Highland Cat

Last summer, I treated myself to a short holiday in the Scottish Highlands. Since I wanted to see as much of the natural beauty of this place as possible, I rented a car and drove all across the country. I have to say, the travel brochures didn’t leave me with any unfulfilled expectations. The landscapes were truly stunning! I came across the most epic views of vast lakes and ancient ruins of once majestic castles and fortresses. I love Scotland. It’s a remarkable place.

One late afternoon, I decided to stop in Oban: a coastal town in the west of Scotland. The coastline looked very picturesque so grabbed my backpack and went for a walk. Near the harbor, I came across this small seafood restaurant. It had a huge sign next to it, reading “Welcome to Oban, seafood capital of Scotland”. At the door sat this beautiful tabby feline. He looked at me, but didn’t seem disturbed by my presence. The precious animal seemed to be waiting for something, and it wasn’t too hard to figure out what it was…

Above the cat’s head was a tall chalkboard sign with written on it the most diverse offer of local seafood: scallops, mussels, langoustines, cockles, oysters, salmon…. You name it, they served it. The seafood platter mentioned on the specials board sounded like a great idea, but the sun was already setting and the restaurant turned out to be closed.However, there seemed to be some activity inside. I figured the cat must have been waiting for any leftovers to feast on. No wonder he was being so patient.