The cats of Reykjavik are everywhere. By your Airbnb. Inside coffee houses. Even inside museums. Henna went to a cat cafe (a small cafe that cared for a few stray cats) and saw a neighborhood cat wander through the door. The employees working there mistook the cat for a resident and he was stopped from leaving. Henna basically witnessed a cat kidnapping.

Why so many cats? One reason is that dogs were not allowed in Rejkavik until the late 1980s. Reykjavik categorized them as farm animals. So probably no sheep either. People then grew up with cats, not dogs, and they were always allowed to roam.

Cats kill birds. Sometimes they get lucky and catch a bird napping. Other times they do things like raid nests. Outdoor cats are an invasive species that will wreak havoc with birds as well as other indigenous animals. Keep your cats indoors.

In Iceland they launched campaigns to do just that. They also passed laws prohibiting cats from leaving their human home. People did not react well to such laws. Supposedly there were actual cat protests. Imagine dozens of cats holding signs and meowing loudly. How cute would that be?

The new compromise is a cat curfew. Seriously. In many towns throughout Iceland cats need to be off the street at a certain time or else….. Not sure what else. But people in Iceland generally follow the rules so I guess there are less cats out at night.

And that is my final thought on Iceland. For now. Bonjour!