Street cats must be among the greatest fans of tourism in Motovun. During the tourist season, they are fed well. Restaurants on both the upper and lower square are always teeming with begging cats. And tourists oblige often enough. Those who stay for a few days reward the cats close to the houses they rent with all sorts of goodies, including all the leftover food. And cats procreate at a clip. But the trouble comes when the tourist season reaches its end. There are not too many locals left, and only a few of them feed the cats. Which is why they can always be found near garbage cans. The best the locals can do for them is to leave the can lids open. The cats have learned the art of scavenging, and the competition for the goodies in plastic garbage bags gets tougher and tougher. Many a fight establishes the pecking order, and it happens rarely that two cats find themselves at the bottom of a garbage can at the same time. When that happens, the fight is fierce. I just witnessed such an event, and I could not believe my eyes and ears. Judging by the bloody brawl, garbage is the greatest boon of all.