The story, according to the Disneyland Cats website, is that it all started with Walt Disney himself. Shortly after the park opened in 1955, Disney and his team

reportedly found a hoard of flea-ridden cats living inside Sleeping Beauty Castle.

The theory is that they were drawn to the park by the food scraps left behind by the large population of visitors. Food scraps and garbage also means rats, which

was more of an incentive for the cats to stay.

Killing over 100 cats would not have been a good look for the company or the family-friendly theme park. And if you’ve ever tried to catch one cat that doesn’t

want to be caught, you can imagine how impossible it would be to get 100+ of them out of such a large area.

So it was decided by the powers that be that because the cats were not hurting the visitors and were actually helping with the vermin problem, they could stay... but

something had to be done about the fleas.

“They called us because they had some kitties that needed to be fixed,” said Karn Myers, cofounder of two no-kill animal rescue organizations called Best Friends Catnippers and FixNation. 

The team went to the park and secretly began a TNR program (trap-neuter-return) in 2001 to keep the population under the control. “We couldn't say a thing about the work

we were doing there,” Myers told Vice.

After six years, the partnership with Catnippers ended and Disney looked to local vets and employees to help with the unofficial tenants, but still never admitted to the public that

upwards of 100 (or maybe even 200) cats were roaming the grounds at night.

Around 2010, The Los Angeles Times published an article about what goes on at the 85-acre park after closing when the visitors are replaced by hundreds of custodians, gardeners,

painters, and cats.

In his report, Hugo Martin revealed that kittens born in the park are found new homes, while the others stay and feast on mice and at permanent feeding stations set

up by the park.

“After my article appeared, [Disneyland reps] said they got some positive feedback from animal rights groups but they wished it hadn't gotten so much attention,” reporter Hugo Martin

said. “As for talking to me on the record about this, they had no choice. I was walking around Disneyland at about 2 AM when I spotted cats walking around

the theme park.”

There were rumors that Disney “employed” the cats and that they were released at night like an army of nocturnal mouse hunters, but there was never any evidence to support

that.

Speaking on his love-hate relationship with Disney, former Mouseketeer Ryan Gosling spoke about the rumors during an interview with Conan O’Brien. “I don’t know if this is true

or not, and I do not want to get sued by Disney,” he said. “There is a belief that Disney has been breeding an army of cats….and they’re not just

ordinary cats. They have a special set of skills.”

“They’re like ‘Commando’ cats,” Gosling continued. “They live in a barracks, a cat barracks, I don’t know what you call it.” He told the story of the cats being sent

to kill mice and commended Disney for being “so weird” and thinking of everything. 

“The thing that’s so messed up about it and why I hate them is that the whole empire of Disney is built on the back of one mouse. If you’re

a mouse and you go into Disneyland, you are not leaving alive.”

The company was reportedly not thrilled when the LA Times story was published, but it was met with praise from advocates and cat lovers for its humane treatment of the

unwanted house guests. With the exception of a few groups (PETA), everyone seems to agree that the cat colony is great.

Blogs like The Cats of Disneyland and social media hashtags eventually popped up, with visitors and fans documenting sightings of familiar furry faces, many of which have been

named and tracked based on their favorite hang out spots. 

The site speaks from both a human and a cat point-of-view, and accepts photo submissions from anyone who spots one of the daytime cats. The site also supplies hardcore Disneyland

fans with themed merch for their next, hopefully cat-filled, visit.

You can now join in the adoration of Sophronia, Francisco, Ned, Emmett, Becky, Paulette, and many others online. Or you make a trip to the park in hopes of spotting

one of the feral cats during the day. 

They are not domestic house cats so physical contact with them should probably be avoided, but there is nothing wrong with adding to the cache of cute cat pics on

the internet.

It's very possible that you have already fallen in love with one of the Disneyland cats, but don't try to take one of them home with you. Instead, go to

your local shelter or rescue and adopt!