Cat Colony of Cala Bona

Capturing the strays roaming Mallorca's streets

By Melissa Keizer

September 24^th, 2015

I recently returned from a late summer holiday in Mallorca, where I stayed in the small coastal town of Cala Bona, with my boyfriend Michael. On our first evening of the holiday, we walked from our hotel to the coast and strolled along the strip, full of restaurants and bars. Just outside a pizzeria named Panetosto, I noticed a couple of cats lurking around the restaurant. We walked over to pet them, and soon found ourselves surrounded by ten or twelve cats!

During the rest of our week in Cala Bona, I photographed the cats whenever I spotted them.

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Many of the cats had unusual marking like these lovely tortoiseshell cats. This little ginger cat reminded me of my own cat, Cleo.

Colony Carer

After a day of cycling around the resorts of Cala Bona and Cala Millor, Michael and I stopped at the spot where the cats congregate each day. This time we met a lady who was there feeding the cats.

We got chatting and learned that she cares for this colony and six other cat groups around the island, and even gets many of the cats neutered or spayed. Living in the mountains about 15km from Cala Bona, she’s constantly surrounded by cats as she has 39 in her home! It was refreshing to meet someone so passionate about caring for the animals.

The lady mentioned she set up a Facebook page for the array of cats she cares for. Check out Bandito Fan Club Mallorca for pictures of all of the cats!

While many of the cats craved human attention, some were more reluctant to come out of their hiding spot. I noticed three or four young, tabby kittens taking cover in the bushes.