Update: Moroccats

We now interrupt our Very Important Travel Blog for an update from the international animal kingdom.

Most of you already know that we have a fat, pampered housecat who goes by the name of Monster. Kate rescued him as a kitten from a snowbank, Elliot quickly warmed to cat ownership. We’re both very invested in his well-being. Just for a little context, Cecily’s first difficult life lesson was learned this summer when Monster commandeered her bassinet. So that’s backstory.   

The pleasant surprise is that Moroccans seem to share our feelings.

When we moved here we noticed two cat-related things. The first was that there were a lot. We worried that this might be one of those depressing scenes with one-eyed, one-legged, mangy cats, scrounging in garbage cans and fighting for survival and resulting in us adopting five new household members. And getting fleas.

An irresistible little fleabag.

But then we noticed the second thing: the cats around Tangier—though they obviously live on the streets—seem particularly well-cared for. For one thing, they constantly eat fish—small, fresh, silver fish from the sandwich shops, fish-peddlers, and straight off the hook down at the pier. There are always bowls of fresh water and milk around, and many cats have beds in shops, even high-end luxury shops. Cats lie on beautiful Moroccan carpets and snooze in slanting sunbeams on café chairs that otherwise could have gone to customers. In fact, last week when Elliot got up to go to the bathroom at a restaurant, a small black kitten stole his seat and refused to relinquish it, confident that the waiter would side with him (he did).

Cappuccino, extra foam.  

An explanation for this attitude, amazingly, lies in the Koran.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was tender and kind towards cats. He (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) appreciated cats. Hazrat Muhammad  (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 's  favorite cat was called Muezza. There is a well-known story regarding the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Muezza. When the call to prayers was heard, Muezza was asleep on one of the sleeves of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) robes. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) wanted to wear the robe to go to prayers. Rather than disturb Muezza, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) robes cut off the sleeve to leave Muezza in peace.

Yes, you read that right. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was not only a cat-lover, but the name of his cat is known! Is he the only founder of a major world religion who is also a pet-owner? Just for a thought experiment, imagine if Jesus had a dog named Adriel, and talked about how great he was in the Bible. One of the disciples (I’m looking at you here, Phillip) would always have to watch Adriel when Jesus went out of town. In predominantly Christian countries, one has to wonder if it would change the way that dogs are treated and regarded.

Just cattin' around in the Mediterranean sun.

Either way, the feline Tanjawis--well-fed and undisturbed--demonstrate that this is a pretty good place to be a street cat. Though cats worldwide consider themselves special, even holy, here the people around them seem to agree.