Terra Catta Army
(image via: sinaCNnews)
As more tourists began visiting the Forbidden City, the number of cats began to increase for a number of reasons. As mentioned, humans were feeding the cats but they were also being cared for by the city, who instituted a spay & neuter program on (at first) a very small scale.
As the general public gradually became aware that cats in the Forbidden City were receiving special care, Beijingers began to leave their unwanted cats and kittens at the district’s gates. These days, the Forbidden City’s cats owe less of their ancestry to cats traditionally residing there than ever before.
(image via: artisticINSURRECTION)
Even so, some hints of the historic cats who patrolled the Forbidden City in times past, keeping the Emperor’s path clear of rats and mice, can still be discerned: there seem to be an abundance of white cats among the Forbidden City’s felines, many more than what might be expected in an average cat population. They also seem inordinately relaxed, lounging about anywhere they please and soaking up as much sunlight as Beijing’s notorious smog will permit. In China’s Forbidden City, it may not be good to be an emperor but if you’re a cat you can live like a king.

