The Cats of Old Jakarta

One can learn a thing or two about the inhabitants of a place by observing its street cats.

In Istanbul, the street cats are fit and healthy and you can often see the residents slipping their feline friends a treat or two. 

In Rome, the strays are missing eyes and ears and have substantial tufts of fur torn from their bodies. Around the Colosseum, bands of cats copulate on the sidewalks at all hours of the day and night, howling and hissing and fighting, seeming to be the only Roman gladiators left today. If one of these maurading cats ventures too near a sidewalk cafe, you might witness a waiter shout at the intruder, or throw a pebble at it as a warning.

In Bishkek, I only saw four cats on the streets in all my years of visiting. The packs of fierce little stray dogs that patrol the streets are an effective means of control, it seems.

In the old town of Jakarta, stray cats abound. They are emaciated and bedraggled and scurry toward the nearest protective foliage when creatures on two feet draw near. It's probably a response learned from painful experience. I managed to sneak up on a few to get their photos before they darted away.
















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