MEXICO CITY (AP) — They prowl through palace gardens stalking pigeons and make cameos on televised press briefings. Some greet tourists at the doors, while others take a sneaky lick of ice cream from staff.
Nineteen feral cats have free rein of Mexico's National Palace, long roaming the lush gardens and historic colonial halls of the most iconic buildings in the country.
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MEXICO CITY (AP) — They prowl through palace gardens stalking pigeons and make cameos on televised press briefings. Some greet tourists at the doors, while others take a sneaky lick of ice cream from staff.
A feral cat living on National Palace grounds stalks pigeons in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. The cat is one of nineteen palace cats that have made history after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be "living fixed assets", the first animals in Mexico to receive the title. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
A sign warns visitors to avoid feeding the feral cats roaming the National Palace grounds, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Palace staff worked with vets from the National Autonomous University of Mexico to vaccinate, sterilize and chip the cats, and build them cat homes and feeding stations around the garden. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Coco rests in the National Palace grounds, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Coco is one of nineteen palace cats that have made history after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be "living fixed assets", the first animals in Mexico to receive the title. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
A feral cat living on National Palace grounds takes a lick of ice cream, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Staff say they remember the feral cats living among the cacti and dense brush of the gardens as far back as 50 years ago. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
A trio of cats rest in one of the National Palace courtyards, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. The three cats are part of 19 living at the National Palace that have been declared “fixed assets”, a term that usually applies to buildings and furniture, but by applying it to cats, Andres Manuel López Obrador's government has obligated the country’s Treasury to give them food and care for the rest of their lives. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Ollin stands in one of the National Palace courtyards, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Ollin, one of 19 cats living on National Palace grounds, is named in the region’s Aztec language, which means “movement.” (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Rufino looks out from a cactus garden inside the National Palace in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Rufino is one of 19 palace cats that have made history after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be "living fixed assets", the first animals in Mexico to receive the title. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Veterinarian Jesus Arias greets Ollin in one a National Palace courtyard, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Ollin is one of 19 palace cats that have made history after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be "living fixed assets", the first animals in Mexico to receive the title. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Cats rest in a National Palace garden in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Nineteen feral cats have free rein of Mexico's National Palace, long roaming the gardens and historic colonial halls of the most iconic buildings in the country. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Coco nibbles on a blade of grass in a National Palace courtyard, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Nineteen feral cats have free rein of Mexico's National Palace, long roaming the gardens and historic colonial halls of the most iconic buildings in the country. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
“They have access to every part of the palace, so they walk in on meetings, interviews and wander onto camera," said Jesús Arias, the palace veterinarian, as a handful of feline friends brush against his ankles.
Now, the palace cats have made hiss-tory after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be “living fixed assets,” the first animals in Mexico to receive the title.
The investment term “fixed assets” usually applies to buildings and furniture, but by applying it to cats, López Obrador's government has obligated the country’s Treasury to give them food and care for them for the rest of their lives, even after the leader leaves office in October.
“The cats are now a symbol of the National Palace. Just as we understand this world, I wouldn’t understand the National Palace without the presence of these cats,” said Adriana Castillo Román, general director of the National Palace and Cultural Heritage Conservancy. “We have to make sure the cats are taken care of.”
Nestled in the heart of Mexico City, the presidential palace has long been the seat of Mexico's executive branch. Now the residence of López Obrador, it is built upon the former palace of Indigenous Emperor Moctezuma. Ironically, Moctezuma's ancient Aztec culture honored not cats, but hairless dogs known as Xoloitzcuintle, who were even buried with their masters.
But these days, López Obrador is accompanied by Bowie, Bellof, Nube, Coco, Yema, Ollin, Balam and more, who seem to have found a purr-fect home in the building. López Obrador himself has said the cats “dominate” the palace and often walk in front of him during official ceremonies.
Some are named after artists, like an orange tabby “Bowie” named after the rockstar David Bowie, who visited the palace 1997 to see the famous mural by Mexican painter Diego Rivera. Others are named after native rocks or words in the region’s ancient Aztec language, like Ollin, which means “movement.”
Staff say they remember the feral cats living among the cacti and dense brush of the gardens as far back as 50 years ago.
