PostScript Much Needs Yet to be Done

Knowing is not enough, you must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.                 That lovely sand coloured puppy I discovered one early morning near my house, close to dying (bite wounds around his throat), recovered well, he is now four months old, remains frightened of other dogs and cars, gets on with most of my cats. But he tries to eat their food and they his, makes a happy  relationship difficult. Anyhow, we named him Djego, a good citizen, he likes to keep the town clean (I wish I could say this about more folks) and when he's taken for a walk doesn't pee or produce excrements on the road, holds it all back until he's in the house again. Well, my husband heard of a good family looking for a puppy and they were interested. So one morning he took Djego outside and see about an adoption. A little later there was a bit of knocking on my window. When I went outside, Djego was standing there, without a leash and without my husband. What happened? Did our puppy find a good family for my husband, do they want to adopt him rather than Djego? No need to worry, he also returned after a while, just wondered how the sweet puppy found our house. Such a good loyal boy, doesn't want to leave his home and foster parents. We actually love him too, I have been told his breed is called Atlas, very expensive in Europe, fairly rare, anyhow, he is unfortunately still traumatized, after all it is only six weeks ago that Djego was close to death.. Usually November and December are bad months for cats, viruses and week immune systems take their toll, in particular among the young and this year was no exception. Kidney problems are a common cause of death among the adults, we lost several approximately five year old very dear, great character cats. So depressing. Unfortunately the water here is of poor quality and can lead to stones in the body of humans and animals. Not everybody can afford to buy mineral water. One morning I got a shock, early in the morning, feeding time for my guests at the Cats' Table, only one cat waiting for me. Usually there are 17. What happened? Then slowly another one arrived, then another, two more and finally there were six, still a too low figure. Next day eight little beauties in front of my door and today, thank heavens, at least 12 darlings. I could be glad to require less food, less expenditures, now that several cats passed over the rainbow, but no

, they made me love them. Besides, I am not really saving money, regular visits to the veterinarians prevent this. As Erich Kaestner put it: " One can of course live without animals, but it is not worth it.       On the 16th of December my gorgeous Aisha, long beautiful hair, following an accident only one eye, suddenly disappeared. Looked for her everywhere in the neighborhood, called her name in vain, a gentle approximately five year old real treasure, spayed and neutered. Unfortunately three of my other cats liked to chase her and created problems. Not all cats like all cats, some even prefer human company. I wish I could have handled the situation better, she means a lot to me, sweet Aisha. I hope and pray that she is still alive and at least found a good family, maybe her outstanding beauty helped her for that. A small hope remains that my darling will yet return.  Times are getting harder, prices raise and many have less money available. This of course doesn't make life easier for stray cats and dogs who often had a home in the past. At least we manage to convince the owner of one of my guests to let him sleep in his previous home if he wants to, while I continue to feed him. He loves the croquettes. As we didn't know his name, we gave him that of that neighbor. Malcom X changed his name to X as he didn't want to be called by the name of the family that kept his ancestors as slaves, the custom at the time, horrible thought, original name of those unfortunate folks gone for ever. At first our neighbor didn't like it, then joked you better call be by the cat's name then. A good day is when all our little fur angels are well and contend. Their love is so pure and precious.

Much needs yet to be done

 "People are always going to find something wrong with people who are not the exact same as them. That's just what it is. Black, white, short, tall, religious, whatever. People are bad." Chris Rock.                                                                           The cradle of mankind stood in Africa. Racism dates back to the days of slave trade, the African continent would have developed quite differently without it. Millions died while being kidnapped and transported, altogether approximately 14 million Africans were enslaved, so many great persons were never born, thus allowing the African continent to be exploited and making Europe rich. When I was a child Josephine Baker was my role ideal, adoption of children from many different countries and letting them grow up together as equals. A great dream, but as I lack the means I finally ended up saving cats of different colours and breed from the streets. Anyhow, I was deeply shocked to find out that some teachers in Tunisia are practicing racisms. I wonder whether they bought their academic diploma and how they gained employment, after all many qualified teachers are unemployed..... In a documentary on German TV a beautiful young woman stated that her teacher never addressed her with her proper name, but called her "burned wood". In another documentary a lovely young lady said that she had no problems in school as she got a light colour of skin, but everything changed after her teacher discovered that her mother has darker skin. That teacher claimed the girl stinks and started to discriminate her in many ways. What are the values that racist teachers pass on to their students? If I had such a teacher for my (light coloured) child, I would move heaven and hell to get that disgraceful teacher removed from school! Such persons should never be allowed to educate anyone. Racism is primitive and doesn't belong to a civilized society. How can the colour of skin say anything about the value of a person, when it's a protection of nature against skin cancer? I did not expect this in North Africa, but I heard for some the colour of skin is more important than a good character, maybe this explains some incidents. I noted that one doesn't see many folks "of colour" in Sousse (the opposite are colourless people?), strange. The Chinese believe that when God made man the first sample was too dark, the second one too light and then he created man with that perfect golden colour.

Black Angel Lily an Obituary

 We have more to learn from animals than animals have to learn from us!                                                                               Kids one day in 2016 asked me to check on a black young cat sitting near my window, shivering, a big bump on her head and an injury on her thigh. They said a dog had bitten her and children hit her with a stick. We took her to the vet and she recovered. Being a gentle little darling none of our other feline big family members had any problems with Lily, as we named her, and she cuddled with many. Lily turned out to be very intelligent and inventive. If she wanted to enter a room ( that was out of bounds to several cats to protect some of the interior), she would jump on our back and wrap herself around our neck. She also had a special way to knock at the door, Lily would bang the key attachment against the door. Later on this was copied by other cats, or they would que up behind her, waiting for us to open the door for our black angel. Some times Lily would briefly walk out and quickly return to her home where everybody loves her. One day it was different, she was no where to be seen. We searched for her everywhere in the neighborhood and called her name, but in vain. Kids finally led me to a house where she was kept. A young man opened the door and denied having Lily. We knew that she would return to us if she can. So she has been kidnapped, locked in somewhere for 11 days meanwhile. We decided to offer a reward for her return. Surprise, surprise, that same man who previously had denied having her, brought Lily back for money, I paid him ransom. Still, over the moon to have our sweet honey back. She had lost weight, her lovely fur had lost its shine and she looked sad. It took her quite some time to recover, I wonder what she went through. She seemed to be less healthy ever since, breathing problems, coughing, seemed to be always hungry, but would eat only small portions, bad skin, flaky, later on recovered through vet and medication. Now, November 2021, stopped eating, would only snif at her food. Blood test showed kidney and lung problems. We bought her special croquettes at a high price, hoping she will get better. But she didn't touch them. We took our little treasure to the vet again, already fearing we might loose her, only 5 1/2 years old. Having Lily sleeping in the arms of my husband or above our heads on the pillow, so wonderful, never no more? Very difficult to accept. Our black angel went over the rainbow, leaving us with a great gap, we are in mourning. She gave us so much love and delight.

PostScript Fighting against Windmills

" Above all, always be capable of feeling deeply any injustice committed against anyone, anywhere in the world. "            Ernesto Che Guevara.                                                                    While still enjoying sunshine during the day, evenings and in particular nights are getting pretty cold. This means a lot of sneezing and coughing, most of all for homeless poor cats and dogs. We domesticated them, made them dependant, and should take responsibility. But it's rewarding, honest love, gratetude and loyalty. In my experience this can't be guaranteed if you choose to help poor people instead. In such a case it is better to expect nothing in return. Theft of copper cables from Tunisia Telecom tripled in 2021. Sounds kind of familiar? Such thefts in Europe occured as well, only with different actors. Good news: Ben Arours National Guards anti criminal unit dismantled network that specializes in falsifying official documents. They discovered computers, printers and CDs containing university and other degrees and diplomas intended for fraudulent missuse and criminal irresponsible actions. I often heard in the past that jobs are frequently given to those who can pay approx. 3000 Dinar for the favour. With the new president obviously willing to clap down on corruption and bribes at long last, those who deserve a better job or remained unemployed in spite of their qualifications hopefully, if times are changing,

 will find offers that match their education and ability. This should further our economy, provide better schools and morals, proof to kids and adults that it is worth it to gain education and training. Anti-aggression training would be a good idea, in particular for those who come from broken families and/ or mainly got "their education" on the street. Lack of self-control, envy and desire to take instant revenge, already for minor things like one wrong word, are a great handicap. I note it everyday in the neighborhood. Kids that only recently stopped wearing nappies hitting or throwing stones at cats and dogs. This is not normal behaviour, but fairly common among the badly or uneducated here, shameful and depressing to watch. It is important not to look away, to ignore, unless one wants an elbow society without empathy. Some taxi drivers are highly educated, polite and helpful, others are kind of strange, like spoiled princes, they don't want to drive where there is a lot of traffic, don't want passengers with heavy bags, prefer pretty girls to elderly folks. By the way, it appears to be in fashion to snatch a taxi away from old persons. The driver usually doesn't care who stopped the taxi in the first place. So if you are getting on a bit and aren't sportive, hard luck. We have several taxi drivers in the neighborhood, while one of them refuses to take a tip from a neighbor, another one thinks he should charge extra. 

Fighting against Windmills

 "What a

man does not understand, he does not possess. It is much easier to recognize error than to find truth, for error lies on the surface, but may be overcome, but truth lies in the depths and to search for it is not given to everyone." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe                                                     Now is the time when many kittens and puppies are born into an all too often cruel world. It is usually not their mothers' fault, while she is happy to feed the little ones her milk, cruel humans steal them, put them in a plastic bag or cardboard box and throw them between the garbage or in front of houses of people who may perhaps be able and willing to protect the helpless innocent babies. I wonder whether these folks would consider putting a few weeks old human baby out on the street, to provide for itself? Yesterday I discovered in different areas two screaming, helpless beautiful babies crawling between garbage. Shameful. Instead of getting cats and dogs (unless you want a pet family) spayed and neutered, as a kind of family planning. Some believe it's Haram, meaning the Quran doesn't allow this. The Islamic preaching states: " A human being is not perfect until he/she protects animals and plants as well." The operation is intended to do just that, prevent overcrowding and unwanted babies suffer and die in misery. Trying to save the babies is heartbreaking, it is not just feeding them expensive baby milk every four hours, it also means having them crying for their mummy.....and all too often suddenly dying in spite of all efforts. It depresses me and it seems to be never ending. I have seen so many hit, injured by disturbed stone throwing kids, killed by vehicles, dogs treated like toys by youngsters without empathy. It appears to be fashionable among them to keep a dog. If they haven't got enough food for them, they take my croquettes (outside for homeless cats), but unfortunately these are likely to cause diarrhea in dogs as they are designed for cats. Good news, I discovered that several folks in the neighborhood also love cats and dogs, try to help them as far as they can and teach their children to do likewise. A small shop owner declared that cats are heaven sent and gave a home to an injured cat. But there is also a poor family that first took one male dog from the street and a little time later a young bitch "so they can play together", not realizing that six months old is not too young to fall pregnant. They "solved that problem" by kicking her out, most probably already pregnant. In addition she has a minor injury on a leg, as she got hit by a taxi one day. I tried to find her, a sand coloured Arabic dog that does not observe traffic as she should. Together with the animal protection organization "Animal Hearts Tunesia" I was going to get the two dogs spayed and neutered, as well as vaccinated, I can not describe my disappointment and sadness on account of this family's cruel action. Whenever they asked me to help them I tried to do so, within my limits, and had given them food for the dogs. It is so important to teach kids at a very young age the right values. Those who love and protect animals and the environment help to create a better society. We can learn from other countries. Take Ruanda today, every last Saturday in the month all go

out and clean streets and gardens, plant trees.  They call it their Environmental Day. Wouldn't it be great, if we would do the same here? Instead we have those wild rubbish dump areas, if you have bad luck it might in front of your house. One man from the neighborhood said that while he takes his household rubbish to a container in one of those rubbish dump areas, others drop their rubbish on his pavement  or even throw it in his garden. Lately some persons started to throw their garbage in front of an uninhabitable empty house. It stinks and attracts cockroaches etc. Two ladies living near by decided to clean the area, but it's a daily job as this illegal rubbish dumping by selfish lazy people never stops. Though rubbish doesn't get collected from every road, containers for household garbage are always available nearby, no need to dump it where it most certainly doesn't belong. We can do better, time to take more interest in environment protection. There is an increasing number of babies taken to hospital because of breathing problems. Air pollution could easily be reduced if vehicle engines aren't run idle, motorbikes aren't tuned to create utmost noise and black stinking clouds. It amazes me men leaving their car or motorbike with the engine running while they quickly do a bit of shopping. As everybody is honest in this country they don't need to worry about a thief regarding this as an invitation.......as stealing is forbidden in Tunisia.

PostScript Diamonds and Stones

Djego poor puppy found on the street

 "Teach a child not to be cruel to an animal and you will teach him one of the basic principles of the human condition." Caroline Earle White.                                               In Tunisia you can find them both, those who love and those who hate animals. James Baldwin once said: "People will always hate what they can't understand and they hate so much because they understand so little." A woman from the neighborhood accused me of feeding cats in front of her house and causing dirt, stated she's allergic to cats and her children are sensitive too. I actually don't, she saw me being followed by cats and drew the wrong conclusions. A neighbor told her she's mistaken, the rubbish near her house has nothing to do with me and why does she live here if she wants a sterile clean surrounding. My husband adviced her that Allah punishes those who hate animals, that is why countries where they respect and love them are better off and they have clean streets. Humans, children and adults, dump their rubbish on the street, not cats! Running out of arguments that woman accused me of loving cats too much. Poor cats and dogs have to look for food among the rubbish, often real beauties, surprising to see them  there. Some folks discovered that their ex family member on four legs attends my Cats' Table. So I pay for their food, but I don't know where they are sleeping, nights are getting cold and we have a high amount of moisture  in the air. These cats miss their families and love cuddling, I often noticed this, kicking them out for convince is so cruel. If I could I would offer shelter to all of them, not just food. Many Tunisians feed what is left over from their meals, thus noodles, couscous, rice, vegetables, a bit of sardines, bred... (spices are not ideal, in particular salt, nor are beans etc). Unfortunately those who feed often forget to tidy up afterwards, as cats can't do this themselves, the remains stay on the ground, usually on a bit of plastic. Still, good to see folks who care and don't treat cats and dogs like vermin. Only yesterday I watched two boys throwing stones at a dog (not a stray, gentle, but outside on his own). A few days ago, after 5 a.m. I heard a dog wimer interrupted by cries with pain. Following a short search I discovered a puppy lying on a piece of cardboard, throat wounded, a cut or a bite? Close to dying, suffering a lot of pain. I informed my husband and we decided to take him to our vet and try to save his life. The poor soul just fitted in a cat's transport box. After the vet cleaned the wound (deep but not as big as it seemed at first sight), it become obvious that the poor puppy had been bitten by a dog,. I presume a dog trained to fight, those illegal street fights, for which cats are misused for training. The poor little treasure stayed a few days at the vet's, she did an excellent job. Now Djego, as my husband named him, is on the road to recovery, still a bit weak and we are happy he hasn't got a broken leg ( at first it looked as if ). A neighbor informed us that the puppy had been seen sleeping underneath a car the night before the attack. Various folks inquired what happened to him. Nobody knows an owner. We won't put him out on the street again, but with so many cats it won't be easy, if we can find a good family for him, he can be adopted. He is so sweet, gentle and shy. Parting from him won't be easy, we will see. By the way, at present, end of October, the puppy weights 2,5kg and is 2,5 month old.- Near a rubbish heap I viewed a Burmese cat, once a upon a time the most expensive cat in the world, the poor little treasure most probably had a home in the past, these cats are highly in fashion here. But this doesn't protect them against being kicked out if they cause any problem or require medical treatment. Superfisional love, it is better to never depend on such folks. We decided to take Allan, as we named him, to a vet for a check up. He didn't seem to be well and suffered from diarrhea. The vet kept Allan for a few days for control, it turned out that he is approx. seven years old and must have been homeless for quite a while, which means aging quicker, such a difference to mine indoors darlings of the same age. "Animal Hearts Tunisia" met the costs for Allan, much appreciated. Having been washed in Fatima's clinic one can see his still remaining beauty. I hope our other cats will accept gentle, modest, elderly, Allan and he will have a good life with us for his remaining years.

Allan, Burmese little treasure

Diamonds and Stones

 "Our country produces enough to feed us all. Alas, for lack of food organization, we are forced to beg for food aid. It is this aid that instills in our spirit attitude of beggars.            Thomas Sankara 1983.                                                                     When prices are raising it is good to receive lemons, cactus fruit, olives, etc. for free, but unfortunately they are thrown onto our roof and not yet ready for consumption. Please harvest later and don't be shy if you want to thank us for all the toys and sweets we donated to the kids around here, no need to throw secretly. We learned that stones thrown at our house are part of an old local tradition (historic documents already mention inhabitants in North Africa costal  area throwing stones), kids like to spend their time either playing football or throwing stones, they think it's funny. But to be fair, not all are like that. Some ask me to help cats in need. They watch me a lot, so I can't complain about too little attention. Every morning my cats test how many fit into my small kitchen. Once they are all fed, I attend to my visitors to my cats' table. A new arrival is a bitch, German Shepherd with four puppies (she had seven, three died I am told). The female is very gentle and patiently waits whether there is any food left over for her. I am disappointed with my little darlings, they want to steal the doggy food from her, but the bitch remains totally non aggressive, I have to chase some cats away, so she can enjoy her food more or less undisturbed. Her puppies are in the meantime sleeping on a matrass that kind persons provided in an unfinished house. The bitch seems to be known and tolerated around here. This is in line with the demands of the Quran the teachings of Prophet Mohammed, thank heavens for that.

At first I wasn't sure whether I can feed a dog as well, not just financially but also because usually dogs and cats don't get on well together. I guess my feline darlings, my little diamonds, have to get used to the new situation and they sometimes even chase new comers away. (Closed shop?) - A lot of noise, a car parked next to a motorbike, both engines running, men shouting at each other aggressively, close to having a fight, not an unusual sight here, but still, I walk outside and ask them to please not start a war. They look at me with surprise. What do you mean? I repeat my request not to start a war, we had a revolution not long ago, please calm down. Well it worked, following their encounter with that strange woman they departed peacefully. - My doctor advised me it has been recently discovered that 70% of the Tunisian population have too little vitamin D in their body. I remarked it is the result of the way many woman dress, allowing hardly any skin to be exposed to the sun. He replied that is one important aspect but others are effected as well, strong sun doesn't necessarily mean plenty of vitamin D, which bones need. Tourists like to gain a bit of colour on the beach, while face cream on the shelves here try to attract customers with the slogan: Perfect White. Whens  you are required to pay a larger sum, e.g. by a dentist or optician, and are offered installment payments, you will be surprised to learn they actually mean one advance payment and the rest on delivery/ completion of work., rather than the sum being paid over several months.  Hard luck for those who can't manage. - The director of a university in Sousse issued an order that students are not allowed to feed cats on the campus. I wonder what is going on in his head, does he seriously believe this will keep the area clean or is he just one of those ignorants that hate cats and dogs? He should be proud of students showing empathy. Surely students are not too stupid to understand the need to keep the feeding area clean and cats are by nature clean and

 ( unless they are sick) they kill cockroaches, mice, rats, etc.

Amazing, clean cats among a lot of rubbish, so who pollutes the environment?

Samples of fruit donations

A stock of stones in many places

  In the Middle Ages, when cats were killed on a big scale, this led to the spreading of the pesticides, millions died. When Egypt was more advanced, going back in history, killing a cat mend capital punishment. The citizens knew their value to protect cereals. A clean environment without cats? Folks "wash" the streets with a lot of water, they try to protect the roads and pavements against Corona by throwing their face  masks on the ground and " decorate" various areas with plastic and papers. So cats are the problem?

PostScript Positive Changes are Possible

 "Let everyone sweep in front of his own door and the whole world will be clean." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Prices are raising for medication, fruits, vegetables, animal food and other items. A misunderstanding? The president had asked for the opposite in aid for the country. One explanation one hears is the exchange rate for the Dinar, it lost value. While this of course makes imports more expensive, why should it effect locally produced goods? Folks employed to harvest fruits and vegetables are badly paid and without women willing to accept this there wouldn't be much on the market. I wonder whether they profit from the higher price or is it all pocketed by the sellers? You may think the sausage produced for animal consumption is a luxury product, hungry cats and dogs feel differently. Many Tunisian feed the leftover from their meals, thus heavily spiced couscous, noodles and rice, bred. Not exactly what veterinarians recommend and it explains the often bad immune system and short life of pets and strays. I buy the special sausage for cats in addition to the croquettes. Since the prices keep raising and raising, I am forced to reduce the amount I donate to my in-house cats and outside guests. By the way, from time to time a dog or another one arrive without a collar, not sure it's a stray, always well behaved and gentle. Cats don't fear them, one or two even dare chasing the dog away. Lately a bitch that appears to have puppies comes looking for a bit of food. Her tail she presses between her legs, looks like she has been abused a lot and accustomed to having stones thrown at her, a German Shepherd dog. I feel sorry for her and will try to find out whether she has a house and if perhaps an animal protection organisation can help her. Poor darling. - Bad habits die hard. In Tunis folks who damp their rubbish anywhere, if caught pay a 60 Dinar fine and 300 guys are employed to trace those who pollute the environment. It happens even where better-off residents live. For unknown reasons some consider it too much effort to drop their waste in available containers or waste bins. The ignorant just don't care and kids watching this act like wise. Certainly no way to attract tourists. We used to have a place close by with three containers for the residents' waste, a lot used to be damped around the containers, leaving an unpleasant job for those who collect the rubbish. Following a person's  certificate of a doctor that it can be harmful to one's health to live in the direct neighborhood, the containers got removed and a waste collecting lorry arrives at night instead to empty the household bins or pick up the waste bags. I use 2 or 3 small cheap bins since expensive ones might get stolen, and leave them in front of my house, as I am not sure at what time the lorry arrives, usually fairly late. For several days some badly wrapped bags,  partly torn, with  food and other waste were placed next to my rubbish. Neither wanting flees nor cockroaches attracted, nor other neighbours perhaps also deciding to do like wise, I had to find out who acted so selfishly. One day, with two bags containing rubbish already standing next to my bins, I view a neighbor with another bag, seeing me he goes past my house and leaves the bag at a little distance. Next day I see big open black plastic bags in the middle of the road, open,  containing rubbish spread. Where does it come from? Usually our street is quite clean.  Surprise, surprise, a direct very special neighbor, I have written about him before, he invented laws just for us that no one else ever heard about. Further, he advised me that Tunisan folks are very clean, unlike those from the Middle of Europe; my cats are too loud, his son's motorbike tuned to be extreme loud and his racing around here are perfectly okay though. Some people are happy with themselves and as they never do anything wrong they see no need to change.- My husband dreams of a medicine that cures cats from sneezing and running noses. A lot of cats can quickly mean a lot of sneezing, in particular with those cold, damp nights. At present we are all still enjoying the gratuite sunshine, put up with a bit of sweating, early darkness - well not quite, there are too many street lights for that, in our opinion less would do. We hope our President will introduce animal protection laws. Unlike what the uneducated and ignorant believe, there is nothing in the Quran stating that dogs are unclean, dirty, stinking, should be killed, it is fake news! And hopefully folks will learn to protect the environment, it is worth it, Tunisia can be beautiful. I heard expats' children watching people dropping wrappings on the street asking: "Why do they do this?"

