Moggies of Malta
While I sort through the hundreds of photos from our recent trip to Malta I’m sharing a few posts with snapshots of generic themes that I like to look out for.
As catless cat-lovers, we couldn’t help but notice a lot of moggies* wandering about. None wore collars and I assume most were feral, though occasionally there were signs of them being looked after with bowls of water and food left on the street, and even some special shelters. The signs also suggest the cats were cared for even if they weren’t anyone’s beloved pets.
*A moggie is a British term for a cat, specifically a mixed breed or non-pedigree animal.
Some of the cats seemed to have to work for a living, even if they ended up sleeping on the job.
The only cats I know for sure had a home are these three gingers in the garden at St Catherine’s Monastery in Valletta where I am told they are looked after by the nuns. Apparently the one in the plant pot sleeps there every day.
Finally, cats in art! The bench, by Manuel Farrugia, is in the square at Ghajnsielem in Gozo and represents old and new ways of communicating. An elderly couple from the past chat face to face while a young girl of today communicates with the world through her phone. The observer is invited to sit between the figures for a photograph, which I did – I’m copying the girl by holding my phone. You can tell the cat belongs to the older era because the woman’s basket contains fish!
The mural is in Valletta, and if you open the gallery you might be able to spot a real cat in the photo (underneath the car). And last, but not least, Companions by Joe Smith is part of an outdoor photographic exhibition near Valletta’s City Gate in which Concetta, a widow, holds her very large cat. This one is definitely well looked after.
More snapshots coming soon.
The Glasgow Gallivanter 
I love the cat theme. Mark’s allergic to cats, but I used to have them when growing up and as an adult before leaving Belgium.
When we first arrived in Portugal and Spain this past winter, we were surprised at the amount of cats and cat houses. We learned that the community usually takes care of them. It’s something we never saw in South America with the exception of one park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We rarely saw cats there, only stray and loose dogs…
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Obviously a cat-loving community! I have never seen cat condos like that.
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No, I hadn’t either. Interesting!
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As another catless cat-lover, I can see Malta is my kind of place.
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It turned out to be our sort of place for all sorts of reasons!
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I like cats but I seem to be allergic to them which I found out when doing work in houses with cats in them. I like to watch them though. The top predator in any suburban garden. Bob. BSS.
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They are so graceful to watch.
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This is fun and these cats look pretty healthy, much like the ones we saw in Athens and Kotor. That pot plant doesn’t look like the most comfortable place to sleep but it must be, because that cat looks very relaxed.
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I’m always amazed at the weird spaces and poses cats adopt to sleep. They rarely look comfortable, but I guess they must be!
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I liked the way that you effortlessly fitted in to the scene on the bench.
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You can hardly tell which one is me 😉.
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Oh what a wonderful moggie post. Really made me smile. As a catless cat lover I can very much appreciate your lovely photos, especially all those ‘ hard at work moggies ‘ 😀 X
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They certainly knew how to relax! The one at the temple museum had a whole queue of people taking its picture and not a whisker stirred.
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Where did you stay in Malta? I’m a totally disinterested, heartless not cat lover, and they are everywhere. No need to feel sorry for them. They are better looked after than many homeless people xx
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We had a week’s walking in Gozo, based in Victoria, then a few days in Valletta at the end. Yes, I think the cats were probably fine!
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I like the look of Gozo. Look forward to your walks xx
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Wonderful. You know I love cats! Could not be without them. I really fancy Malta one day 😀
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I do indeed! Malta had been creeping up on me – I kept reading / hearing good things about it – so I’m glad we went.
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Moggies – glad you translated that one! While they may be feral all those cats are getting enough to eat and living their best life. That calico in the widows arms is gorgeous and humongous!
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Ha! I read another post where the word moggie was used and realised from the comments and queries that it was a British term only. I think they all were quite content to snooze away in the sunshine.
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As another cat-less cat lover I thoroughly enjoyed this post! And as well as the moggies I loved the cat crossings signs 🙂
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Yes, I loved that they had gone to the trouble of creating signs to keep the cats safe.
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As a dedicated cat lover I love your post with all the great photos of all those Maltese moggies! Enjoyed finding about the cats in art too. Looks like you had good weather for your holiday.
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We did have good weather apart from one drizzly afternoon. The cats were a delight.
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This is a delightful post!
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Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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We had similar experiences with cats in Thessaloniki. So many of them, all with little homes built for them by human neighbours, who also seemed to provide restaurant service on request.
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It’s a good plan I think – communal cats whose company you can enjoy when you feel like it (or rather when they feel like it) but without complete responsibility because there will always be someone else there. I imagine most of them are good mousers too.
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I would hope so! Yes, I never felt sorry for the Thessaloniki cats. A good plan for reluctant-to-own-a-cat types who nevertheless like having them around (Me? You?)
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Possibly! When we first had a cat our neighbours at the time loved it when we went away because they could look after her. Cathy was far too houseproud to keep a cat!
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The average cat is houseprouder than me ….
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Well, me too, but Cathy is in a league of her own.
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😄
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I do not recall seeing so many cats when I visited Gozo. Granted many years ago, but still…
I often think about getting a couple, but they do tie you down. And a dog would be a better choice as it would force me to walk every day. I look forward to more snapshots from your trip.
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Maybe there has been a breeding explosion since then! I don’t think I would like the responsibility of a dog and John doesn’t like them at all. Maybe one day we will get another cat – never say never.
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Very interesting (and very nice pics). I don’t remember seeing so many cats when we visited Gozo and Malta but maybe we didn’t pay attention to them. Very nice post. (Suzanne)
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Thanks, Suzanne. I think if you are a cat lover you are more attuned to spotting them.
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An excellent set of photos.
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Thank you!
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interesting snapshots from your wanders in Malta, Anabel!
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Thanks Sue!
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😊😊
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I come back from shopping and find a wonderful post about Maltese moggies! I love cats and this has really made me smile. The first one looks really sweet and the Ghajnsielem cat has a similar colouring to Mouse. I love ‘slow’ signs with no punctuation, they always amuse me whatever the creature is.
There’s an outlying area of my town which became a small town in its own right in 1974 and anyone born and brought up there will refer to moggies as being mice. Back in my late teens I got friends with a girl who came from there, I had two cats at the time and could never understand why her dad insisted that moggies were mice!
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We loved meeting all these cats, though they were mostly indifferent to us – apart from the first one who was very interested in the ham on John’s sandwich. Calling cats mice is just weird!
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We are also catless cat lovers, so I really enjoyed your post!
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We have had cats in the past but decided not to replace the last one. Too tying! Also, too heart-breaking when the final trip to the vets comes along …
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We felt the same after Charlie died.
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Saying farewell as a pet goes to sleep for the last time is heartbreaking, but “’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” That’s what I comfort myself with.
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You are right, but all the same – it was years before I stopped seeing a little black shape out of the corner of my eye.
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I still imagine him walking up the road with his tail up intent on his destination.
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