The Sunset Cat of Copacabana

Every evening at Copacabana Beach, a ginger cat named Carioca appears on time by lifeguard tower four. Lifeguards say he washed ashore as a kitten after a storm in 1998, and has been a permanent resident ever since.

His favorite spot is the edge of the famous black-and-white wave mosaic promenade. Sea breeze drifts in from Guanabara Bay, tourists sip caipirinhas in the bars behind him, and he squints to the distant samba drums. Visitors have tried to feed him, photograph him, cuddle him—he ignores it all, but if you crouch and extend a hand, he will lazily bump his forehead into your palm.

A local novelist once wrote him into a book: "Even time in Rio has learned Carioca's pace—not rushed, not late, just in time for the sunset."