They prowl through palace gardens stalking pigeons and make cameos on televised news briefings. Some greet tourists at the doors, while others take a sneaky lick of ice cream from staff.
Nineteen feral cats have free rein of Mexico’s National Palace, long roaming the lush gardens and historic colonial halls of the most iconic buildings in the country.
“They have access to every part of the palace, so they walk in on meetings, interviews and wander onto camera,” said Jesus Arias, the palace veterinarian, as a handful of feline friends brush against his ankles.
Photo: AP
Now, the palace cats have made history after the administration of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador declared them to be “living fixed assets,” the first animals in the country to receive the title.
The investment term “fixed assets” usually applies to buildings and furniture, but by applying it to cats, Lopez Obrador’s government has obligated the Mexican Secretariat of the Treasury and Public Credit to provide them food and care for them for the rest of their lives, even after the leader leaves office 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,” said Adriana Castillo Roman, general director of the National Palace and Cultural Heritage Conservancy. “We have to make sure the cats are taken care of.”
Nestled in the heart of Mexico City, the presidential palace has long been the seat of Mexico’s executive branch. Now the residence of Lopez Obrador, it is built upon the former palace of indigenous Emperor Moctezuma. Moctezuma’s ancient Aztec culture honored not cats, but hairless dogs known as Xoloitzcuintle, who were even buried with their masters.
These days, Lopez Obrador is accompanied by Bowie, Bellof, Nube, Coco, Yema, Ollin, Balam and more, who seem to have found a perfect home in the building. Lopez Obrador has said the cats “dominate” the palace and often walk in front of him during official ceremonies.
Some are named after artists, like the orange tabby Bowie named after the rock star David Bowie, who visited the palace in 1997 to see the famous mural by Mexican painter Diego Rivera. Others are named after native rocks or words in the region’s ancient Aztec language, like Ollin, which means “movement.”
Staff say they remember the feral cats living among the cacti and dense brush of the gardens as far back as 50 years ago, but it is unclear when they first appeared or how they even got into the building.
While 19 live in the building full time, many more come and go, and staff suspect they slip under a small crack in the palace gate by night.
One cat named Zeus, who has since passed away, became famous in July last year when he meandered into the president’s morning news briefing. The gray cat stood in front of cameras and wandered among reporters until palace staff had to carry him off.
To avoid a catastrophe, Castillo said the government had to ask reporters to stop feeding Zeus because he would spend his days accepting treats from people around the palace and was “getting really fat.”
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