House of Cats — Attraction in Valencia

If you like street art or quirky history, this is for you! If you are a curious person who just enjoys walking around random streets to discover things off the beaten path, this is for you! Or if you just love cat history without the promise of actually seeing a cat, this is for you! There is a bit of legend surrounding this place - did an elderly woman leave the lot to Valencia’s stray cats? Did a medieval warlord believe cats were bad luck? In 1094 Valencia was ruled by Cid Campeador (Castilian knight & ruler El Cid?)who believed cats were bad luck so he ordered a mass slaughter of cats. Apparently during his reign the Catholic Church said cats were diabolical creatures. Legend says only four cats survived. This Casa dels Gats house mural was created in 2003 by artist Alfonso Yuste Avarro as an homage to these four cats who survived. There is an inscription written on tiles next to the tiny cat house that translates, “In memory of the four cats that lived in the neighborhood El Carmen in the year 1094. There has never been a...

This tiny mural house was built by artist Alfonso Yuste Navarro in 2003 with a Spanish inscription that says, “In memory of the four cats that were left in Barrio del Carmen in 1094.

For those unaware, Barrio del Carmen is a neighbourhood in Valencia. In the year 1094, Valencia was ruled by Cid Campeador, a warlord in mediaeval Spain who believed that cats brought bad luck. As a result, he directed the mass slaughter of cats in Valencia. However, luckily, four cats escaped the wrath of his rule and survived. The inscription refers to the legend of the...

I thought that this was going to be some type of cat exhibit or some thing but what you see in the picture is exactly what you get. It’s a tiny little house built into the wall with a hole that cats go in and out of. There are a few legends as to how this house started. I added a few additional photos of the surrounding area. There are some shops there that are a little alternative and kind of cool but the actual exhibit is pretty simple. I am not sure if I would call...