Cats on IBIZA 1

by
Elia Taniguchi

Table of Contents In this issue

Preface
Story 1： Mago and Piña
Story 2：Torako and Pablo
Story 3：Tom and Susan
Story 4：Peter and Ryan
Story 5：Garvo and Catherine

Preface
A Gathering of Cats

Believe it or not, many cats gather together at night during a full moon on the Isle of Ibiza. The gathering place is in the old town surrounded by a rampart. These cats come to a tiny square called “Plaza del Sol”, surrounded by walls that seem in danger of collapse on high ground overlooking the sea.

In the middle of this tiny square, somewhat too grandly named “Plaza del Sol”, there is a big tree. On the side of the square overlooking the sea, there is a terrace-like area. From the right side, you can see a port with a small round bay, and on the left side, there are low mountains shaped like upside-down rice bowls. When you look down, the traditional town of Eivissa can be seen.

In this square, cats gather together during nights with a full moon. Their purpose is unknown. I don’t know if the cats have a purpose or not. Perhaps they are just there to mark time. However, they are creatures like us, so, they may be doing something like exchanging information about dangerous dogs and humans they may need to stay clear of. However, I believe that they spend most of the time talking about the people on this isle, and sharing gossip about them. The reason why these cats might do so is that there are many strange people on this isle and it is the best way to pass the time.

In this way, the cats on Ibiza maintain their discussion on issues of life on the island on moonlit nights. Their animated conversations take place on a plaza on a hill overlooking the sea that reflects the beautiful moonlight. I don’t know if cats behave this way in the other towns, but on Ibiza, cats always gather together on nights with a full moon.

Although the assembled members are usually the same, sometimes a stranger cat casually wanders in. However, none of the cats on Ibiza, in particular the ones living in the old town surrounded by the ancient rampart, look disapprovingly at such strangers!

As you know, humans also come to Ibiza from all over the world. Moreover, most of them are eccentric and such people have become the regular inhabitants of Ibiza. No matter who comes to the town, and no matter what happens, nobody is bothered. There are many cats that have been living in Ibiza for a very long time, and also there are several newcomers. For example, a cat that had been brought in from a foreign country and left on Ibiza sometimes strays into the meeting.

Senior cats do not especially welcome such cats, but they don’t ignore them. “Those who come are welcome, those who leave are missed”. They live the reality of the Ibiza lifestyle.

The full moon meetings are a kind of a free and easy party once a month, but only for cats. Any cat can participate, and be a member cat on Ibiza.

Nevertheless, among these cats, there are some cats that really stand out for some reason or other. Also there are some cats that are regular wallflowers. There are some cats that truly have a commanding presence, so what’s the difference? It is not their ages, not the length of time they’ve lived on Ibiza, not the wealth of their owners, not high birth, not presence of mind, not eloquence or a louder voice. It is the particular atmosphere of the individual cat. It is a projection of dignity and a strong presence. In other words, if a cat does not have such a strong presence, the cat is not regarded as important on Ibiza.

A tree commonly seen in Mediterranean countries stands in the cat’s favorite square, and it has a large trunk and large green leaves that grow thick in summer, providing a lot of shade for humans. However, in winter, all the leaves fall off, and only the fist-like trunk that pokes through the ground remains. It may not be of interest, but according to “Esteban”, a knowledgeable painter who lives in the old town, this tree looks like a tree, but it is actually a kind of ancient grass.

There is a public drinking fountain under the tree. In the daytime, children drink water directly from the faucet. In the port, as viewed down from the plaza, a lot of regular service ships from Barcelona, Alicante, or Palma de Mallorca come and go. Sometimes, a large luxurious sailing ship anchors there. On the other side of the curved bay, there is a yacht harbor named “Puerto Nueva” meaning “New Port” and many yachts and cruise ships can be seen.

On this island of Ibiza, cats gather together at night during a full moon, and discuss all the embarrassingly eccentric people they see during the day. In other words, as the lifestyle of cats is almost the same all over the world, they can really appreciate how unique and different the people on Ibiza are. It is unbelievable for cats to see such a variety of humans. For this reason, this topic is fascinating for cats as they pass the time.

Let’s stop going on about how wonderful all of this is, and start the stories of cats and humans on Ibiza, the stories that have come up with the cats during nights with a full moon.

Story 1
Mago and Piña

Believe it or not, there is a cat on Ibiza that travels all over the world by air! It is a spotted cat, “Margo”. She looks rather old, and either from age or circumstance, she has a rather poor coat of fur. Long and short hair of different colors unevenly covers her body. She does not look attractive at all. She is very skinny, so she looks a bit shabby.

She looks like a house cat that fell into the sink. It’s like she just managed to climb up from the drain and barely survived. Onlookers could be forgiven for imagining she is a stray house cat that doesn’t know how to get food for herself, and has therefore lost a lot of weight. Margo looks like that, but she is a real house cat, and not a stray. Moreover, her owner is a wealthy woman of unknown nationality.

They say that the owner’s real name is uncertain, maybe Marsha or Hecate. This mysterious woman who is well over 60, is called “Piña”, meaning “pine nut” in Spanish. To be honest, this name is not suitable for her at all. This is more of a pretty name for a little girl. I don’t know the reason why, but perhaps it is because she is living in a house in a pine grove.

Although Piña is very rich, she is for some reason always shabbily dressed, as if she can’t afford more. Her style matches Margo’s perfectly. For example, she recently appeared in the morning market, which are basically 20 to 30 open-air side-by-side stalls in front of a castle gate in the old town. She wore distressed worn-out jeans, a slightly soiled T-shirt, and over it a dark flappy jacket that looked like warn-out pieces of cloth sewn together. She was poor looking in every respect.

Looking a bit more closely however, although the T-shirt was worn out, it was hand made with organic dye and genuine organic cotton. About three yeas ago, she bought it in a cutting edge boutique especially for fair trade products in New York.