Icelandic Cats
There is no specifically recognized breed (according to major cat registries), but cats are particularly popular pets in Iceland, where there are 14 different ways of saying “cat.” Especially in Reykjavik, where dogs were banned from 1924 to 1984. In 1984 the ban on dogs was partially lifted, allowing people to apply for an exception from the ban. These exceptions became progressively more liberal, until 2006, when the ban was finally lifted completely. With no dogs, cats ruled! Anyone visiting Reykjavík has noted that the city is full of cats. There are no official figures on the number of cats in Reykjavík, but the Icelandic Cat Protection Society, which operates a cat shelter, has estimated that there might be as many as 20,000 cats in the capital region or one cat for every ten people.
