Guests of HI hostel in Veli Lošinj, besides our hosts and receptionists, are also welcomed by one cat. We called her Tinkerbell.

Tinkerbell first appeared at the hostel door in 2009, already sterilized and with a neck bell. After an initial search for the owner which ended without results, Tinkerbell decided that the manager of the hostel, Catherine, would be her new owner.

During the warm days when the hostel is open, Tinkerbell does not enter the hostel so she would not bother guests and be bothered, especially by hundreds of children who would pet and feed her all the time. Out of good intentions, but due to the lack of knowledge about what a cat can or cannot eat, Tinkerbell once had great health problems. She ate some raisins and it was almost fatal for her.

That is why guests who come to the hostel are told not to feed her. She has her Catherine to take care of that. Catherine also made her a special garden house, though Tinkerbell prefers to sleep in the deep shade of trees or on the cold tiled terrace. She has learned to love rainwater more than tap water and rubbing on pine and palm trees. She loves catching grasshoppers, butterflies, birds and lizards.

Catherine buys her food and cleans after her. Tinkerbell adores a special vitamin paste, cat sticks and similar treats. The guests turn on their cameras when she starts taking pieces of meat from the bowl with her paws, put them in the mouth and eat, after which she licks the paws in order to clean herself. What a nice lady.

During cold days Tinkerbell sleeps in the hostel, in her corner at the reception. She has a passport and she travels with Katarina when necessary.

At the end of 2010, a hostel’s neighbor Giordano, who has a house on the other side of the hill,  came one night in the hostel. When he saw the cat, he asked if she had been sterilized and  with a bell around her neck before. When Catherine confirmed, he said, “Well, that’s my cat.”

Namely, somewhere in 2008, Giordano’s daughter brought home two small kittens, one being Tinkerbell, who both played together until they matured. Then the other cat chased Tinkerbell away, who did not have to go far enough to find a new home.

Of course, Catherine offered him immediately to take her home, but he asked first about her life in the hostel. When he heard how much she’s been loved and taken care of and how much she loves her new home, he told Catherine to keep her.

So she also received the blessing of the owner to stay with us.