But it’s unclear when they first appeared or how they even got into the building. While 19 live in the building full time, many more come and go, and staff suspect they slip under a small crack in the palace gate by night.
One cat named Zeus, who has since passed away, even became famous in July when he meandered into the president's morning press briefing. The gray cat stood in front of cameras and wandered among reporters until palace staff had to carry him off.
To avoid a cat-astrophe, Castillo said the government had to ask reporters to stop feeding Zeus because he would spend his days accepting treats from different people around the palace and was “getting really fat”.
When López Obrador first took office in 2018, Castillo said the palace pets were being fed quietly by employees.
“Some employees that like cats would bring them leftovers from home and, every once in a while, canned food or rice and soup,” Castillo said.
Palace staff worked with vets from the National Autonomous University of Mexico to vaccinate, sterilize and chip the cats, and build them little cat homes and feeding stations around the garden. They also hired Arias to take care of them on a permanent basis and give them a good life.
Neither Bowie, Coco or Ollin commented when asked how they feel about being "living fixed assets.” Coco swished his tail, while Ollin stretched out below a palace pillar and fell asleep.
“Meow,” responded Nube, a gray cat named after the Spanish word for “cloud” who enjoys greeting visitors at the door of the palace.
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Bowie rests in the shade of a towering cactus on National Palace grounds in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Bowie, named after the rockstar David Bowie, is one of nineteen cats that have made history after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be "living fixed assets", the first animals in Mexico to receive the title. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
A feral cat living on National Palace grounds stalks pigeons in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. The cat is one of nineteen palace cats that have made history after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be "living fixed assets", the first animals in Mexico to receive the title. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
A sign warns visitors to avoid feeding the feral cats roaming the National Palace grounds, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Palace staff worked with vets from the National Autonomous University of Mexico to vaccinate, sterilize and chip the cats, and build them cat homes and feeding stations around the garden. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Coco rests in the National Palace grounds, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Coco is one of nineteen palace cats that have made history after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be "living fixed assets", the first animals in Mexico to receive the title. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
A feral cat living on National Palace grounds takes a lick of ice cream, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Staff say they remember the feral cats living among the cacti and dense brush of the gardens as far back as 50 years ago. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
A trio of cats rest in one of the National Palace courtyards, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. The three cats are part of 19 living at the National Palace that have been declared “fixed assets”, a term that usually applies to buildings and furniture, but by applying it to cats, Andres Manuel López Obrador's government has obligated the country’s Treasury to give them food and care for the rest of their lives. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Ollin stands in one of the National Palace courtyards, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Ollin, one of 19 cats living on National Palace grounds, is named in the region’s Aztec language, which means “movement.” (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Rufino looks out from a cactus garden inside the National Palace in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Rufino is one of 19 palace cats that have made history after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be "living fixed assets", the first animals in Mexico to receive the title. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Veterinarian Jesus Arias greets Ollin in one a National Palace courtyard, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Ollin is one of 19 palace cats that have made history after the government of Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared them to be "living fixed assets", the first animals in Mexico to receive the title. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Cats rest in a National Palace garden in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Nineteen feral cats have free rein of Mexico's National Palace, long roaming the gardens and historic colonial halls of the most iconic buildings in the country. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Coco nibbles on a blade of grass in a National Palace courtyard, in Mexico City, Thursday, March 4, 2024. Nineteen feral cats have free rein of Mexico's National Palace, long roaming the gardens and historic colonial halls of the most iconic buildings in the country. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
Protesters left a Pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Southern California early Sunday after they were surrounded by police and told they could face arrest if they didn’t go.
The move, days before commencement events are set to begin on the Los Angeles campus, came after the university said campus safety officers, assisted by the Los Angeles Police Department, were clearing the area.
“If you are in the center of campus, please leave. People who don’t leave could be arrested,” USC said on the social media platform X at about 4:15 a.m.
Livestream video from student journalists showed the encampment had emptied out as police formed a line to move remaining protesters away and stop people from re-entering the area.
The encampment had restarted after the LAPD first arrested 93 people on April 24. The atmosphere on the private university campus had largely remained calm since, while attention turned to arrests at the University of California, Los Angeles.
