Yzabelle Bostyn
VALENCIA truly is a cat friendly city, with its very own mansion dedicated to our furry friends.
When mediaeval warrior El Cid conquered Valencia in 1094, he not only took the city, but also its beloved pets.
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The Castillian knight declared cats bad luck and ordered for them to be massacred.
All but four died that year, but their memory lives on in the city’s tiny ‘cat mansion’.
Found in the El Carmen neighbourhood, the monument was built in 2003 by sculptor Alfonso Yuste Navarro.
It carries the inscription: “In memory of the four cats that lived in the neighbourhood of El Carmen in the year 1094. There never was a louder meow.”
The house is decorated with plenty of delightful details, like tiny curtains, a balcony, fountain and even a ‘fire safety’ sign.
For film buffs can even spot a miniature Charlie Chaplin peering out of one of the windows.
Cats enter through a small courtyard through the ‘front door’, where they can chill out in the shade of their own private garden.
Since its inception some 20 years ago, the ‘cat mansion’ has become a social media sensation and another has reportedly popped up a few doors down from Calle del Museo.
You can find the adorable cat refuge at number 11, though the sign above the door reads ‘number nine’.
Over the years, the house has become slightly dilapidated and has even been senselessly vandalised.
Nonetheless, it doesn’t stop hundreds of visitors going in search of Valencia’s feline haven every day.
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