Cats and Dogs, Living Together - Kinda.

So, in Buenos Aires there are a lot of dogs. I mean, a LOT. Here is an average - well maybe a bit more than averagely heroic - dog walker.


The thing that is weird about BA is that there are both incredibly highly pedigreed and well-cared for dogs, and a few semi-starved strays.

And then there are these other dogs. The Tramps.

These dogs look to be in good shape. Sometimes they have little makeshift collars. But they are always alone, and totally in charge of themselves. Many of these dogs are rottweiller-colored, but smaller, and more terrier-shaped. I watched one of these dogs consider crossing a VERY high-traffic street, then choose to walk the other way, with the traffic. He was walking in the road, along the curb. When a taxi honked at him, he without pause or nervousness just smoothly moved back onto the sidewalk. It was amazing.

But it was making me think. I was walking through the streets of BA, thusly:


And I hadn't seen any cats at all. Until I came to this one fenced in park. I saw it from a block away. Cats EVERYWHERE. On every park bench, under every tree. I came close to take a picture... and the MOBBED me.


It was like the fucking Birds. They were rubbing against my legs, meowing. But they looked good. Well-fed. Well-groomed, even. Kind of adorable.

A policeman thought it most amusing I was taking pictures of them. "Quiere comida," he said. Well, yeah. Perhaps I'll go back and be crazy cat lady for them one of these days.

Except they sort of scare me a little: