It can only get better

"You don't realize how much people can hate, they can hate so much they'll tear the world to pieces." Arthur Miller

Walking along Rue Hedi Chaker (Sidi Bu Jafar, Sousse) , it is boiling hot, no shadow on the side along the beach. I remember a line of quite a few old tall Palm trees, that was before the revolution, why are they all gone? Come to think of it, there are altogether not many trees in Sousse, though

in some streets those planted by the French still exist, additions are pretty rare unfortunately, trees don't just provide shadow they also improve the air and help that towns don't get quite so heated up. Kairouan is there more up to date, the town authorities planted and still plant many trees; it also makes those roads look more inviting. Actually I too planted a tree 2 or 3 years ago, one of those fast growing ones with many small leaves. It was approx. 0,50 m high at the time and now it must be at least 2 m! One problem in certain parts of Sousse are the hooligans who don't value the environment and don't understand why it should be protected. Where parents fail, teachers and the media should step in and make kids at a young age aware of nature's (including animals) beauty and that only stupid people try to destroy and kill. Not surprising, folks in several countries were horrified by the brutal attack on an animal shelter home for dogs in Djerba, more than twenty dogs and puppies were slaughtered in a sadistic way that speaks of a lot of hate and evil characters. The criminals we're fairly quickly caught thanks to camera recording. Then a shameless mob went to the police station and demanded the release of the three devils. I wonder what is going on in their heads. The situation became unbearable for the dogs that survived and the animal protecting folks and they left with the help of many people dedicated to animals' well being, they came from various parts of the country and a demonstration for animal rights and putting a stop to killing cats and dogs (supposed to keep their numbers down, better ways are practised in several countries) took place in Tunis. Meanwhile the President signed a paper declaring that the killing will stop, the criminals will be send to prison and there will be zero tolerance for animal abuse. The right man at the right time in the right place. Thank heavens for that. Various organizations signed in support. The Prußian Philosopher Immanuel Kant: "He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with man. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."

PostScript Much Scope for Improvement

Odette and Hakim

Jessica and Claudia

Amelie and Janina

"Only the guy who isn't rowing has time to rock the boat." Jean Paul Satre
Lately the number of sweet kittens in front of my door is increasing again. Unfortunately my possibilities are grossly overestimated. I appreciate that those who bring me their cats try to help them (at the same time get rid of pets they no longer want to keep for various reasons and do so with a good conscience). Fairly often actually kids bring the cats. Seeing it positive, kids too want cats to be alright. I would be very happy if I could offer shelter to all, but I must remain realistic, I have neither the space (no garden!) nor the means or energy to further increase our big fur angels community, further, our cats don't want any more additions. Fearing they would otherwise get run over, I already took lately inside Karim, Odette, Jessica, Moses, all very small and from different families. I managed to find new homes for three other little darlings. Sweetie, one of the regular guests at my "Cats' Table", had two babies. While one seemed to be doing well, the other one remained weaker, had an eye closed (managed to help her, carefully watched by her mummy). Then the stronger one disappeared and Sweetie lost all interest in the remaining one. I called her Misty, she ate very little, I had to force her to take at least a bit of cat mummy's milk (made with special powder). Misty didn't really look to me as if she's got much longer to live or that I could save her life, but I took her indoors nevertheless in order to allow her a bit of comfort. She died yesterday peacefully, r.i.p. Misty, poor little darling. The day before I found a cat's transport box with four 6-8 months old cats crammed inside in front of my entrance door. This really got me down, I felt so helpless. Beautiful, gentle, frightened cats, deserving to be treated well. I am on my own, with some support from my husband, what can I do? I urgently need good families to adopt these well kept little angels. Then a young lad informed me that he brought the cats, because his family wanted to kick them out, not that they were difficult, they just feel now that their flat is too small to keep them. At least he was honest, but that doesn't solve our problem. For the moment I gave the little treasures shelter in a small corridor. At first they didn't drink nor eat, still under shock. Just imagine being crammed in a box, taken to a foreign house, dumped there for unknown reasons.... Anyhow, good news, my vet says she might be able to find good families, one maybe take two cats. I hope and pray that this will work out, the gorgeous ones deserve good- for-ever homes.

Much Scope for Improvement

" People are always going to find something wrong with people who are not the exact same as them. That's the way it is. Black, white, short, tall, religious, whatever. People are bad." Chris Rock

