Cats Make Hiss-tory By Finding Home At Mexico’s Presidential Palace

MEXICO CITY (AP) — They prowl via palace gardens stalking pigeons and make cameos on televised press briefings. Some greet vacationers on the doorways, whereas others take a sneaky lick of ice cream from employees.

Nineteen feral cats have free rein of Mexico’s National Palace, lengthy roaming the luxurious gardens and historic colonial halls of probably the most iconic buildings within the nation.

“They have access to every part of the palace, so they walk in on meetings, interviews and wander onto camera,” mentioned Jesús Arias, the palace veterinarian, as a handful of feline buddies brush towards his ankles.

Now, the palace cats have made hiss-tory after the federal government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be “living fixed assets,” the primary animals in Mexico to obtain the title.

The funding time period “fixed assets” normally applies to buildings and furnishings, however by making use of it to cats, López Obrador’s authorities has obligated the nation’s Treasury to offer them food and care for them for the remainder of their lives, even after the chief leaves workplace in October.

“The cats are now a symbol of the National Palace. Just as we understand this world, I wouldn’t understand the National Palace without the presence of these cats,” mentioned Adriana Castillo Román, common director of the National Palace and Cultural Heritage Conservancy. “We have to make sure the cats are taken care of.”

Nestled within the coronary heart of Mexico City, the presidential palace has lengthy been the seat of Mexico’s government department. Now the residence of López Obrador, it’s constructed upon the previous palace of Indigenous Emperor Moctezuma. Ironically, Moctezuma’s historic Aztec tradition honored not cats, however hairless dogs known as Xoloitzcuintle, who had been even buried with their masters.

But nowadays, López Obrador is accompanied by Bowie, Bellof, Nube, Coco, Yema, Ollin, Balam and extra, who appear to have discovered a purr-fect residence within the building. López Obrador himself has mentioned the cats “dominate” the palace and infrequently stroll in entrance of him throughout official ceremonies.

Some are named after artists, like an orange tabby “Bowie” named after the rockstar David Bowie, who visited the palace 1997 to see the well-known mural by Mexican painter Diego Rivera. Others are named after native rocks or phrases within the area’s historic Aztec language, like Ollin, which suggests “movement.”

Staff say they bear in mind the feral cats residing among the many cacti and dense brush of the gardens way back to 50 years in the past.

But it’s unclear after they first appeared or how they even bought into the building. While 19 stay within the building full time, many extra come and go, and employees suspect they slip below a small crack within the palace gate by evening.

One cat named Zeus, who has since handed away, even grew to become well-known in July when he meandered into the president’s morning press briefing. The grey cat stood in entrance of cameras and wandered amongst reporters till palace employees needed to carry him off.

To keep away from a cat-astrophe, Castillo mentioned the federal government needed to ask reporters to cease feeding Zeus as a result of he would spend his days accepting treats from totally different folks across the palace and was “getting really fat”.

When López Obrador first took workplace in 2018, Castillo mentioned the palace pets had been being fed quietly by workers.

“Some employees that like cats would bring them leftovers from home and, every once in a while, canned food or rice and soup,” Castillo mentioned.

Palace employees labored with vets from the National Autonomous University of Mexico to vaccinate, sterilize and chip the cats, and construct them little cat properties and feeding stations across the backyard. They additionally employed Arias to take care of them on a everlasting foundation and provides them a great life.

Neither Bowie, Coco or Ollin commented when asked how they really feel about being “living fixed assets.” Coco swished his tail, whereas Ollin stretched out under a palace pillar and fell asleep.

“Meow,” responded Nube, a grey cat named after the Spanish phrase for “cloud” who enjoys greeting guests on the door of the palace.

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