Here’s an idea for your next Italy vacation: make a stopover to Sardinia’s I Gatti di Su Pallosu - an island that is home to a colony of 60 cats roaming free, sunbathing, enjoying the surf - you know - cat stuff.
The island is a non-profit sanctuary run by Andrea and Irina Atzori, whose organization Cultural Association Friends of Su Pallosu undertakes the necessary feeding, shelter, sterilization, and non-profit outreach/fundraising needed to keep the island functioning and the cats happy and well. The Association also enlists volunteers to aid with the cats’ upkeep, feeding, and care.
According to the website, the colony has been around for about a century, and the cats were supposedly brought to the island after World War II in order to aid with a mice infestation. Local fishermen and vacationers alike exist in harmony with the cats who roam the beach.
The cats are all microchipped and the organization does not accept new cats and is especially against people trying to drop off their unwanted cats at the island. In fact, if they encounter this, they will take legal action.
The page even lists a few of the cuties who inhabit the island. Get acquainted with these guys (and gals) and start dreaming about your next vacation!
Tuft:
Veveritza:
Lello:
Frida:
Pufuletz:
Book a tour by emailing [email protected].
Image Credits: GattiSuPallosu.org