Over the past few years, there have been a lot of feline comings and goings at Pikes. We bade farewell to some of our most beloved babies – notably dear Pikey, who crossed the rainbow bridge in 2023 and Blossom, who was adopted by a UK family in 2022 – and since then, we’ve welcomed a host of new furry friends into the fold. Just like in the wild jungles of India or Africa, our (former) wild cats had to battle it out amongst themselves to determine a new hierarchy around the hotel grounds. After a rough and tumble winter in 2024, we’ve been very pleased to see that an order has been established and peace has been restored for 2025. Now, there’s a new clowder in charge!
While they might be wild at heart, make no mistake – the cats of Pikes are some of the most spoiled on the island. Lovingly cared for all year round by our long-term receptionist Mariola, and our maintenance manager Juanjo, each kitty also makes a point of finding favourite team members (aka cat slaves), and even favourite guests and they know exactly how to get what they want from them. In fact, last season we even saw some of our regular guests turn up with suitcases stuffed full of cat treats, toys and food! So now, without any further ado… meet the Cats of Pikes: Class of 2025.
Ramona
She’s the queen of our social media and now she’s also the queen of the Pikes pack! Our beautiful tricolour girl Ramona has claimed her throne, and rightfully so, as one of our oldest and wisest feline friends. She came to us around five years ago as a young kitty, after being sadly abandoned around Can Ramonet (a bar and restaurant on one of the back roads that leads to Pikes from Ibiza town – the inspiration for her name). We have a hunch that someone (not mentioning any names but you know who you are!) on our team actually rescued her after seeing her sad and alone around the garbage bins one winter and who could blame them? She settled into Pikes nicely from the start, strutting her stuff around the pool, the parking area and reception; it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between Mariola and Ramona, one that continues to this day.
“Ramona has a big personality,” says Mariola of her little pal. “She’s very cheeky, very fussy, very manipulative and she knows how to make herself understood. A lot of our cats do… but she’s the master. She’ll let our staff know if she’s hungry or thirsty, but she’s also very fussy with what she likes to eat. She’s the only cat we’ll feed near reception – that’s why all of our regular guests know her so well.” Ramona does come with a small word of warning: no matter how well you think you know her, don’t try to pick her up. “You’ll be risking your life!” laughs Mariola. “She hates being picked up, although she’ll let you pet her when she feels like being petted.” We think that sounds pretty fair – after all, how would you like it if a random person lifted you up off your comfy sun loungers at will?
Now she’s at the top of the Pikes hierarchy, Ramona is very independent and isn’t really bothered about socialising with her fellow felines (her subjects!). She has, however, made friends with our newest neighbours and they’ll often send us pictures of her hanging out on their terrace or in their kitchen, which could explain why she’s put on a little bit of winter weight this year. She’s still a stunner, and you’ll spy her taking naps in the poolside DJ booth or in the shaded parts of our gardens, always looking picture purr-fect. Long may Queen Ramona reign!
Golfo
It looks like we’ve also got a king in residence this year! Coming in at a very, very close second place on the new pecking order, Golfo’s story is like a rags to riches tale – he’s the underdog (or undercat, as the case may be) we always hoped would rise to the top. He turned up at Pikes during the pandemic like a teeny, tiny, timid, little ginger-and-white toy – scruffy, skinny, dishevelled, perhaps the runt of a litter who’d been abandoned by his mother, and while he was terrified of human interaction, he was LOUD when it came to letting us know he was hungry. As a baby, he’d skirt nervously around the restaurant edges hoping for scraps, while we’d simultaneously hope that he’d grow out of his scaredy cat phase and become the big, strong boy he was destined to be!
Fortunately for Golfo, Juanjo – one of our Pikes Patron Saints Of Cats – always had time, patience and love for Golfo, slowly encouraging him to be less shy, to be more brave, to come out of his little shell. His name is a loose translation of a Spanish slang word for cheeky or mischievous, bestowed upon him by Juanjo as he got to know his authentic personality. It was Juanjo who realised Golfo has pathological fear of storms (for a king, he can be a bit of a pussy sometimes) and he always goes out of his way to find him and take him someplace safe and dry when he sees clouds rolling in above Pikes. While he has developed more of a sense of bravado over the past few years, Golfo still doesn’t interact with our guests very much, but he continues to follow Juanjo around like a lovesick little puppy (or again, lovesick kitty as the case may be!). If you want to find Golfo, it’s simple – look for Juanjo.
