This Mediterranean Island Is an Introvert’s Dream Because It’s Covered in Cats
Spain’s southeast coast, near Alicante, features a little island called Nueva Tabarca. It’s only about a mile long and a quarter-mile wide. Around 50 people live here year-round, and if you visit outside the busy summer months, you’ll likely see more cats than humans. That’s not an exaggeration.
A 2023 study found twice as many cats as people. It’s a peaceful, sunlit island where cats rule the streets and introverts can finally breathe. The place feels calm even when ferries bring day-trippers from the mainland. The cats nap on doorsteps, stretch across cobblestones, and watch the occasional tourist wander by. When the crowds leave, Tabarca returns to its natural state of peace and quiet.
History Written in Stone and Sea Air
Image via Canva/Luna Marina
Nueva Tabarca’s roots stretch back to a wild chapter of Mediterranean history. In the 1700s, coral fishers from the original Tabarka, an island off Tunisia, were taken captive by Ottoman forces. The survivors were resettled by the Spanish crown on this flat, barren rock once called Illa Plana. They renamed it Nueva Tabarca, built it with precision, and surrounded it with walls to keep out pirates. You can still see the grid layout and old fortress that guarded the tiny settlement centuries ago.
Today, two-thirds of the island, declared in 1986, is protected as Spain’s first marine reserve. The rest hold whitewashed homes, small restaurants, and a few family-run businesses that open mostly during summer. Despite the limited tourism, there’s a growing push to preserve its architecture and improve services for locals, especially since winter isolation can make everyday life tough.
The Cat Connection
Tabarca’s love for cats mirrors another Mediterranean island’s story: Cyprus, where the cat population is almost equal to its human one. Cats are woven into Cyprus’s identity, dating back 9,500 years when archaeologists found one buried beside a human. Legend even says Saint Helen brought boatloads of cats to fight a snake invasion in the 4th century. Today, they roam Cypriot parks, restaurants, and ruins.
Both Tabarca and Cyprus are trying to manage their feline populations through sterilization programs. Cyprus recently tripled its government funding to 300,000 euros to expand neutering efforts. Locals and conservationists argue that the aim is to have an organized plan. On Tabarca, though smaller and less crowded, the problem is less urgent, as cats seem part of the island’s peaceful soul rather than a crisis.