At the University of Virginia, 25 people were arrested Saturday for trespassing after police clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters who refused to remove tents from campus, and demonstrators at the University of Michigan chanted anti-war messages and waved flags during commencement ceremonies.
USC, a private university, has been the subject of student protests over the war in Gaza as well as the administration’s decision to cancel a commencement speech by the valedictorian, a Muslim student who had expressed support for Palestinians. The university made that decision in mid-April, saying they had safety concerns after receiving threats. Some Jewish groups had criticized the student’s selection as speaker.
Administrators later canceled the entire main-stage commencement planned for May 10, when 65,000 people were expected to gather to celebrate graduates. Other commencement activities, including graduation ceremonies for individual schools and colleges, are still scheduled from Thursday through Sunday. Access to the private campus has largely been restricted for people not affiliated with the university since late April.
Video posted online Saturday evening showed some demonstrators engaging in calm songs and chants in preparation for expected police activity. The encampment has been set up on a campus green space, with dozens of tents surrounded by makeshift fencing covered in signs with various messages of support for Palestinians and criticism of the university and law enforcement.
A university representative read a statement nearby the encampment Saturday saying that it had to come down, according to Annenberg Media, a student-run campus publication, saying the encampment and unspecified acts of vandalism and theft of university property violated the law.
Early Friday, several dozen counter-protesters had set up outside the encampment, playing scenes from the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel on a screen, Annenberg Media reported.
In Virginia, student demonstrators began their protest on a lawn outside the school chapel Tuesday. On Saturday, video from WVAW-TV showed police wearing heavy gear and holding shields lined up on the campus in Charlottesville. Protesters chanted “Free Palestine,” and university police said on the social platform X that an “unlawful assembly” had been declared in the area.
As police moved in, students were pushed to the ground, pulled by their arms and sprayed with a chemical irritant, Laura Goldblatt, an assistant professor of English and global studies who has been helping student demonstrators, told The Washington Post.
The university administration said in a statement that the demonstrators were told the tents and canopies they erected were prohibited under school policy and were asked to remove them. Virginia State Police were asked to help with enforcement, the university said.
It was the latest clash in several tense and sometimes violent weeks at colleges and universities around the country that have seen dozens of protests and hundreds of arrests at demonstrations over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war; many of the encampments have been dismantled by police.
Tent encampments of protesters calling on universities to stop doing business with Israel or companies they say support the war in Gaza have spread across campuses nationwide in a student movement unlike any other this century. Some schools have reached agreements with protesters to end the demonstrations and reduce the possibility of disrupting final exams and commencements.
The Associated Press has recorded at least 61 incidents since April 18 in which arrests were made at protests, with more than 2,400 people being arrested on 47 campuses. The figures are based on AP reporting and statements from universities and law enforcement agencies.
Michigan was among the schools bracing for protests during commencement this weekend, including Indiana University, Ohio State University and Northeastern University in Boston. Many more are slated in the coming weeks.
In Ann Arbor, the protest happened at the beginning of the event at Michigan Stadium. About 75 people, many wearing traditional Arabic kaffiyehs along with their graduation caps, marched up the main aisle toward the graduation stage.
They chanted “Regents, regents, you can’t hide! You are funding genocide!” while holding signs, including one that read: “No universities left in Gaza.”
Overhead, planes flew banners with competing messages. “Divest from Israel now! Free Palestine!” and “We stand with Israel. Jewish lives matter.”
Officials said no one was arrested, and the protest didn’t seriously interrupt the nearly two-hour event, which was attended by tens of thousands of people, some of them waving Israeli flags.
State police prevented the demonstrators from reaching the stage. University spokesperson Colleen Mastony said public safety personnel escorted the protesters to the rear of the stadium, where they remained through the conclusion of the event.
“Peaceful protests like this have taken place at U-M commencement ceremonies for decades,” she added.
The university has allowed protesters to set up an encampment on campus, but police assisted in breaking up a large gathering at a graduation-related event Friday night, and one person was arrested.
At Indiana, protesters were urging supporters to wear their kaffiyehs and walk out during remarks by President Pamela Whitten on Saturday evening. The Bloomington campus designated a protest zone outside Memorial Stadium, the arena for the ceremony.
