Buenos Aires is a dog city

I have been noticing the last few days how much Buenos Aires is a dog city. Dogs everywhere. On leashes, loose, in big packs with dog walkers.

I have been trying to remember seeing even one cat in this town over the last five years, and I can't recall a single instance.

With so many Italians in this town, you'd think that some of the Italian cat-loving culture would have rubbed off. For example, if you go to any of the monumental sites in Rome, you will see many cats. But nothing like it in Buenos Aires.

Perhaps this shortage of cats is explained by the many all-you-can-eat buffets in Buenos Aires?

Need cat fix? Try the cemetery in Recoleta. A well fed lot as well.

Yea, the cats are here. I came home this afternoon, sat on my terrace and watched with amusement a gato who had got himself in a predicament up a Palermo tree. To his credit he made it down, so no firetruck call. Though he did devastate a birdsnest I had watched being built for the last two weeks. Where's my Daisy air rifle when I need it?

[QUOTE=Hunt99]Perhaps this shortage of cats is explained by the many all-you-can-eat buffets in Buenos Aires?[/QUOTE]You will never see rats either if you live within 1 block of Grants. The only cockroaches I ever saw were inside Grants but the walls are filthy enough to conceal most critters.

The dog loving city culture is like Paris, on which BsAs was modeled long ago, wide boulevards, cafes, and all. Stepping in dogshit with your left foot is considered good luck in both places.

[QUOTE=Hunt99]I have been trying to remember seeing even one cat in this town over the last five years, and I can't recall a single instance. [/QUOTE]Check out the Botanical Gardens in Palermo. Like Recoleta Cemetary, you'll find more cats than you can shake a stick at.

SL

[QUOTE=StrayLight]Check out the Botanical Gardens in Palermo. Like Recoleta Cemetary, you'll find more cats than you can shake a stick at.

SL[/QUOTE]I dunno - I can shake a stick at an awful lot of cats!

:)

David

Dave, I think you got something wrong.

Not THAT stick, and not THESE cats!

Btw. Another place full of 4 legged pussies is the roof of the restaurant across the street from the Aures de Recoleta Hotel. Seen 3 to 4 of them every time I looked out of the window.

El Alemán.

P. S. Stepped into chewing gum this morning. The only thing that's worse than dog shit.

My last apartment on Vicente Lopez had cats in the courtyard. One of the cats howled frequently. Two of my visiting chicas commented on the cat howling. I watched the cats walk along the top of the walls of the courtyard to go from one yard to the other. The howling helped drown out the other noises coming from my apartment! (hehehe)

Coach

[QUOTE=Hound]Need cat fix? Try the cemetery in Recoleta. A well fed lot as well.[/QUOTE]I bought some cheap ham at the local market and made my way to the Cemetery. As I found out, they're not all well-fed. Most of them are normal weight, this is true. A few that I saw were quite thin. The friendliest of them all was a long-haired female who was virtually skin and bones (and hair, which concealed her figure) She was not quite so aggressive as some others, making it hard for me to slip food to her in the midst of a half dozen of her fellow (living) residents of the Cemetery. But I made sure she got more than her fair share. Once I was out of food she stayed with me, demanding to be rubbed and reciprocating to me as well.

I noticed that some good samaritan had distributed little bits of dry cat food in different spots of the Cemetery. I hope I can find out who, so that I can donate not only to Capt Dave's fine work with the comedores, but to the poor orphan cats as well. If anybody has any knowledge, let me know.

As a kid I grew up with dogs, still love them, but there is something about cats which dogs just lack. Perhaps it is independence. You can have a dog, beat the living hell out of it, and soon enough it will be back, cowering at your feet, giving you attention. A cat would never do that, which makes me respect them. If you're friendly to a cat they will know it and remember it. If you don't care, neither do they. If you're mean to it, they'll never come near you.

And, for a change, there is no complaining about paying in advance.