Spotting a cat either has you ps-ps-psing or remarking that you’re ‘more of a dog person’– there’s no in-between.
Those of us firmly in the first camp will be delighted to know that there are nearly 130 million cats to (try to) pet in Europe. But which country is the most adoring of those elusive felines? Well, a study by Go Voyager has ranked all 27 EU countries based on the number of cats per square kilometre and the proportion of households with one as a pet.
Topping the list? No, it’s not famous, cat-littered destinations like Greece or Türkiye. It is, in fact, Belgium. The country has around 81.89 cats per kilometre squared, second only to Malta (which has a staggering 316.46) and 33 percent of households have one as a pet.
But cats have historically formed an important part of Belgian culture. In the town of Ypres, a triennial parade known as Kattenstoet, or ‘festival of the cats’, takes place, which is thought to mark a time when cats were associated with witchcraft and were thrown from Belfry tower. Today, giant cat puppets, costumes, and plush cat toys are paraded around to celebrate the felines.
In second place was Hungary with a density of 25.80 cats per kilometre squared and 34 percent of households having one as a pet, and in third place was Poland, with 22.71 per square kilometre and a pet proportion of 41 percent.
These are Europe’s most cat-loving countries
- Belgium
- Hungary
- Poland
- Malta
- Romania
- France
- Slovenia
- Germany
- Netherlands
- Austria
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