At Princeton, in New Jersey, 18 students launched a hunger strike in an effort to push the university to divest from companies tied to Israel.
One of them, senior David Chmielewski said in an email that the strike started Friday morning with participants consuming water only, and it will continue until administrators meet with students about demands including amnesty from criminal and disciplinary charges for protesters. Other demonstrators are participating in “solidarity fasts” lasting 24 hours, Chmielewski said.
Princeton students set up a protest encampment and some held a sit-in at an administrative building this week, leading to about 15 arrests.
Students at other colleges, including Brown and Yale, launched similar hunger strikes earlier this year before the more recent wave of encampments.
The protests stem from the conflict that started Oct. 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking roughly 250 hostages. Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel launched an offensive in Gaza that has killed more than 34,500 Palestinians, around two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. Israeli strikes have devastated the enclave and displaced most of its inhabitants.
Marcelo reported from New York. Lavoie reported from Richmond, Virginia. Associated Press reporters Ed White in Detroit, Nick Perry in Meredith, New Hampshire, and Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee, contributed.
CORRECTS NAME TO ROUSE DAVIS BOYCE INSTEAD OF CONNOR MOORE - University of Mississippi student and counter-protester Rouse Davis Boyce, center, taunts graduate student Jaylin R. Smith with a piece of bread during a protest in support of Palestinians on Thursday, May 2, 2024, outside the J.D. Williams Library on the school campus in Oxford, Miss. (HG Biggs/The Clarion-Ledger via AP)
A demonstrator stands in front of an encampment set up by pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the campus at the University of Southern California after police arrived with orders to disperse Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
People carry belongings out of an encampment set up by pro-Palestinian demonstrators after police arrived for a raid on the campus at the University of Southern California Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
People carry belongings out of an encampment set up by pro-Palestinian demonstrators after police arrived for a raid on the campus at the University of Southern California Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
A person protests in front of a police officer after police arrived on the campus at the University of Southern California to clear an encampment set up by pro-Palestinian demonstrators Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
A protestors gestures near police officers after a raid on the pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus at the University of Southern California Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Police gather on the campus at the University of Southern California prior to clearing out an encampment set up by pro-Palestinian demonstrators Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators remove belongings from an encampment after police arrived on the campus at the University of Southern California Sunday, May 5, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
People stand guard outside an encampment set up by pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the campus at the University of Southern California Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
Police form a line where pro-Palestinian protesters set up tents on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
A pro-Palestinian supporter holds a sign reading "State Police=KKK" on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where they set up tents, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
Police use a microphone as a pro-Palestinian demonstrator listens on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents were set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
A graduate holds his cap with an Israeli flag while shouting at pro-Palestinian protesters as they demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
Rawan Antar, 21, center, chants in support of Palestinians during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
Graduates sporting Israeli flags and pins shout at Pro-Palestinian protesters as they demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
Graduate Ari Belchinsky wears pro-Israel pins during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024.( Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
A graduate waits for the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony to begin at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
CORRECTS PHRASE ON BANNER - A plane pulling a banner that reads "Divest From Israel Now! Free Palestine" flies overhead before the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
A plane bearing a banner that reads ""We stand with Israel jewishlivesmatter.us" flies overhead before the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Graduates sporting Israeli flags and pins shout at Pro-Palestinian protesters as they demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024.( Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024.( Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Police and pro-Palestinian demonstrators stand across from one another on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
Police move pro-Palestinian demonstrators back from the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
The aftermath of a site is seen after authorities broke up a demonstration by pro-Palestinian protesters on the campus of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators take videos and photos with their phones on the University of Virginia campus as police break up what authorities called an "unlawful assembly," in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024.( Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Police with riot shields form a line across from pro-Palestinian demonstrators on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
A police officer, right, watches a protester wave a Palestinian flag on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
Police with riot shields detain a pro-Palestinian demonstrator on the ground as a National Lawyers Guild representative holds up an emergency contact notebook, on the University of Virginia campus, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
A pro-Palestinian demonstrator wears goggles and a mask as police with riot shields and protesters stand across from one another on the grounds of the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
Police lift a pro-Palestinian demonstrator from the ground on the University of Virginia campus, in Charlottesville, Va., where tents are set up, Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Cal Cary/The Daily Progress via AP)