Positive Changes are Possible

 "Hear with your ears, watch with your eyes, close your mouth and learn." Hawaiian saying.                                     With all the communication methods nowadays, we are provided with a lot of possibilities to learn from each other. Ideally national radio and TV are employed to gently teach the ignorant. (Albert Einstein: "Most stress comes from the daily contact with idiots.") At long last the government tackles the problem (meanwhile solved in many countries) of stray animals possibly catching rabies. A good chance for Radio National Rue Hourria Tunis to explain to uneducated simple folks the need for vaccination. But no, the presenter proudly declared that when he sees a pack of dogs in the morning (probably hungry and grateful if a kind person would donate a bit of food), he picks up a stone and says a sure, he doesn't know how one can hold these dogs and vaccinate them. Shameful ignorant, wonder what are the requirements for his post? I noticed that radio presenters do a lot of giggling, news are rarely read and at a high speed. I have never in my life felt threatened by stray animals, quite a few had a family before and were kicked out for convince, maybe need of veterinarian treatment and guys either not able or willing to spend the money. Lack of loyality and empathy is a human speciality! Amazing that abused animals are still capable to love man. They comfort old, sick and lonely folks, save humans buried underneath crushed houses, snow, from fire and water, aid the blind, protect humans, animals and properties, detect harmful drugs, etc. Sorry, let me take the liberty to compare street cats and dogs with kids roaming the streets all day. Those picking up stones, children and adults, worry me. These kids are constantly picking up stones, throwing them " just for fun" at cats, dogs and humans. I nearly got hit on more than one occasion, the last stone was big enough to kill or at least cause a servere injury. The usual comment of not very bright bystanders: They are children..... With just one word I can get dogs to leave the scene, when kids scream all day at ear splitting level and I ask them to play elsewhere or at least stop shouting, they use bad language or say "sorry" and continue a few seconds later. When you have up to 20 kids misbehaving in front of your door, it's not much fun. I am no longer the relaxed person I used to be. Lots of noise and exhaust gases are harmful for ones health. Last year 7 million people died worldwide from air pollution. It doesn't seem to worry folks here. Motorbikes are often tuned to be extreme loud and leave a black stinking cloud. Some residence areas are used as racing tracks, number plates are rare on motorbikes, makes stealing them and or using for street robbery easier. I hope vaccination of stray cats and dogs is only the start of animal protection laws and the end of senseless killing of them. Reducing the number of homeless cats and dogs can best be achieved by getting them spayed and neutered and teaching the ignorant empathy and responsibility. In fashion are Persian (here called " Turkish") and in particular Sisamoise cats. I joke: if you are not high class, at least your cat should be. Diana, my Sisamoise cat, was in a poor state of health when children tried to sell her. Following various visits to the vet, having been spayed and neutered, vaccinated as well,   she was fine when she walked outside, doubtlessly intending to return quickly (as she did in the past), but a thief was quicker. She must be kept indoors, without a chance to come back home. Folks here quickly get impatient, no time to waite until it's their turn even at the vet's, surprising with so many unemployed. In a hurry for what? A result of too much fast food maybe. Mediterranean home cooking is healthy, lots of fruits and vegetables, plenty of vitamins, good for the body and brain, but how much is still done? I noticed the urge for instant revenge even in very young children. One wrong word and stones are thrown, I find them on my pavement, with construction/repair works everywhere there is an endless stock of stones. This lack of self-control in kids and adults is not harmless. In the F. Bourguiba University hospital in Monastir family members of a deceased Covid patient attacked staff of that ward and destroyed the much needed material, which in return forced the Hospital to permanently close the Covid ward. An attempted assault on the president's life failed. Eye for eye, teeth for teeth - if practiced leaves half the world blind and without teeth. The original demand was not for such literal revenge but mend that if you feel you must take revenge, don't allow it to be in assess of what has been done to you. Difficult to judge the future development in Tunisia, writings on walls implicate that quite a few are "not happy". What we don't need is an elbow society without empathy. We can do better!

Living among lots of Fur Angels

Sweet Aisha with fur like silk following previous lots of problems with her fur and skin.

The end of a short feline life after having been torn away from the innocent mum that nature had provided with milk for her babies. Those stone hearted people are deaf and therefore can't hear the babies crying for their mummy. It is so brutal and wicked!!!

Well equipped thanks to Animal Hearts Tunesia

"Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend it's whole life believing it is stupid". Albert Einstein

Tinned cats' food can be mixed with a bit of rice or noodles. My black lady Lily and white honey Milka are a bit skinny, I gave them Kippy Pate with noodles. They liked it a lot, but Lily, a real gourmet, left all the noodles on the plate. When my husband gives her tinned sardines, she manages to sort out the tiny soft fish bones - most humans eat them, some street cats even raw fish completely (but the bones can injure the bowels). Stray cats love fish mongers as they and those who sell their fish via vehicles, often donate a bit to "nicely begging" cats. By the way, my kittens love Kippy Pate for kittens. Several tins were donated by Animal Hearts Tunisia, as my little ones came from the street, I picked them up in front of my door (in boxes, plastic bags or just left like that e.g. between my cactuses). Some look okay, others have pus in the eye, dirty fur, flea. Black and white Nena has skin problems (mushroom, can be treated) and suffers from hernia. She is still very young, the vet informed us that the growth near the navel can best be removed later when she gets spayed and neutered. My lovely big boy Ricardo, once found as a kitten underneath my Yucca plant, suffers from jaundice and had a cyst on the left side of his face/neck. The vet cut it without anaesthetic, my gentle white boy ( with some golden spots) let it happen without a whisper. He has been with us for two years now and knew he is getting help. Ricardo lately lost some weight, but his appetite is excellent now, which is a good sign. With Fury it was a different story, tiny he or she was on my pavement screaming. Afraid the little one may get killed by a car and no mother in sight, I took her indoors. For some unknown reason she/ he then decided that I am the enemy and kept running away from me, often hiding. When Fury had pus in one eye, which means losing the eye if untreated, it was quite a job catching the tiny kitten and cleaning the eye. I ended up with several deep scratches. Feeding is another problem, I solved it more or less by pushing the food bowl in the direction of my crazy babe. I decided not to force her/him and waite until I am accepted, maybe the other cats can prove that I have nothing evil in mind. Unfortunately there is no happy ending to this story. Fury died the other day, I could not comfort the little one. There is a statistic that shows how much a cat family can grow if no "family planning" takes place. Even though most kittens die before they are 1-3 months old, getting cats and dogs spayed and neutered makes sense, unless you wish to look after a four legged big family. My babies come from the street, all old enough and living with us had to accept and undergo the operation. Generally speaking it makes them more relaxed, "the boys have no problems with the girls/women" as a vet put it once. No more marking with urine the hunting grounds and less fighting. The same applies to dogs, following the operation they get more attached and less willing to run outside uncontrolled, wanting to "get engaged". One man somewhere else decided that doing so on the street is indecent for a dog and beat him to death. This happened in North Africa, not Afghanistan! Anyway, for a poor family that saved a street dog from a hard and dangerous life, Animal Hearts Tunesia decided to meet the costs for that lovely gentle black dog Jake getting spayed and neutered and receiving vaccination as well. Many thanks to Gisella Romdhani, Chayma Labidi and the donators. They also paid for the muzzle and lead. The other day a young girl passed my house together with her mother. Seeing me she stopped to say thank you for the sweets and chocolate she received several years ago, when she still lived in my neighborhood. Strange, one day later a woman with two little girls, approx. 2 and 3 years old walked near my house and I heard the older girl insisting that she wants to visit me as I would give her sweets. The mother didn't know me and tried to pull her away. She was very persistent and I rushed to get her Bonbons. Then the little girl asked me to give her a cat. The mother told me that her daughter loves cats,  but she herself doesn't, unfortunately. The little girl gave me hope. Maybe she can convince her mother one day that living with a cat is great and worth the effort.

What Might Surprise Folks Coming/Returning From Europe

 "You can easily judge the character of a man by the way he treats those, who can do nothing for him."Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.                                                                                           Cows' heads hanging in front of butcher shops, mend to proof all meat is fresh, but for Europeans, especially children, a shocking view and might well convince several that it is time to stop eating meat. In Germany 13,5 million cats and 8 million dogs live in households, seeing such pets here frequently being treated like vermin, kicked and hit with stones or sticks, shot or poisoned by kids, adults and authorities, is horrible. By the way, more than 50% of the Russian folks keep a cat. While Turkey is a Paradise for cats (going back in history Agypt used to be too) it is nowadays hell for cats and dogs in Tunisia, North Africa, Agypt and Afghanistan. Only the devil knows why, it is contrary to the preachings of the constantly praised Prophet Mohammed. For those who lived in East Germany (DDR) it must be like a deja Vue, finding several items, in particular imports, in shops  and pharmacy not always available, some due to the slow working custom people or unpaid bills. The so called salami is sold as for dogs only, anther type for cats and dogs (though their requirements are not identical, (e.g. only cats need Tourine for their eyes and heart), and lately one for cats only. Having ordered the later, the shop handed two boxes with the brand for cats and dogs to my husband, without a mention of the substituted item. You would have thought that my husband would at least be questioned whether he is willing to accept a different product. Such behaviour is not untypical. My hairdresser was asked whether she can put red streaks in my hair, she declared no problem and the result was really beautiful, several women told me so - but there is a problem she never mentioned, the colour is not waterproof. My hair discolours my clothes, my pillow and even my skin. Got caught in the rain, it looked as if my face was bleeding. The price by the way did not reflect the poor quality of the product. Lend a drilling machine to a neighbour, a drill item broke off, not mentioned, lend orthopedic walking sticks to a nother neighbor who had an accident. When he obviously no longer needed these, asked him to hand them back, it turned out he had lend them to a nother person. When kids are acting like hooligans, are extremely loud, you will be advised that they are children! When dogs bark loud and the town authority receive complains, the animals receive capital punishment. When young folks play very loud music from the roof of their houses, you are advised by their family or others that they are young and it won't carry on much after midnight. In most European states people would call the police, in France they would call the bailiff. Rest hours, during which one is supposed to avoid making noise, disturbing the peace, are unknown here. When schools are closed (seems to be most of the year), children sleep until lunch time and then stay up until after midnight, this includes the very young. You can see daddies taking their toddlers for a walk in the middle of the night. A Tunisian who had worked in Italy for ten years remarked that the people there are great, unlike here they help each other and that he misses the solidarity, respect and consideration for other people he experienced. Even though many are unemployed, everybody is in a hurry.  At the doctor's some lie that they were first, or insult, threaten the doctor's receptionist because they have to spend their precious time waiting. Several young and fit girls, women and men are happy to take the taxi you ordered, guess they think the elderly won't be missed anywhere. Don't know what to make of Aljazeera English, after they changed their channel, it can no longer be received without a receiver and some monthly payments, so I am told. By the way, a small fee, five Dinar for TV and radio, is included in the electricity bill. No problem with receiving Aljazeera Arabic on the new channel.  The programs in English and Arabic are not identical, the English one has brilliant journalists and received many international rewards for their documentations. I understand that several countries are interested in stopping their crimes becoming public. I cannot judge the quality of Aljazeera Arabic. On the Tunisian radio programs one doesn't receive much informations, the women who work there seem to be mainly occupied with a lot of giggling. Not looking forward to the winter with cold nights and many cats sneezing and coughing, but the really hot summer can also be trying. Not all is bad here of course, I receive a lot of love from my amazing cats and we have met good charming and helpful men and women, nice kids also. Plenty of sunshine, gorgeous flowers, a lovely beach if kept clean, the sand is of top quality. The high amount of moisture in the air doesn't only make clothes damp, it also makes ironing unnecessary, if you put on a piece of clothes with lots of creases, it will all look like well ironed after a short while. When the sun goes down, it quickly gets dark. Bred is very cheap, so nobody should remain hungry. In spite of Diabetes being wide spread and medication not always available, most processed food including fruit juices are sold with a big extra portion of sugar or honey, chocolate. One can't see the amount of sugar or fruit contained in the juices, etc. at first glance, the information is kind of hidden.

Poor Lovely Beauties

"The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence." Charles Bukowski                                                     A lady from the neighborhood complained cats ruined her door curtains (those that some houses here hang outside in front of the entrance door). Knowing that she doesn't like cats, she would suspect it was them who did the damage. We had a look, 0,80-1m high there are 3 horizontal approx. 20cm long cuts in the heavy curtains. Since cats don't use knives, and it was pretty obvious that a knife had been employed, disturbed kids or hooligans are most likely to blame. They like to take revenge, one wrong word.... and sometimes do damage "just for fun". Just the other day, as we stepped outside, 4 cats in front of the door, a stone the size of a man's head comes flying, thrown by a young boy. Luckily it neither hit us nor a cat. Comment of a watching adult: " They are children."  From those who believe kids don't need to be educated, taught manners and values, I hear that sentence all the time. I advised him that kids can kill and need to be taught how far they can go. Homeless cats and dogs usually have respect, are they easier to teach than children? Feeding cats early in the morning, I view a black and white one approaching from some distance, it must be hungry. But no, he is more interested in cuddling with me. To some it is really important, they must be those who had a family before. Amazing how neat they are, my beautiful guests. They come from all directions, it makes my day to see those amazing little treasures, a few stay in the direct neighborhood and if there are no Kroquetts in the bowl outside, they energetically demand this, good, I like it. I found my treasures in front of my door, there are those that live with us and those who are regular welcomed visitors. I have never seen anywhere so gorgeous cats and dogs as here. Unfortunately folks all too often are too blind to see. Of those three on arrival still blind (thus less then ten days cat babies two died now. I did my best, feeding mummy milk every four hours, but I could not replace their mother, so brutal to tear the babies away from their loving mum. Folks usually when asked where the mother is say she died. They are mixing something up, salmons die after "giving birth", cats normally don't and fed the milk nature provides them with. The third baby was a bit bigger right from the beginning and is getting bigger and bigger, crazy about mummy milk, my sweet little grey Jean Paul. At least he should be okay and hopefully my other babies also. One golden white sweetie, perhaps six weeks old, left in front of my door, gets on well with my other cats but mistrusts me, I will give it time to accept me. A black and white little sweet handful baby seems to be very fit and full of energy, happy to be here, hope she stays healthy. Luckily I received some more mummy milk powder, tinned food and a tube of multiple vitamins paste  for adults and one for kittens from the animal protection organisation Animal Hearts Tunisia. They are very devoted and do a great job, thank heavens. Some products are not on the market here, like that vitamins paste and cats grass also. I just got a pile of packets with grass seeds from Gisella Romdhani, couldn't find those anywhere in Sousse.

