It always surprises me whenever I travel how many nations love the small fluffy animal which is Felis catus or the domestic cat. (Above – Baku, Azerbaijani resident at the Karvansara Restoran in the Inner City).

Once worshipped as a god, these elegant feline beauties display no linguistic difficulties when encountering strangers, enter into amicable conversations and ticklefests and seem to be genuinely sad when you depart.  (Above, French catwalk model seen on the Côte d’Azur).

Some may be street stalkers (strays), some may be adopted (you cannot own a cat!), but all seem very well looked after, well fed and open to engagement seemingly without judgement. (Above, dozing resident of Cordes-sur-Ciel, The Tarn, Midi-Pyrénées)

With their purrs and tail rubs, the cat alone can make you feel special, bestowing temporary friendship, seemingly without judgement. (Above, preening resident of the Inner City, Baku, Azerbaijan).

(Above, sunbather in a pottery within Vallauris, South of France)

Whispering so The Hound doesn’t hear, this quote from Carl Van Vechten seems to sum them up: “The cat seldom interferes with other people’s rights. His intelligence keeps him from doing many of the fool things that complicate life.” We humans could perhaps learn a thing or two from them.

Contributor & Photographer:  Sue Lowry

Follow A3Traveller on Twitter: @A3Traveller and Sue Lowry on Google +, YouTube, Linkedin, Flickr and Pinterest. I also operate another blog for my company, Magellan PR – http://www.magellanstraits.com. They can be followed on Twitter: @MagellanPR, on Google+, on YouTube, on Pinterest and on Facebook.