I recently returned from a vacation in Israel and Jordan. It was my first time this region of the world. I went with a gay tour group, Detours travel. It was my second Detours trip, and it was truly terrific. Detours really knows how to run a tour. I made a bunch of new friends, and got to see some amazing sights, like Masada, Wadi Rum, and Petra. I got the chance to float in the Dead Sea, and I had a great time riding a camel. I highly recommend Detours if you’re looking for a really well organized, fun adventure.

I love cats, and I love photographing them, so I was unexpectedly surprised and delighted to discover that Israel has a large population of street cats. Some are feral, but many are pretty tame, and I had a great time photographing and petting and feeding them. (In Tel Aviv, I snuck a few pieces of lox from the breakfast buffet, which I fed to some community cats who were hanging out in a parking lot near the hotel.) I took many cat photos on this trip. In this post, I’m presenting my favorites. I like these photos either because the cat was irresistibly cute, or I thought the photo was artistic and well-composed. Hope you like ’em!