It was only after Pikey passed away that Golfo asserted his dominance, coming into his own as be battled his way to the top. His skinny little body buffed up, and his body language took on a burly kind of confidence as he seized the moment and declared himself the boss. These days, there’s no more fighting, but Golfo is without question the best hunter at Pikes, renowned for bringing in (and devouring) some very big kills, birds that are almost as big as he is, along with plenty of mice. When Golfo sets his sights on prey, he can wait for hours and hours for the perfect moment – like all good rulers, his patience knows no bounds. Also a big fan of long lazy naps in Plaza Mayor (where he once scrounged for scraps), we’re so proud to have witnessed to his slow and steady ascension. All hail King Golfo!
Gingy
Coming in just below the ranks of king and queen, but still in the upper echelons of Pikes royalty is our gorgeous little ginger girl, Gingy (we were short of inspiration on her naming day – it was a long hot summer). We found her outside of Room 9 three years ago; she was one of a litter of kittens that were born at the hotel and abandoned by their teenage mama (we like to think she knew that we’d take good care of them). One of the most adorable cats you’ll see at Pikes, very petite in size, with glossy orange fur and sweet little white socks, it would be easy to mistake Gingy for a spoiled housecat, however if you try to get near her, you’ll quickly see that she’s still got plenty of wild spirit in her as she makes a bolt for her safe spaces – reception and the terrace and gardens outside Room 26, where she’ll deign to ‘tolerate’ guests sharing her furniture, as long as they don’t touch her.
Gingy (like most of our cats) is quite attached to Mariola, and waits loyally and patiently at the entrance gates for her to arrive every morning. With the right amount of treats and coaxing, Mariola is allowed to be in Gingy’s presence – the only human our little princess will voluntarily go near. “That secretly makes me very happy,” Mariola admits. “I feel like she wants love, but doesn’t know how to accept it. But this year, finally, I’ve heard her purr so I think she’s slowly coming around.” Juanjo also says he’s felt her creep onto his pillow at night to sleep with him, but she scoots out the window when he stirs early in the morning before anyone can spot her (or so she thinks!). It seems our girl is a bit of a tease…
Gingy also has a flair for the dramatic, often popping her little paws up and pressing her heart-shaped nose against the reception door windows, meowing with candour when she wants attention – a trick that works, guaranteeing her extra treats (and an extra layer of belly fat in winter). She rarely strays from her realm, except at the end of each day when she faithfully walks Mariola back to her car to say goodbye. “I’ve tried leaving the door of my car open to see if she’d get in and come home with me,” Mariola says. “But no. She’s the boss of this area, and that’s how it will stay – as long as the other cats stay away, she’s happy. She doesn’t hunt, she just waits to be fed – she knows exactly what she’s doing! She’s a cutie and she’s got so much character as well.” Viva Princess Gingy!
Juls
At just one-and-a-half years old, our beloved grey tabby Juls is the baby of our bunch and he’s wriggled his way into our world (and that of the other Pikes cats) and our hearts with relative ease – with golden eyes like that, he could do anything and get away with it! Juls really is the sweetest, friendliest cat of them all – there are no danger warnings here, if you want a cuddle, he’ll want a cuddle. Want a selfie? He’ll pose with you. Need some company while taking a siesta? He’s not shy when it comes to jumping onto our guests’ beds. You’ll often spy Juls – who was named by our concierge for his gemstone-like glistening eyes – lounging around the lawn in front of reception or on the tennis court, eager to see and greet new guests (hello new friends!) as they arrive throughout the season. He seems to really enjoy it when Pikes is busy and full of people. We think of Juls as a real people-person… err, people-cat.
“Juls is a dream cat,” says Mariola. “He loves to be with our guests, if they’re ok with it. Sometimes I’ll do a check in and he’ll come with us, and before you know it he’s lying in the middle of the room. In the winter, he hangs around our events and accounting offices, where there’s lots of friends to be made.” Juls arrived at Pikes around a year ago – a young, confident and very noble four month old kitten who didn’t need to learn how to adjust to be around people. He was very socialised from day one, which makes us think his former owner must have intentionally abandoned him. Shame on you, whoever you are, but your loss has been our gain. Long live Juls!
