There are well-known animals at Disneyland--the goats in the petting zoo and the horses on Main Street--and then there are ones that fly under the radar: the feral cats that prey on rodents. Sorry Mickey.
Disney doesn't like to talk about them, but every now and then the mousers pop into the public consciousness, like that time Ryan Gosling brought it up on Conan O'Brian.
Then there's the Instagram account.
Disneylandcats curates photos of the felines taken by visitors of Disneyland and California Adventure. The account, as of this writing, has more than 11,000 followers and roughly 100 photos of the cats.
Some of the estimated 100 to 200 cats on Disney's Anaheim, California grounds have names. Buford, the white domestic shorthair with a black brow, likes to hang out in Critter Country and Peter, the grayish-brown domestic long hair, enjoys spending time at Hungry Bear Restaurant, according to carefully scripted biographies featured on the Instagram account's accompanying website, disneylandcats.com.
Francisco, a green-eyed beauty and one of the most popular felines, even has his own hashtag: #FranciscoFriday
The cats started prowling the park years ago and have grown in numbers over time. In 2001, Best Friends Catnippers, a volunteer group, joined forces with Disney to institute a trap-neuter-return program, The Orange County Register reported. There are five cat feeding stations throughout the two parks, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Welcome to another #FranciscoFriday, everyone! Francisco feels like this photo from @kaleydoscope88 is too close for comfort. Remember to email me your pictures to [email protected] A photo posted by Cats of Disneyland (@disneylandcats) on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:53am PDT
What cat? Where? This picture of a very sneaky Sophronia was sent in by @mrsgeeek. Remember to email me your photos to [email protected] A photo posted by Cats of Disneyland (@disneylandcats) on Oct 10, 2014 at 11:12am PDT
Here's a great picture of Almira, taken backstage behind Hungry Bear Restaurant and sent in by @perez_marisol. Remember to email me your photos to [email protected] A photo posted by Cats of Disneyland (@disneylandcats) on Sep 9, 2014 at 10:01am PDT
This excellent picture of Giovanni comes from @Vorlowski. While enjoying his usual spot by the vineyards, he decided to take a little drink from one of the irrigation hoses. Remember to email me your pictures to [email protected] A photo posted by Cats of Disneyland (@disneylandcats) on May 5, 2014 at 10:38am PDT
Here's a great picture of Chloe from @olivialovesdisney. Remember to send me your pictures to [email protected] A photo posted by Cats of Disneyland (@disneylandcats) on Mar 3, 2014 at 3:34pm PDT
Here's a lovely photo from @disney_gal68 of Mary Agnes sitting outside Plaza Inn. Remember to send your photos to [email protected] A photo posted by Cats of Disneyland (@disneylandcats) on Mar 3, 2014 at 9:45am PST
This picture comes from Twitter user Mocha_314. Stanley is a touch narcoleptic and sometimes falls asleep sitting up. Remember to email me your pictures to [email protected] A photo posted by Cats of Disneyland (@disneylandcats) on Feb 2, 2014 at 8:35am PST
In this photo from @amandamaebee, Heather is enjoying a nap along the shores of the Rivers of America. She's pretty sure she's part of that pride of mountain lions. Make sure you are tweeting me your pictures of us or emailing them to [email protected] A photo posted by Cats of Disneyland (@disneylandcats) on Dec 12, 2013 at 9:48am PST
This photo of Preshea hanging out next to Hungry Bear was sent in by @Hesworthyourtime. Remember to email me your pictures to [email protected] A photo posted by Cats of Disneyland (@disneylandcats) on Sep 9, 2014 at 11:57am PDT
This photo of Lucian was taken by @jennifersothy right next to the Jungle Cruise's "DANGER" crate. He certainly tried to look dangerous... Remember to email me your photos to [email protected] A photo posted by Cats of Disneyland (@disneylandcats) on Aug 8, 2014 at 9:30am PDT
[h/t LAist]