Flores, along with Corvo are the western-most islands in the Azores. Flores looks like a fairyland come real, with paths through forests and thick lush vegetation in every direction!
One thing that has stood out to us are the amount of “feral” cats on the island. I say “feral” because these cats love to be pet by humans, just that they don’t really belong to anyone. Everyone seems to give them food and allows them to lounge around on their porches, even sleeping on the couches in the houses!
These cats are practically “town kitties” where they belong to no one but are everyone’s pet cat.
I was surprised to see such wonderful bird life on the island, with the high presence of outdoor cats! Cats are one of the most effective hunters on Earth, and they will often kill just for fun. This can decimate fragile bird populations that migrate to these remote islands to reproduce, as the cats can wreak havoc on the nesting birds and flightless chicks.
But, it turns out that these cats are very lazy, and seldom bother anything.
This cat was perched ontop of the rock, watching something scurrying around in the grasses beneath it. I thought we were going to watch an expert hunter in action, but instead we observed a lazy cat that was merely observing a little critter scamper. The cat watched for a while, and when he finally “pounced” he missed and went to a house porch instead.
These kitties love to be pet more than they love to kill, and love to be fed more than they want to hunt. When you visit the Azores, be sure to say hello to the local kitties!
