First of all, the Moroccan education system in much of the country is actually quite good, and based on the French system. Second, basic sanitation is not lacking in urban areas, and is making headway in more rural ones. Third, you are right about the charities, but not about women playing second class citizens! How much time have you really spent there? Do you know anything about the culture?

I agree that Moroccans generally do not treat cats (and other animals) very well, to be honest with you, but when poverty is an issue, do you really expect them to worry about cats?! Do we worry about squirrels in the west? What makes cats so different, your expectation that they be domestic animals based on your western world view?

Cats live among the Moroccan people in the same way pigeons do, it’s despite the human neglect, cats have a funny way of making their homes where they’re not wanted.

It’s a country where most people live in poverty, they lack basic sanitation and education appears to be little better than Victorian England. The charity’s that do work there, SPANA, etc. are supported largely by foreign money. And if women are expected to play second class citizen, then what of the lowly (dirty) cats!?

Other than a few exceptions, cats were emaciated and sickly. Outside a pharmacy we saw one poorly cat who had either cat flu or something similar, his nose was thick with mucus and the skin was scabby with what looked like an extreme flea allergy, he looked desperately unwell. Not far from there we saw a whisper of a kitten, one eye infected, swollen with pus, it struggled along even after a man stepped on her as she made her way to her mother. What would you do if you had stepped on a poorly animal? Would you walk on? He did.

Generally I feel the Moroccan people couldn’t give a damn about the animals.

Luv,

Skittles, The Huntress

And Rebecca, it’s fine if you’d like to post a link – I appreciate it!

Best,
Jillian

If it’s OK I would like to post a link to your post on my website; I found your post inspiring. I’ve heard that Muslim countries as a whole are pro-feline, and I’m glad Israel is too. BTW, I’m in the Catlover Community, an online community of cat lovers. You can see this when you come to the front page of my site. Cheers, Rebecca

What a wonderful post. And here I thought Israel was the land of felinity. Glad to hear that our neighbors to the south are equally as populated and popular with our furry friends.

In Israel, people often leave bowls of water and food out for cats to eat from, especially in the summer when less natural water is available. While they do enjoy snacking on trash, or at least congregating near dumpsters, I have always thought that it was quite an hospitable situation for cats in this country. Glad to learn that Morocco is the same.

Maya

Israel Writer, Global Voices Online

I apologize for the error and have fixed it. LC and I look forward to reading the next edition of “Morocco Monday.”

Best,
Jillian York

Thank you for mentioning my website! My pet human visited Morocco in December. Cats are everywhere, holding very important positions in society.

BTW: The spelling of my site is “The Whole Kitten Kaboodle.” K instead of C for Kaboodle.

Check back next Monday for the next edition of “Morocco Monday.”

Luv,
Skittles, The Huntress