Last Updated on 5 June 2025 by Vanessa
On Torcello Island, a bell rings… and dozens of stray cats come running.
Tired of Venice’s tourist-packed alleys? Photographer Shin Otani took a detour—and stumbled into something straight out of a fairytale. On a quiet island just beyond the crowds, a woman rang a bell, sang a mysterious tune… and suddenly, an entire pack of stray cats appeared.
This magical moment is just one chapter from The Cats of Venice, a book that captures the hidden world of feline life among canals, churches, and crumbling ruins.
Curious? Keep scrolling—you won’t believe how many cats showed up.
The stray cats of Torcello Island: an excerpt from The Cats of Venice
When I grew tired of walking on Venice’s main island, I decided to visit nearby islands using the regular boat service. On a one-hour ride to Torcello Island, we passed by Burano Island with its colorful houses standing side by side.
At Torcello, we disembarked and were led from a narrow walkway to a canal that flowed by two churches at the island’s center. In the distance, I heard cowbells.
I looked around for the source of the sound, but I could see no cows and no bells. Then, I noticed that a woman who had been on the boat was carrying a bell and ringing it methodically. She accompanied the clanging bell with shouted bits of song. Until we reached a small plaza, she continued singing and clanging.
Suddenly, in the center of the plaza, a pack of stray cats appeared.
At the cats’ arrival, the woman stopped singing and, working with a friend, offered food to the cats. After satisfying the large group, she again took up the bell, appealing to other strays to come to dinner and not miss their meal.
At noon, the bells of the church joined those of the woman, tolling for noon and for the joy that the woman found in feeding her cats. As the bells peeled across the island, I too experienced a sense of happiness and well-being, knowing that there were people with the goodness to care for strays.
On the boat ride back, I thought about the cats and the mysterious bells. I felt as if both the cats and I were granted some release by the sound of the bells.
Did you enjoy Shin Otani’s photo series about the stray cats of Torcello Island, Venice? If it brought a smile to your face, share it with your friends on social media to help spread the word about his work.
And, of course, don’t miss the chance to grab a copy of his book The Cats of Venice. It’s packed with even more unforgettable photos and stories just like this.
2 responses
My strongest experience happened on the tiny island of Torcello, where we only stayed for one hour. We were supposed to see some 7th century Byzantine mosaics, but instead I spent this hour with him, an orange furry tabby. He did not care for food, he was not skinny, he was clean but had terrible, really awful dreadlocks all over his body. Those need more than brushing. There is nothing I could do. I cried and cried, I never saw the mosaics and I don’t care . They are dead, they give me nothing. He licked my tears, he put his head on my arm, kissed my nose, put his paws around me. I thought I would die right there and what a sweet and welcome death it would be! When I put him down he looked at me with surprise, but did not follow, did not show any grief, just set down on the same bench calmly but back to me. He just gave and gave, and did not expect anything in return. The boat left without me, so strangely, they forgot me on the island. I could catch another one later. The greatest gift of Venice I left behind.
Also, are these cats fixed? They must be or they will kill all the birds. is it normal for them to be that trusting of humans? I am in shock