Disco
If you’ve been to Freddies in the last year or so, then chances are you already know Disco. She first came to Pikes during the pandemic, as a curious little white and grey tabby kitten, sneaking in through the back doors behind Freddies onto the Sunset Terrace, most likely enticed by the mouthwatering aromas wafting out from the back of our kitchen. “In 2022, she’d only ever come down from 11pm,” Nick tells us. “We’d never see her before that. Then in 2023, she’d start milling about a little earlier, saying hi to the guests on the terrace and always lurking around the top entrance to Freddies. Towards the end of that season, she started coming into Freddies when we were setting up, even when loud music was playing – she’d even go in and sit in the DJ booth!” It was Nick who christened her Disco (“The name does what it says on the tin really, she loves a disco!”) and these days, even when Freddies is heaving with dancers, don’t be surprised if she rubs up against your legs!
“She just loves attention,” says Nick. “She’ll lie right outside Freddies on her back, waiting for a belly stroke like a dog. She’s an amazing cat – she’s probably one of the ones that our guests love the most. She’s so friendly, she’s never once scratched or bitten anyone, and she loves being around music and people. She also gets very well fed!” Mariola says that Disco has the night staff (especially Nick) wrapped around her stripey grey tail, saying they’ll bring her rib-eye if she bats her pretty little eyelids enough. We do have to admit, Disco’s true ownership is in question – Nick thinks she might belong to our neighbours, and simply chooses to pop to Pikes every night in summer, while Mariola thinks she belongs to us, but she sneaks on over to visit our neighbours pretending to be hungry when she’s missing her usual kitchen scraps in winter. If those only those cute little lips could talk! She may not be the top of the Pike cat power structure (she’s so gentle she’s never even once gotten into a scrap with the others), but there’s no question that Disco is the true Queen of Freddies. Praise be, Disco!
Alice
Our Alice is a free spirit, living out her days in her very own version of wonderland, but it’s not Lewis Carroll’s whimsical heroine that she was named for. Look a little closer and you’ll see our beautiful and brave girl is actually missing one eye – it was, in fact, the legendary shock rocker Alice Cooper who inspired her moniker. We don’t know how or when she lost her eye; she was already blind when she got here – in fact, we don’t even know how she made her way here in the first place. She’s a trouper, our Alice, and that’s how she’s managed to survive and thrive amongst the Pikes cats. Very friendly and trusting, despite the fact she’s at a slight disadvantage in the visionary stakes, she is also particularly vocal – we think she shouts twice as loud to make up for seeing half the action and we love her three times as much for it.
What makes her quite different to the rest of our clowder is that Alice is somewhat of a temporary resident… she comes and goes as she pleases, all year round. There will be weeks on end where she stays, plays, eats and sleeps with us, then off she goes on another adventure, and then eventually comes back again like nothing has changed. Come to think of it, that sounds like a lot of our guests! Well deserving of her place in the royal court, glory to Alice!
The Siblings
Rounding out the nobility ranks are The Siblings – a group of four absolutely beautiful young cats who are a little over a year old and already establishing their places on the Pikes hierarchy. Venus, Adolfo, Blackie and Mango were all born here at Pikes – their mother is one of the most beautiful, clever and mysterious cats we’ve ever seen. With a coat of many colours – grey, black, white, ginger, black and tan – she lingers on the outskirts of Pikes, always observing us, but never daring to enter our midst. A shame really, because we’d give her so much love (and a name!)! However, we respect her independence and we honour the fact she bestowed her four babies upon us to look after.
Each of the siblings are so different, but all have their mother’s self-assurance and confidence, along with selected colours of her coat. Venus – named because she is just so beautiful and goddess-like – is adorable and friendly, is already forming a strong bond with Mariola and waits lovingly for her to arrive every morning. Adolfo, a truly adorable little white-and-black mustachio-ed kitty, is playful and friendly. Blackie, sleek and glossy, is like a tiny little stealth-like panther. And Mango, well, if our high feline society was to have a court jester, perhaps he would wear the cap’n’bells. “I always say Mango would dance for food,” laughs Mariola, who says our ginger tabby is usually found boldly parading around the pool area, where he’s confident that leftovers and scraps will come his way. “Give him a piece of chicken and you can get him to do anything you like!” Glory be The Siblings!
