Cats of Malta

I really enjoyed this film, made with huge passion and love for Malta, its cats and the people that care for them.

We are introduced to a variety of local characters, each with their own reasons for getting involved with the cats. Their stories are very well told, and the filmmaker has a great eye for distilling the best bits with a very infectious humorous approach.

I loved seeing the backdrop of Malta as well, no wonder its a tourist favourite. The film made me want to grab my backpack, drop in a few cans of cat-food and book a ticket!

Very watchable - 10 stars from me and congratulations to the filmmakers.

I have recently been touched by the cat gods and converted to one of their own. So watching this lovingly made documentary about the cats of Malta was something I did not want to miss out on. It proved an endearing companion for a Sunday when the winds change, although it doesn't break new ground in its exploration.

In terms of structure and content, the movie is fairly similar to what you've (probably) seen in Kedi. But whereas Ceyda Torun's film took a more existential turn, with humans appearing as support characters rather than leads, Sarah Jayne's Cats of Malta is more practical and leans on the community of people that dedicate a part of their lives to caring for the very many cats of the island country. And it features a mighty beautiful poster, doesn't it?

There are supposedly about as many cats in Malta as there are in Istanbul, which is a crazy thing to think about, given that the Turkish metropole is thirty times larger in terms of population. Sarah Jayne's documentary focuses on the benefits, with colourful cats and colourful people filling the short runtime of her movie. Via a series of stories we get a sense of how pervasive felines are throughout the Maltese islands. People sing their odes to the joys of experiencing cats and how it enriches both their lives and the lives of others. From the neighbourhood cats, to cat shelters, to cat therapy and cat "idolatry", the movie canvasses the many expressions of love and care towards cats in Malta.

The cat generally appears as a warrior, with attitude and scars, a tribute to both territoriality and human expansion. As Malta is a major hub of real-estate development (the country has gone from 390k to 510k population in the last twenty years), it endangers the habitat of the little furballs and while the matter is not specifically tackled, there's little sense that any measures are taken to ensure a smooth and safe urban transfiguration.

Instead, there is a reliance on the willingness of people to take care of these cats, from feeding to sterilization and sometimes housing. It's a relationship that both brings people together, but also generates discord, with some less than grateful for what they perceive to be an "infestation". The film itself pleads for more action from authorities, support for NGOs and sterilization programs.

Beyond the practicalities of it, there is a lot of warmth to Cats of Malta, which makes it worth a watch. It is not as accomplished as Kedi and doesn't have the same ethereal quality, but should provide a purr's worth of satisfaction to cat lovers all around.

Greetings again from the darkness. Dog people vs cat people. There have been scientific studies on the personality of those who fall on one side or the other. Surprisingly, this dog lover agreed to review a cat movie ... an agreement based on the assurance that all relevant cats would be on screen and not in my lap. Australian director Sarah Jayne Portelli opens with some spectacular aerial shots of Malta, an island (archipelago) in the Mediterranean Sea dating back to 5900 B. C. She gives us a brief overview of its history, and then discloses that she lived on Malta for four years and was intrigued by the cats.

She informs us that Malta has a population of 450,000 people and approximately 100,000 stray cats. The director uses a vignette approach over the 58-minute runtime to introduce us to various citizens who share their personal cat stories. We hear the tale of a woman who rescued an injured cat that ultimately had a leg amputated. The three-legged cat still roams the streets, though it hasn't forgiven the woman for messing up the medications. We are told that cats will sit patiently at the door of a café staring non-stop at a particular diner who is expected to provide table scraps upon finishing. A newly constructed Hilton property forced the relocation of a long-time cat village, and we meet the artist chosen to renovate the massive cat statue atop a building along the shore. Bob the large ginger street cat is shown, as is Isaac, a local boy who started feeding the cats when he was eleven years old.

All of these cats (at least the ones in the film) have been given names and are part of the community. The cats have individual personalities and quirks ... some are more comfortable with humans than others; something that's often dependent on whether early abuse or hardship was overcome. A case is made for the government to get involved with animal NGO's and providing food, which most of the volunteer feeders pay for themselves at this time. There is simply no denying the fascinating cat culture of Malta, and the three benefits: tourism, joy to locals, and mental health therapy. Even this dog person must begrudgingly agree.

On Digital beginning October 3, 2023.

You don't have to be a cat lover to appreciate 'Cats of Malta' but I confess that, in Mark Twain's division of the world into cat lovers and all others, I am squarely with the former.

The documentary film is beautifully produced but that's not too difficult given that it is set in, and about, Malta - truly 'the jewel of the Mediterranean'.

The interactions between the human society and cats is strange to anyone outside the Mediterranean. In Australia, where I live, there are strict laws regulating cat ownership and the responsibiltiies of their owners, for example, to keep them indoors.

'Cats of Malta' shows the humanity of the people who care for cats, and shows a totally different cultural attitude. Cats are everywhere, in the streets and in parks. They are part of the natural and social environment, existing symbiotically with people and other species.

I'm sure their predatory instincts still exist but they seem like very chill cats - and I have seen them in real life in Malta. As the docuemtnary shows, they trend to lounge about, very satisfied with being cared for, if not by individuals then by neighbourhoods.

Some local councils even provide shelters for them.

We learn much about Malta from this documentary and it is a visual delight.