Instant baby toy

A sunny sidewalk and a cat to pat.

Snack Time

A group of puppies were sleeping in the afternoon sun when a little girl brought a plate of scraps out. There was a scramble of dogs and cats but no aggression.

Bedouin Carpet with Kitten

An ethnic craft shop had spread some of its Bedouin carpets on the sidewalk in the sun and a wandering kitten decided to take advantage of a nice spot for a nap. The carpets are woven on narrow looms and then sewn together to make a larger carpet. The Bedouins generally use a mix of wools: goat, sheep, and camel.

Those Cairo Guard Cats

Two of Maadi's itinerant felines decided to take a break on the front steps of a shop on a quiet day.

My Parking Place

As we were about to pull out of our spot we noticed a car across the road from us revving its engine and making little honks on the horn. Looking down in front of the car, we noticed a cat quietly hunkered down on the road ignoring the car and its driver. The driver didn't want to run over the cat, but the cat was paying no attention. Finally a passerby stepped into the street and the cat ran off. That's playing chicken with the big boys.

When You Can't Find a Garden

I was walking along Road 9 in Maadi the other day and noticed this lovely grey cat curled up in a plant pot in the sunshine. Not having a patch of grass, he decided to take his nap in the pot for a Ficus benjamina tree. Smart kitty.

The Squeaky Wheel

Egypt's relationship with cats is of legend and the cats here seem to know it. This little monster showed up at a friend's door, way too young to be on her own but still fiercely independent. She has a pet carrier in the corner of the garden to call her own and is quite keen on letting everyone know when she needs something. Obviously one of Bastet's daughters...

Almost Invisible Cat

Visiting the mosque of Sultan Hassan today in ridiculous heat, we encountered a tabby cat relaxing on the wall of the basin for the washing before prayer. The mosque was built in the 1300's and had included a fountain at one time, but now the area for the water has stones and the colour of the cat matches the stones almost perfectly.

A Sheltering Place

Egypt can be problematic for many animal lovers. We still have a working horse and donkey population who don't exactly have a great life in many cases. Most people don't realise that the children's classic Black Beauty was originally written as a plea for more humane treatment of horses in 19th century England and many of the situations fit here. We have a lot of stray dogs and cats who are important in our environment to help with keeping vermin down, and many people want to "rescue" these animals from short, difficult lives. The problem is that there often isn't a decent place for the animals to live and not much prospect of adoption. Near my home one cat rescue, Animal Haven, has a beautiful shelter for cats and a few dogs that they couldn't avoid. The cats have sunny courtyards, sleeping places, fresh food and the cleanliness that cats love. This is a fabulous place to adopt a cat from because they are socialised and enjoy company. I will be doing a blog post on this place on Living In Egypt. Good things should be encouraged.

One Last Cat...for now

Fishawy's Cafe in Khan el Khalili is famous for its coffee, tea, waterpipes and interesting clientele. You can sit there 24 hours a day watching people come and go, fending off sellers of bogus Rolexes, bogus designer sunglasses, real bead necklaces, and Sudanese women who will do intricate henna tatoos on hands or legs as you sit. A visit to Khan el Khalili without a cup of tea at Fishawy's is simply incomplete. As we were enjoying a glass of lemon tea, a young man came in, sat at a nearby table and ordered lunch. Within seconds of a plate of kofta, bread and salad being served, a tabby cat presented herself before him and fixed him with a green eye in hopes of a handout.

More Old Cairo Cats

A warm day in the Khan seems to bring out the felines. This lovely black cat with green eyes seemed to know that it contrasted beautifully with a blue door.









A pair of ginger kittens play in a plastic bag on a gallery of an old caravansarai..








And a white cat, with just a hint of ginger sleeps so soundly that a photographer doesn't even rate a flicker.

Random Cat

Sitting in Fishawy's coffee shop in the Khan with friends, I suddenly had a small cat jump up on the chair next to me curl up between my leg and my bag and go to sleep. Such trust in the good nature of a stranger.

A Lucky Black Cat

Egypt and cats have a long history. Bastet was the cat goddess, a guardian of the household and family. Most Egyptians, even if they don't invite it in, will feed a stray cat. You see them everywhere in Cairo. This one was hunched against a wet, chilly wind on top of an ancient Coke cooler in old Cairo.