China South of the Clouds

More photos to come from my trip to Chengdu, but first, a strange phenomenon that seems ubiquitous in that city: cats on leashes.

I have never seen cats on leashes anywhere else in China, or, for that matter, anywhere else in the world, but it seems to be the norm in Chengdu. I asked the girls at the front desk of my hostel why their two kittens were on leashes, and their answer was, simply, “Because they like to run away.”

One of two kittens at my hostel. One was leashed near the front desk, where he had fun jumping around in my suitcase.

This shop cat doesn’t seem to mind the leash.

Shop cat at a dried meat stand. The leash may be somewhat useful in this case.