. Cats love and need that special grass to get rid of hair they swallow while cleaning themselves. When nothing else is available, indoor cats try flower or green plants as substitute, which of course is not always appreciated by the owner. Anyway, years ago, when I first arrived here there were no Pet Shops, very few veterinarians for all I know and I couldn't find any animal protection organisation, I am happy this has changed. There is so much to be done to save innocent cats and dogs and it is worth it.

Post Sript My Domesticated Royal Family and other Animals

"We must learn to live together or perish together as fools." Martin Luther King.                                                                  Good news, sweet Mary (one eye blind) returned this evening, this made my day, she looks fine, but not in a good mood at first, enjoyed her food though. I have known for a while that dogs eat some of the food that I put outside for homeless cats. The croquettes are especially created for cats (their requirements differ from those of dogs, Taurine dogs don't need but is very important for cats e.g.) and can cause diarrhea in dogs. There is so called Salami on the market either just for cats or dogs or for both. Not sure about the quality, vets don't recommend them and prices are going up, for example Carrefour raised it by 17% for the sausage for cats. Carrefour suffered attacks, severe damage and looting on several shops, I may add for their defence. They employ many polite, helpful, not well paid members of staff, some worked in hotels in the past and speak a bit of French, English and even German. Generally speaking prices are going up, in view of many having less money to spend not a good idea. The president asked to reduce prices if possible, in particular for medication, fruit and vegetables and Banks to lower their interest rate to help the country. It would also be helpful in my view if folks here would stop watering the streets (nothing will grow there) since we hardly had any rain for quite a while. Cleaning with less water is possible! While people all over the world talk about climate change, how to reduce harmful substances, exhaust gases, etc. Tunisian people continue to let their car engines ran idle (do they love the sound and smell?), not to forget those black clouds from tuned up loud motorbikes. Those days when guys were proud to possess a bike are gone, occasionally one can see a kid ride a bike (without light) but also a motorbike! We could do with less heat, my fur family lies out flat on the floor and other places. I try to provide them with the service they need so they don't need to complain. It keeps me occupied and on my feet even when I don't feel well. As long as they are alive and reasonable healthy it's worth it.

My Domesticated Royal Family and Other Animals

 "If you tremble with indignation at every injustice than you are a friend of mine." Ernesto Che Guevara.                            Early in the morning homeless cats arrive from all directions to attend my "cats' table". After a while I got to know them, got attached and worry when one or two don't turn up. For five days I am missing sweet Mary. She's spayed and neutered, usually stays near my house and sleeps indoors. Some time in the past she had four babies that she took to an unknown place when a celebration took place with those extreme loudspeakers, suitable for a stadium.  This time we had three days of celebration, life music again loud enough for the deaf to hear. Strange custom. If that drove her away, why doesn't she come for breakfast, early in the morning when most folks are still sleeping and it's pleasantly quiet? I fear that she may have been killed by one of many cars parked in double rows during the party. Sweet gentle Mary, she loved to cuddle, I haven't quite given up hope yet that she might return. Two boys proudly declared that I feed their cat. I asked them to take their cat inside at night in order to be safe. One elderly neighbor passing by during feeding time was surprised to see a big gentle golden coloured tomcat among my guests and informed me that he was his cat, now the mother and brother are still living with him. Not all so called stray cats have always been homeless, it is noticable, they usually love to cuddle. Unfortunately children looming the streets tend to have here a disturbed attitude towards animals, they regard it as normal to throw stones at cats and dogs or use a stick. Apart from my husband and me not many adults seeing this say anything. "They are children", one of the most stupid sentences I hear, meaning kids don't need to be told the difference between right and wrong. It is natural for children to find out how far they can go, where the limit is, if you let them grow up wild, they will believe that their parents don't care for them and life with rules and regulations as adults will be very trying for those concerned. I watched a little boy, approx. 2-3 years old attempting to throw stones at a black  dog and wanting to hit him as well with a stick. I ran to him and told him to stop it, it is HARAM (forbidden, against the Quran). An elderly man watching, family member sitting on a chair in front of the house, saying nothing. I advised him that he must teach the child that such action is not okay, please teach your child culture, empathy, not to attack the dog. By the way I know the gentle black dog that belongs to a boy from the same street. Ignorant folks allowing kids to attack innocent well behaved dogs (and cats), youngsters who think it's funny - never heard an animal laugh about such twisted sense of humor - don't understand why may be one day animals try to threaten them and run away. As a rule I can say that even stray cats and dogs are better behaved than those neglected children. If parents are too lazy, sick or ignorant to teach their kids empathy and basic values, then schools should do so, as well as not to drop rubbish wherever they are. Watching adults do this they think it's normal. I tell them that they lost something or that the road is not their rubbish dump. So far no angry reaction. I can't help it, I studied educational sciences. - My amazing tomcat Malek, golden white coloured, blind on one eye, living with us for more than three years, once very sick with water in his lungs, is my highlight in the morning, never have breakfast without my boy on my lap, telling me that he loves me as I am, while giving me a massage. He has sympathy with orphan new family additions and allows them to pretend that he is his mother, even though he has no milk. Fortunately there is milk powder for baby cats on the market (in the past when it was not available many babies died without their mothers), not cheap and therefore I am very grateful for donations from Gisella Romdhani and Chayma Labidi, dedicated to save street cats and dogs though their animal protection organisation, Animal Hearts Tunisia, great women! But actually I don't find it always easy to feed the babies every four hours and they miss their mother, so they cry more than they usually would. I feel exhausted. My big four legged family finds it more easy to accept kittens than adults as new members. (But for heaven's sake no more please). Coming from different families they like to stick together and sometimes find an adult cat to cuddle with. Like humans some adults don't like each other though, some love my husband more than me (he is proud of that), others prefer my company. We sometimes joke who would have which cat in case of a divorce.

