Cats & Culture

A love letter to the island of Puerto Rico, the places and history.

Woodes Rogers and his Family by William Hogarth 1729 oil painting showing the Governor of the Bahamas with his son holding a map of New Providence Island

Pirates

The Kingdom of No-Kings

A thousand pirates took over Nassau and built their own republic. Discover the Flying Gang, the 1715 treasure fleet, and why polydactyl cats ruled the docks of the Bahamas.

23 Feb 2026

Book, Cats

Drawing the Artwork

The Cats of Old San Juan was part of my journey back into art. I started to draw again. It had been over 20 years, and I enjoyed every minute.

20 Feb 2026

Pirates

The War That Made the Pirates

Queen Anne's War pirates were trained by their own governments, then thrown away. Discover how peace created the Golden Age of Piracy and why Montserrat burned.

27 Jan 2026

Henry Every pirate portrait with his ship the Fancy from General History of the Pyrates 1724

Pirates

The Longest Voyage

Henry Every pirate pulled off the greatest raid in history, then vanished forever. Discover the Pirate Round, Madagascar, and the cats who sailed with him.

23 Jan 2026

Port Royal Jamaica earthquake 1692 engraving by Jan Luyken showing buildings collapsing into the sea

Pirates

The City Built on Sand

Port Royal pirates made it the wickedest city on earth — until an earthquake swallowed it. Discover Henry Morgan, privateer cats, and the 1692 disaster.

23 Dec 2025

Map-of-the-islands-of-Hispaniola-and-Puerto-Rico-Joan-Vinckeboons-1639

Pirates

The Island of the Smokey Meat

Before the ships, before the treasure, before Captain Kitty the Kid... There were the hunters! Discover the real history behind the first pirate cats of the Caribbean (1620–1660).

14 Nov 2025

Book, Cats

About the TV Show

I modeled the television show after things that I used to watch and love as a child.

18 Sep 2023

Pirate Ship in Hidden Harbor

Pirates, Puerto Rico

Pirates In Puerto Rico

The island of Puerto Rico is entwined with tales of high-seas adventures and bloody buccaneers.

28 Jun 2023

Book, Cats

How It All Began

How a USC film grad in Puerto Rico turned the real cats of El Morro into a children's adventure book series.

28 May 2023

Get 2 Free Screenplays

The Cats of Old San Juan was originally written as a television series! While the series did not make it into production, Monica has eight of the original screenplays detailing the many adventures of Campeón and his friends, Cali and Alfie.

Learn how it all began and see how the stories and characters evolved from the first ideas to the finished novel.

Get Ready to Set Sail on New Adventures

Join our mailing list for early access to new releases, sneak peeks, and a little something extra.