Kitties everywhere

There are usually several cats that live in the gardens of villas here in Maadi. I noticed a few when we moved in in March of 2014 but didn't pay too much attention to them because I was distracted with getting the house in order. They generally stay hidden in the bushes or walk the streets looking for food.

David, who grew up in a decidedly non-cat family and has allergies to them, first noticed how charming cats can be at our friend Jane's house. She has beautiful Persians. We came home from dinner at their house soon after moving into the villa and he said "wow Jane's cat was so friendly and sweet. Maybe we could get a cat..." which of course surprised me after 28 years of anti-cat talk. Then, lo and behold, a devoted cat lady sent an email around the expat community asking if anyone would like to adopt a sweet cat who fell, injured his diaphragm, and needed an indoor home. I decided to see the cat and when I sat on the floor Clementine came right up to me and climbed onto me like a dog. I couldn't believe it. A cat that was acting like a dog. Clementine is our indoor/outdoor cat and even though it's officially a male cat, she/he has a female name cause we are used to female animals. And she is so sweet. We added our very balady Ruby within weeks so that Clem wouldn't be lonely. After two months of watching them sit at the doors and windows pining to be outside with the other cats, they became the very lucky indoor/outdoor kitties of the villa.

Clementine and baby Ruby. Clem is very cuddly when it's her idea and Ruby has grown into a very skittish cat and would never perch on my legs again. They love each other very much.

Crookedy and Oscar in the old days. They were our only two back door cats
and we took care of them the best we could. I still miss Crookedy.

The first cat I noticed at our villa was "mama cat" who had four, then three, then two, then just one kitten within a week's time. Then I noticed all the other cats. I started feeding the cats and getting them neutered/spayed with a local vet. There weren't many cats then, maybe 8-10. And there were three people in the area feeding the cats so it was manageable for quite a while. Well now it's only me and we have a horde of kitties at dinner time. We try to feed them every other day but I usually see one of my favorites--"three legged!! where have you been?"--and then feed them.

 

Feeding time. Only 14 cats today--couldn't get Baby into the picture. We have counted as many as 30 cats!!Wth! Three-legged is the kitty in the top right corner, Bandit is the white kitty in the top left corner. Broken leg is there but you can't see her. The one just below Bandit is MEAN to the other cats and I'm trying to decide what to do about that.

It has been a huge surprise to us that we enjoy our garden cats with their distinctive personalities. "Crookedy," so named because she had a funny twitch to her hind legs when she walked, was pure white with beautiful light blue eyes and constant scratches and sores. We loved Crookedy but she died in a horrible manner last autumn. Oscar came to our back door two years ago as a baby--no mama in sight--and is always trying to run into the villa to get a quick bite of cat food. Last June a sweet little brown cat joined the growing crowd. We call her "brown cat". Another favorite is "Three-legged mama" so named because she has only three legs and, because of an eye infection last summer, has only one eye now. She also has an unfortunate spot of black fur around her eyes and looks like a bandito. A face only a mother could love. Other cats that we are fond of include "Baby," "mama cat," "broken leg," and a new teenager we call "bandit" that we were sure was going to die as a kitten. I completely understand now how some people end up with a lot of cats!!

I will admit that the cats are pesky. The majority of them keep their distance but some desperately want a human touch (I always give "baby" a pet) and mill about your feet when you're walking. Which causes problems for everyone, especially the bowab when he's carrying a tray of tea for the policemen!! The cats are also in various stages of health though none of them have rabies. Mostly they suffer from eye infections and a raspy cough. Brown cat doesn't look well these days but Crookedy used to look like she was dying and would recover. It breaks my heart that to survive they have to find food in the garbage or catch the occasional bird or rat. Actually what breaks my heart even more is that there is no animal control except for putting out poisoned meat for the dogs. That's why the city is filled with unwanted cats and dogs.