Meow, Beijing.

Someone really loves this cat. Truly. That’s real cat food, and a beautiful bowl filled with water. It was set up outside, along a stone wall that borders a parking lot and an old residential neighborhood (see the second photo). Lots of nooks and crannies for a cat to hide — and there are a lot of cats in that area.

Also, the bird in the last photo? A Chinese Magpie. I’ve been observing them around Beijing for over a decade. Huge numbers here, inside and out of the city. And they are smart. Wh...