El Gato del Rio is a three-ton bronze sculpture by the late Colombian artist Hernando Tejada, who moved to Cali from Bogota at the age of 14 and died there in 1998 — two years after he donated the sculpture to Cali.

It came to the city as part of a municipal improvement project designed to beautify the banks of the Cali river on the city's north side, and ten years later in 2006, the project expanded to include 15 smaller felines — all cast in the same shape — which other local artists subsequently painted as well. These days, cats aren't the only ones in the park, though: you'll find plenty of humans and interestingly enough, a lot of dogs as well.