Disneyland Cats!

Many of our readers know that I'm a cat lady. I have two at the moment, know most of the cats in my neighborhood, have taken responsibility for strays, and I'm the go-to lady for vacation cat sitting.

So all that said, when I recently heard a story about 400 stray cats living at Disneyland, I was astonished! I make my home in southern California, and have been to Disneyland countless times and never seen a cat there. So I set out to find out if it was true!


First I did an internet search, and was surprised to find the same basic information over and over. Although sources differ about exactly how and why the cats arrived, most agreed that for about 50 years, they have roamed the Magic Kingdom for rodent/mice control. Some say Disney does the care and feeding, and that they keep them into the back areas where they are rarely seen. Some day they are looked after by caring employees and roam freely.

Huh! And that's when I remembered that I have an expert, a key witness, right in my family! Until recently, my cousin, Megan, was a Disneyland employee. So I sent her a message ("Do cats at Disneyland really exist?") and she responded with a big YES. She added:

“When I worked at Disneyland there were always feral cats roaming around backstage. I once heard a story that someone started dropping off the cats at Disneyland and they multiplied. I also heard that they used to be a part of Circle D, the Disney animal farm backstage where they house all the animals for the park, and they got loose and they couldn't control them. Either way, there are many cats who have established Disneyland as their home.

In Fantasyland, there was one particular cat who called the Small World break room his home. We named him Tigger. He was an orange and white tabby cat who always just wanted to be loved and petted."

In fact, here she is, holding Tigger:


She went on to share that there was a black cat that made Storybook Land his home. “We all called him Figgero like the cat from Pinocchio. He would roam through Cinderella's castle and it was quite funny when we would walk through the castle while the boat was going by and all the guests would say, ‘Look at the giant cat in front of the castle.’"

So now I know--the rumors are true! Next time I go to Disneyland, I'm keeping my eyes open for cats.

And now tell us, did you already know about this? Have you seen cats at the Happiest Place on Earth? Or is this a big surprise for you, too?