🙂
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Beautiful photos of cats. I’ve found a few of my own to rescue and place with others. I have no pets right now but maybe later when I’m fully settled. I’m more of a dog person but have had both at once and they did so well together. I miss them. You seem to be able to catch them just right.
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Thank you Marlene, so glad you enjoyed them! I must be cat mad as I seem to take a lot of photos of them. But as with you, we have had dogs too when the kids were growing up and yes, they all got along fine as did the rest of the menagerie. Maybe when the time is right and you are more settled as you say you’ll get another pet…I hope so 🙂
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Home or away, us cat people can’t help but spot cats, it’s not our fault! ;o) I love the tiny kitten on the step – gorgeous. :o)
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Hi Jenny! Haha…you know it! Yes, that little kitty is so cute, I wanted to bring him/her home with us 😉 Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed these Croatian cat pics 🙂
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Croatia looks as though it has oodles of cats. We walk the streets here and rarely see a cat. I’m sure people still have them but they are certainly not out on the streets. Cats here have to be registered like dogs. Beautiful photos. 🙂
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How interesting that cats are registered over there. I didn’t see half as many cats out and about when I lived in the States as most were kept indoors. Different story here, our little cul de sac here is swarming with them! Well, maybe three or four… 😉 Croatia was the same and I was so pleased to see that they were looked after. In Crete it was a different story 😦 Glad you enjoyed the pics, thanks Irene 🙂
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Yes they are registered because the cat catcher will take cats not registered to the cat shelter. It is done to protect the wildlife and it is law that they are kept indoors of a night. Mind you I don’t think anything but the registration is acted on but cats have a bit of a bad reputation when it comes to killing. Quite different to thirty years ago when you saw cats everywhere. 🙂
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That is very different but a good idea I think. I wonder how that law would go down here? We keep our cats in at night as I do worry about Eddie, our black moggie, being out although we live on a quiet street far from the busy, main road thankfully. Maisy, the one who looked like your Maisie, rarely goes out and only when the sun is out so she can sunbathe and she never jumps the fence, quite content to stay in the garden. But cats are little killing machines in the natural aren’t they? Eddie has caught one or two birds which always makes me sad. He caught a mouse once too and thankfully ate it before bringing it into the house…yikes
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We once let our cat catch a mouse we had cornered. Roger then spent time catching her so he could release the mouse – he felt so bad. 🙂
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Ahh…hope everyone was happy in the end 🙂
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All except the pussy cat. 🙂
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I bet 😉
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Hello, I’m popping in from sweet Marlene’s at “In Search Of”. I spotted your message there and thought “how lovely”. Enjoyed all your photos here so much. They’re all really dear aren’t they? I’ve enjoyed photo’s of Croatia too at another WP Blog, “Retiree Diary”. I’ve thought I’d enjoy a holiday there someday. Now I see I’d never get to see much of anything, I’d be stopping every block to pet and visit with the kitties 😀 My goodness, looks like there’s no shortage of strays. I’m happy that the locals leave food for them. We’ve been lucky enough to have a number of sweet kitties as part of our home and currently have two, both black and apparently sisters. A gift from my brother, who himself has 4 at home and a couple in his shop. We love our cats (and dogs, and hamsters and birds). My love for all things is only tempered by the hubby who sensibly limits our crew, LOL. Cheers!
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Hello Boomdeeadda! Oh how lovely of you to read my comment and pop over from dear Marlene’s blog, thank you so much. I also know Michael over at Retiree Diary, his photos are spectacular aren’t they? Haha…yes, you would definitely be spending a lot of time with all the kitties…you can see that I did just that 😉 It was so lovely to see them so well looked after. Oh what a lovely family you have, pets and humans! Sounds just like our household. I’ve written here more than once about our menageries over the years. My daughter has Asperger’s Syndrome and is animal mad so we’ve also had our fair share of exotic pets too, including her more recently acquired African Land Snail, believe it or not. Other than that, we just have our two cats like you, one, our little black moggie Eddie and Maisy, our grey and white tabby who came over with us when we moved back to England from California 11 years ago now! How lovely that your two are sisters…and I would say just the same as my hubby too…he could certainly relate to yours :D. Lovely to meet you, I do hope you will pop over again for a chat sometime. Until then, here’s to our beautiful kitties 🙂
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I’m a cat person too and it’s surprising how many feral cats there seem to be all over the world. Egypt was probably the place we saw the most on our travels closely followed by Tunisia.
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Yes, very true that Marie. We saw tons in Lanzarotte as well as Italy and Crete. Sadly, most of them were not looked after at all 😦 It was nice to see them so happy in Dubrovnik though 🙂
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Oh I do like these Sherri ! Such contentment on so many kitty faces . Lovely 🙂 The one sat on the chair completely oblivious to passers by says it all .
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Thank you so much poppytrump for stopping by, it’s a pleasure to share these kitty pics…they were all so sweet 🙂
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What a lovely entry Sherri, It’s heartwarming to know the cats are looked after and fed, and that kitten is sooo adorable! 🙂
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Thank you very much Amanda, so glad to know that you enjoyed this entry. Yes, that little kitty is adorable isn’t it? I wanted to bring it home with me 🙂
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