Long since legendary - the cats of Reykjavík

For many, Reykjavík is THE cat capital of all time—when walking through the world's northernmost capital (64° 66' N), you can encounter the city's cats everywhere. Most of the cats here are outdoor cats, they have a permanent residence and roam the city during the day.

Nobody knows how many cats there are in Reykjavík, as there is no cat registry. Some estimates put the number at up to 20,000 in the capital area (out of a population of around 250,000). In any case, cats are an integral part of the cityscape of the Icelandic capital – like this beautiful cat wearing a bow tie on Skólavörðustígur.

And for cat fans there are also some very special highlights:

The cat café " Kattakaffihús " has been open since 2018. Here, at Bergstaðastræti 10a, about 500 meters from Hallgrímskirkja, cat lovers who may not be able to own a cat can relax in a cozy atmosphere with coffee and cake in the company of cats – and homeless cats who have found a home at the "cat café" can find their forever home. Mjá!

"Your friend in Reykjavík" will also be offering a " cat-focused city tour " (in English) in the summer, where you can learn about the history of cats since the settlement of Iceland and Icelandic myths about cats.

By the way, the most famous Icelandic cat is probably the Christmas cat ( Jólakötturinn ): The Christmas cat is a terrible monster, huge and black and with fiery eyes the size of saucers.

The Christmas Cat actually lives with the 13 Icelandic Santas and their troll parents, Grýla and Leppalúði, in the mountains of Dimmuborgir near Lake Mývatn. But during the Christmas season, it descends to the humans, lurks in the dark snowfields, and then pounces on its victims. It prefers to eat lazy people. Therefore, the best way to avoid being eaten by the Christmas Cat was to diligently help with wool processing in the fall and knit a new piece of clothing with your share. Because if you wear a new piece of clothing, the Christmas Cat won't eat you!

At the beginning of the year, I knitted a "cat hat" as a birthday surprise for my sister, especially with black cats for a cat lady. After posting pictures of the hat on Instagram, I actually received quite a few enthusiastic messages from other cat fans. No, I don't go "in series" and I don't knit to order, but for an Instagram friend from Reykjavík, I did knit a second "cat hat" out of Icelandic wool (Léttlopi) – and at her special request, in light blue and pink with black cats!

PS:

Perhaps Reykjavík's love of cats is also related to the fact that keeping dogs was forbidden in the city for a long time – a general dog ban had been in place since 1924. After persistent protests, the Reykjavík City Council introduced a law in 1984 allowing people to keep dogs with a special permit from the city under certain conditions. However, such permits were expensive. Recently, the fees were significantly reduced (currently around €145 per year) as an incentive to ensure that all dog owners in the city properly register their dogs. However, certain types of dogs are still prohibited, or additional requirements apply.

[Translated from here.]