It is summer and it is pretty hot, on the roof a bowl with water almost boiling hot - nevertheless some cats have got a cold, not what I expected. My vet recommended Bronchi-stop (0,5 ml and 1 ml 
water sprayed into the mouth), fairly cheap and works quite well. The main health problems of cats here is bad gum, bad teeth, generally a poor immune system. Many die as kittens, get run over by cars (they like to sit underneath for cover and shadow) and don't get much older than 5-8 years. Generally speaking cats are in a much better shape than before the revolution and many would be quite expensive in Europe, really beautiful and gentle, in spite of this often been abused by stupid ignorant folks and their kids. Children frequently simply imitate or react to their parents behaviour. Parents who are cruel to animals, tell their children that they are dirty, useless and therefore must be kicked or chased away, thus kids learn that it is perfectly okay to abuse animals, not aware that is actually contrary to the prophet's teachings (haram). Apart from that cats kill mice, cockroaches, scorpions, can work as an alarm clock, warn when a fire breaks out, comfort depressed or sick people, make you smile or laugh, play football with four legs. Dogs saved many folks life, buried underneath crushed houses, soil, snow or in water, aid blind persons, help trace criminals and drug dealers, offer true and loyal friendship. Cats and dogs are more useful than some good-for-nothings....
who like to believe that they stand high above animals. (How to get their brains pea sized? You just have to do a lot of pumping!!!) Anyhow, children who grow up with such bad models usually are aggressive, bullies, without respect,
don't become gentle but violent adults, often criminals. Many believe in beating their children if they don't obey, this is practiced in several countries and may well be the reason why we have so much violence in the world, control by fear. Bullies are not born but raised. There is hope that the brutal and senseless killing of so-called stray cats and dogs will be stopped in the future. At least some governors are open to alternative solutions to reduce the number of "unwanted cats and dogs", alternatives that are cheaper and work in the long run, already tried out in other countries. Besides, here are many folks who want the slaughtering to stop and the number of animal protection organizations are on the raise. They also have the support of quite a few veterinarians. I would like to donate the song of Cat Steven: "I love my dog" to those who order the shooting of dogs and poisoning of cats. Cat Stevens by the way later on changed his name to Joussef Islam and was denied embarking to US because some bright authorities there decided that someone with such a name must be a terrorist! Today two black and white sweet approx. six weeks old kittens suddenly arrived near my house. A little boy, 5 years old, attempted to kick one of them. Is this normal behaviour? Wouldn't it be more natural for a child to stroke the little fur darling? Well, not for these disturbed kids around where I live. It has improved though, they all know my and my husband's attitude and that hitting, kicking, and stone throwing, etc. is not acceptable to us. We live and demonstrate a different treatment of animals. I am proud to come from an educated animal loving family, or should I say I am lucky that abusing animals was never accepted in my family? 

Life ain't easy for Cats and Dogs

little Moses

Mother and daughter in law

 Sweet Odette

"Freedom is the right to say what some folks don't want to hear." George Orwell

Happiness is having a cat come running to you, never stopping to purr and when you stroke her/him telling you don't stop, when you start to move away, holding you back, reaching to you with one of the lovely paws, or waking up with one or two cats in your arms. Cats like to adopt old age pensioners because they have a lot of time for them and a regular income. In return cats can lower humans' too high blood pressure (just stroke their beautiful soft fur), offer loyalty and a deep friendship and of course they are happy to spend all the time in the world with you. They will never ask you for expensive gifts but may require medical care one day. They are so brave, not happy to be taken to the vet's but afterwards never grumble (unlike some kids and husbands). The vet's in Tunisia appear to be better at calculating the right doses for aenethatic to pets than those I visited in Germany. There my Filou nearly died afterwards, he fell over and got stiff. At first I nearly panicked, then I got very calm and concentrated on what I had learned during my first aid courses and how to reanimate a baby, just a very light breathe, the kiss of life. (For hygiene a piece of cloth between us) Thank heavens, it worked. My gorgeous black beauty returned to life. One day when I was late getting home, Filou waited for hours in front of my door (inside my flat) and when I finally arrived, he ignored me, pretended he doesn't know me and proudly walked away tail high up in the air, not allowing me to stroke him, my punishment for keeping him waiting! After a few minutes he returned and offered me his friendship again. Such a darling! Mummy Mary to whom I had given a make shift shelter together with her four sweet baby kittens, disappeared with her family one night. It was the night when an open air wedding celebration took place right in front of my door by people we don't even know. Unfortunately it appears to be a custom here to use loudspeakers fit for an Olympic stadium or several football fields, I am not exaggerating, for us it is like torture, for the cats it must be absolute hell. Poor Mary took her babies, one by one and brought them to an unknown less loud place. Extreme noise is by the way considered by experts as one type of harmful air pollution, unheard of by many noise loving Tunisians. I'd wish we would have laws that would force the ignorant to be silent at fixed hours and not exceed a certain level of noise, limit the size of loudspeakers in residential areas. By the way, mummy Mary returned next day for breakfast, a bit late, maybe she had a long walk. I see her regularly again, but not her babies. I can only hope they are okay. - We have the most beautiful cats and some lovely dogs out on the streets, several obviously fully breed. Sounds strange, well some folks' actions are strange, cats and dogs that turn out not to be the toys they thought the pet would be, not being able or  or not wanting to pay any more money on food or for medication, they choose to be cruel and kick them out (unless they can sell the ex-family member, most probably never seen that way). I was shocked to learn that in various parts of the country town authorities have so called stray dogs and cats shot or poisoned. Many are disgusted to see the slaughtering and it doesn't achieve anything, only sufferings. It hasn't worked for twenty years and still doesn't. In GB and parts of US there is no problem with rabies, they even have many wild foxes in GB , just a question of sensable vaccine. There is hope. The governor of Sousse aware of the brutal pictures of killed dogs and cats, comments of animal loving citizens  in the internet, pointing out that Sousse is a modern town and such actions aren't acceptable, listened to local vets suggesting to open a centre where cats and dogs can be vaccined, sprayed and neutered. They agreed to have this service available in four months time. Such a project won't require much money and will prove to be effective. Let us hope and pray that other governors will follow suit. Good to have here dedicated vets and a governor who is open for a new rewarding approach that also respects the prophet's demand to have sympathy with the animals on Earth. - A burglar got attacked by a dog who defended his owner and the property. As far as I could see the loyal dog only caused slight injuries. Nevertheless he is supposed to be killed because of attacking a human being. Should he have licked the burglar's feet ? Possibly allowed him to harm the owner? A person very close to me got murdered by a burglar, had he kept a dog, he may perhaps be still alive. In US you can shoot the person breaking into your house, here the dog gets a death sentence as a reward for doing his duty? Sounds like a bad joke, I hope and pray that more folks won't forget to switch on their brain before making such decisions, or do we want to encourage crimes? By the way, we have had a burglar equipped with a knife in our house, I heard he injured his private parts while climbing over our fences. Should we pay him compensation? Lol