PostScript The Good, the Bad and the Ignorant

 "If freedom of speech is taken away, the dump and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." George Washington

A lot is happening in Tunisia at present, the parliament has been suspended for thirty days (may be extended), the finance and justice minister, Prime minister and other high ranking politicians, including Ennahdha representatives are dismissed. The president declared his actions are all in line with the Constitution (Paragraph 80) and that 460 persons have stollen 13,5 Billion Dinar, equals 4,8 Billion Euro, of state money. Shocking news, in particular if one bears in mind that a big Tunisian state bank robbery by Ben Ali and his wife took place ten years ago, a poisoned fare-well present to the country. These greedy, corrupt, folks have no shame, no conscience. It is extremely hot, in particular in the South, where we have areas with no running water, bad infrastructure and poor people. Such news must be like a slap in the face for them. Many are happy with the president's actions. Some fear we could be heading towards a development like Agypt, since Aljazeera's offices have been stormed in Tunis by plain clothes police officers, no previous warnings, no warrants and other actions have also been taken against some journalists and various media. Aljazeera English made a lot of international prizes winning documentations about events that several states would love to hide underneath the carpet, therefore it is not surprising that countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia, USA and UAE attempted to destroy their offices or at least prevent them from continuing their investive works. Under Ben Ali's dictatorship freedom of expression didn't exist. People were frightening to talk about politics, one had to be even careful what one said in a taxi, it was forbidden to question tourists. - In the neighborhood three men tried to steal a poor man's motorbike, which he needs to get to work whenever there is some. Another neighbor taking his German Shepard for a walk had his dog suddenly pulling towards a house further down the road. When the dog owner discovered the burglars, he let his dog loose. The thieves got a fright and ran away, leaving behind their rope. We owe a lot to dogs, they often save lives (rescue dogs, police dogs, drugs sniffing dogs, Sheepdogs, guide dogs, etc) and yet, for unknown reasons, some ignorant people hate and want to kill them. This morning a German Shepherd arrived opposite my house, around cats' feeding time. I have seen him a few times before. The cats know that he is harmless and continued to eat. Two women appeared, I could see that they are frightened of dogs. One picked up a stone. I managed to prevent her from throwing it at the dog and shouted that he is gentle, there is absolutely no need to use a stone or stick. I believe that German Shepherd has an owner, he looks well kept and has good manners. I wish I could say the same about the kids in the neighborhood. The social behavior of African wild dogs, 6000 still exist in Botswana, is very interesting and they could be a model for quite a few humans. After the bitch has given birth she stays with her puppies for three months, feeding them her milk. During that time other dogs provide her with food and they do the same for old, sick or injured dogs of the community. Imagine life without greed, corruption, envy, hate, dirty tricks, theft, lies....... In Costa Rica stray dogs are caught, spayed and neutered, after two weeks if no family is found, returned to the street where they were found (the surroundings they know) prior to that photos are placed on the internet, they get marked, vaccinated and chipped. If they get adopted and later on placed out on the street again, the owner is held responsible. Various homeless types that normally wouldn't meet, resulted in interesting mixtures, every dog an original and beauty of his/her own. This gave some guys the idea to start a big adoption event stressing this interesting point. The success was tremendous, men, women and children proud of their very special great new family member.

The Good, the Bad and the Ignorant

This is Sousse

Activists in Ukrainek, and some other countries meanwhile, who had enough of animal abusers. 
Maybe one day the table will be turned.

 Men generally more judge by the eyes than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel. Everyone sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are. Niccolo Machiavelli

Happiness is having a beautiful fur angel (or more) purring on my lap, thus telling me: I love you, it's great to be with you. You are all I need. Perfect love! Animal abusers don't know what they are missing. In Tunisia you can find absolutely gorgeous cats out on the street. Often placed there by families that did not appreciate what they had. Some try to find an alternative so that they can feel alright. Sorry, I am not your solution. My husband and I, as well as our fur family have reached our absolute limit concerning space, energy and finance. We are neither rich nor young and are self-financing. We would love to help all animals  and all unfortunate folks, but that is totally unrealistic. The situation of animals, in particular cats and dogs, is depressing. The other day a woman tried to persuade my husband that we can and should take her cat with the four babies. While she didn't see herself fit to look after the little family and didn't understand her responsibility for the babies (spay and neuter if you don't want your cat to have babies), we are expected to do miracles. Very strange. I hear cat babies screaming, one golden yellow behind my metal fencing, between my cactus plants and another one, black and white, shivering on top of my yucca plant. They were placed there by some selfish persons, who just don't care whether I can cope with more additions or not. And then there are those clever folks who believe it is Haram (forbidden according to the Quran) to have cats and dogs spayed and neutered. Killing them though is okay? A man viewed a dog having sex on the street and believed this would entitle him to beat the dog to death. Twisted mind. I hope he will be held accountable for his evil deed. Strange things are going on in some folks head. Hope it won't get worse with Corona, which effects the brains of several survivors. While in the beginning of the pandemic it looked good and promising in Tunisia, we now managed to have the highest death rate in the world. In view of our poor health service system, we urgently need experts and international help. Many continue to ignore the protective measures. Like children, only follow if this is controlled. In Kairouan military does this with success. In Sousse folks seem to be free to accept or ignore the restrictions. In the German newspaper TAZ was recently a long article printed about the present situation in Tunisia. They stated that even diplomats are shocked how Tunisian customs work and compared it to the colonial time. Not surprising then that important articles, e.g. imported medicine, is maktur (at present not available). Veterinarians complain that products are unnecessarily held back at customs. I remember during Ben Ali's regime being blankly asked by airport officials to give them small presents (shampoo, chocolate, etc). This has stopped. We have a lot of diabetics, medicine often maktur, nevertheless many cereals, fruit juices, etc sold with an extra portion of sugar or honey, very strange. My only alternative is frequently to drink water or with some luck fresh fruit juice without additions. There appear to be more beggars, their story may or may not be true. Be careful if you get out your purse that it won't get stolen. I viewed five sheep in the neighborhood bought to be slaughtered for the big religious celebration. Prior to this the sheep spends a few days with the family that will try to fatten it and the children take it for a walk, play with it, all too often without regard that it is an animal that feels stress (taken from it's usual surrounding), fear and pain. Buying a sheep is a big expenditure for a poor family, in my opinion not a must. A woman married to a poor sick man, selling self-made flat round bread, told us her daughter's biggest wish is that they buy a sheep and wanted us to donate for this. My husband told her no, we ourselves won't buy a sheep and when you are poor there are better ways to spend your money and you ought to teach your daughter to be modest with her wishes, that will make life easier for her and her family. One can buy a piece of meat instead. A few days later that woman's husband arrived and told us that they have no money for food.