Charming and Heartwarming: Tales from the Cats of Egypt Facebook page
Magdi, a cat from Cats of Egypt. Photo: cats from Egypt
Cats are complex creatures admired around the world, as evidenced by their predominant online presence in the meme community.
This admiration sounds truer in Egypt, for the ancient Egyptians didn’t just keep cats as pets; they also mummified them for a secure society in the afterlife or as votive offerings to deities with cat-like qualities.
Egypt’s stray cat population is widespread across all governorates, and any Egyptian with a cat as a household member would attest that each has a special personality, which makes it a fascinating endeavor to try to voice their opinions.
A Facebook page titled Cats of Egypt has come close to this feat by allowing the country’s cat-loving community to submit first-person stories of the cats they are rescuing or meeting on the street. With more than 100,000 followers, the site has become very popular for giving voice to the voiceless and raising awareness for animal welfare through a humorous and creative approach.
Every story on this page is special and unique, and we’ve rounded up some of the most charming ones for you.
Mocha who isn’t a fan of her name …
Mocha. Photo of cats from Egypt.
“Even though I was an artist and owned this shop, the woman who saved me from the street didn’t have a bit of creativity when she decided to call me. “I call you mocha because that’s your color.” Yes, thank you very much for the effort! Clearly a better name for me would be Diva because of my looks and gait.
I’m the prettiest cat in Garden City, but unfortunately my previous owner threw me on the street a year ago when I was known only as ‘Omm Bailey’ (Bailey’s mom), but that’s a story for another time.
Unfortunately, I live here in the shop with this so-called artist and with Bailey. Anyway, enough about me; You should probably check out the person who was shoplifting back there. “
Zamalek, Cairo.
Bailey. Photo by Cats of Egypt
Bailey: “I don’t feel like telling my story, just let me sleep!”
Mocha: “Please do it for me, Bailey. The woman has chicken in her pocket and the smell drives me crazy. “
Bailey: “Good, good. My name is Bailey and I am Mocha’s daughter. Shortly after I was born, I had health problems and the artist took me to the vet and then chaos ensued. After believing that I was a Persian cat like my mother all my life, I found out that my father was a Baladi cat and that I inherited his short coat even though I had Persian characteristics. So now I’m neither a Persian nor a Baladi. Someone is telling me who the hell I am and why Mocha was hiding this information from me! All the cats on Mohamed Mazhar Street now call me the “Identity Crisis Cat”. Rest assured, however, that once I finally establish who I am, I will be unstoppable. Can I have the promised chicken now or should I just take my nap again? “
Zamalek, Cairo.
Cats at Giza Zoo. Photo by Cats of Egypt
“The animals in the zoo don’t like us because people play with us and forget about them; They think we’re here for the attention when we are actually here with a message. We have made it our mission to end animal suffering. Imagine if people stopped seeing animals in cages, what would be the point of keeping them captive? Humans would then designate the zoo for cats – as long as they bring us food and watch us in all our glory – and the other animals could return to their natural habitat. We sacrifice ourselves for the common good and, well, a little extra attention has not harmed anyone … “
Giza Zoo, Giza.
Let’s get to the subject of cat discrimination in Mansoura …
Mansoura cat. Photo by Cats of Egypt
“I love to hunt and sleep. As you can see, my fur is black and I don’t understand why people are afraid of me or, worse, attack me. I love people and am very kind, but I once heard someone call me a demon or an evil spirit and I was very upset and rushed home.
I have had a problem with my eye since I was born and it has been difficult to see my friends clearly. People took me to a vet and now I’m much better. The last time I ventured outside, I got lost until I could find my people again.
I would like to take this opportunity to say no to discrimination. Cats are different colors from humans; we are all God’s creatures after all. Before I go, let me tell you the most interesting fact about me: I love tomatoes and chocolate. “
Mansoura, Egypt
And finally, the compassion that can be found in Port Said …
Port Said cat. Photo by Cats of Egypt
“I was born here. My mother came here a long time ago and honestly the people here take really good care of us. This building welcomes new people every day, but the security guard is the one who feeds us – he even lets us open.” sleep in his chair.
He is a very compassionate man and he is kind to everyone, even the students who come here for private lessons; sometimes he lets her take the elevator instead of the stairs. I slept in this chair once on a hot day and when I woke up I found that he had turned the fan on me while he was sitting elsewhere in the heat. “
Port Said, Egypt
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