So anyway, getting back on topic, a few weeks ago I found myself staying in a pleasantly scenic mountain town in northern Italy. For reasons I don't even remember, I set myself the arbitrary goal of locating a cat. Perhaps I was suffering from a fluffy cat deficiency, I don't know.

As it turns out, I stayed there for almost two weeks, leaving the house every day and going for fairly long walks around residential areas, both inner city and rural, and in that time I did not see a single cat.

Well, I suppose that isn't strictly true; I saw one cat, but...
http://imgur.com/a/f6VKr