There are so many stray cats in North Africa, it reminded me of my travels to Turkey where we saw so many in Ephesus what were considered famous historically. So that got me thinking about he cats I saw in Morocco on the Overseas Adventure travel Trip, Morocco’s Sahara Odyssey. I wasn’t sure if these stray cats dated back to the time of Cleopatra as they did in Turkey, but I was curious about their origin. Even though I’m not particularly a cat person, this is of course, one of the joys of travel; the ability to learn about things that don’t necessarily cross our paths (in this case, quite literally).
We meet
these furry four legged Moroccans on a learning and discovery stop somewhere between
Casablanca (where I joined the tour) and
on our way to the first stop on our pre-trip in Chefchaouen. The truth his
however, that cats can be found in abundance in just about every city in
Morocco, and in one famous garden in Rabat,
historic Kasbah
of the Udayas. There was also once a cat café nearby. I was there in mid -August, and
they were hiding in the shade just as much as we were seeking it. Some looked a
bit too skinny, but we were assured the locals kept them well-fed. I always
hear that on every trip when we see strays; In Egypt on the OAT trip, Egypt
and the Eternal Nile, some of our group members felt so sorry for the cats
and dogs that they gathered food from our table that we didn’t eat and gave
them to the stray animals after we left the restaurants.
I did some
research, and while it’s noted that many of these strays are really seeking
food and comfort while baby kittens have a low survival rate in Morocco, other
sources state the interest in cats dates back to the Koran. In the 7th
Century, when the Prophet Mohammed praised cats because of their cleanliness,
and felt they should be protected as one of God’s creatures. Under religious
law, followers were allowed to perform religious rituals with water, and cats
were allowed to drink from the same cup. However, dogs and pigs were not for
reasons of non-purification. The Prophet Mohammed also simply liked cats,
stating, “Affection
for cats is part of faith.” Another Muslim scholar centuries later,
compiled an authoritative text of the
Prophet’s sayings which has worked its way into the religion and has
influenced it for centuries to come. He told a woman who had both caged and
starved her cat that, “her punishment on the Day of Judgement [would] be torture and
Hell.”
This
religious history has only somewhat worked its way into actual practice, as I
saw in both Morocco and Egypt. Some feel sorry for the stray cats begging for
food; some revere the cats. The adoration of cats in Egypt goes back to antiquity
as well, where they created cat-themed artifacts, and even the world’s first pet cemetery that dates back at least 2,000 years. It’s largely filled with both cats and
monkeys.
Whether
cats are truly revered in the modern Muslim world, or their well-being left up to
the kindness of strangers is for the traveler to discover. There is no doubt
however, that they are highly visible in huge swaths of the North African Muslim
world. People being people, and likely to go on about their busy lives even in
North Africa, a sensitive animal lover might want to look into what the
appropriate practice might be if their feel the felines need more food. I
personally never touch stray animals when traveling since I never know what kind of diseases they might
have, even though I typically feel for any creature I feel might be truly suffering. Others have no qualms at
all, and are all too happy to feed them. But understanding they are ingrained
in both the culture and the religion of the region makes them an additionally interesting
observation for all travelers. And for all we know, many might be quite happy.
I certainly hope so!
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