Postscript Pets, Winter Season and other Events

 "When a herdsman dies, his son inherits his cows, but whens a professor dies, his certificates become waste." "The tree that bears good fruits receives more stones and trouble." Ubuntu African Proverbs.                                                                                            Everything just about seems to become more expensive, even though the old year isn't finished yet. The inflation is high, more cats appear to be put out on the street. Among them presently well fed real beauties that would be expensive breeds in Europe. I would love to feed them all or even offer shelter, but this I cannot manage. Croquettes have become so expensive and in view of the raising number (inside and outside my house) plus a good appetite during the winter season, a 20 kg sack doesn't last long. In addition kids sometimes steal or ask for croquettes to feed their cat. I shall have to change my little treasures' food to include more cooked meals. It is either due to poverty or an act of revenge that 2 plain buckets were recently stolen in which I used to put our rubbish outside for collection. For quite a few kids and youngsters around here instant revenge is normal. One "wrong word" can be enough. In theory playing football every spare minute should allow these kids to become great football players. Unfortunately, though, they frequently lack respect, empathy and self-control. A football trainer of a German well known team said that he would send the best player in the world back home if he doesn't know respect and self-control. Just imagine players on the field wishing to take instant revenge on various occaisons. - Sugar and milk remain rare, now also oil, butter and coffee. Lack of sugar in a country where folks never seem to get enough of it (many products are much too sweet for my taste), came as a surprise. As many suffer from Diabetics, it could be a chance to get accustomed to a lower consumption. Higher meat prices likewise. Since I love animals I stopped eating meat many years ago and don't regard less meat on the table as negative, providing one eats fish from time to time. - Reading advice for expats. " Tunisians like to be punctional and are very reliable." Well yes, if you are well off, life is so much easier. You can live in a bubble. My experience is different, "Roundez-vous Arab" is very common. This means appointments are rarely met and recommendations are not very reliable. Sometimes folks ask me how can I live in Tunisia, a country without animal protection laws (they do exist, little known, but not as strong as one would wish), where cats and dogs are all too often treated like vermin, cats get poisoned and dogs shoot. Well, you can find the good, the bad, the educated, the ignorant, those with excellent manners and the hooligans, animal abusers and those who do their best to help and protect cats, dogs and/or other animals. A woman from the neighborhood informed me that a cat enters her house and pees there. What should she do? I suggested that she closes her door so the cat can't enter. Wondering how many cats fit on my lab, on top of me, if I put my feet up. My little treasures demonstrated that there is enough space for 6 of them providing they are not all heavy weight. They are so beautiful and gentle, great having them. I shall never understand folks who want to hurt or even kill cats and dogs. Pets enrich our life. Citizens leaving Ukraine, forced to become refugees with limited luggage, often take their cat or dog as well, even carry the pet over a long distance if need be. If they make it to Germany these folks receive donated food and pet supply items. I know of 14 Europeans who stopped visiting Tunisia: "a country where cats and dogs get abused or even poisoned or shoot on the road". Strange, some believe here that "tourists' eyes feel insulted" if they view stray cats or dogs. As a matter of fact for those who regard pets as family members, seeing their ordeal is unbearable, many are willing to help and support the poor strays. I have seen a few stray dogs, several obviously had an owner without responsibility, no empathy for their dependent dog. Anyhow, I never felt endangered (unlike some citizens), all were non-aggressive, just looking for a bit of food. Sometimes guys suggest that we stop providing for cats and donate for them/poor folks. My husband replies: "You can work and earn money, cats can't. There are many vacancies on the country side, e. g. harvest, there aren't jobs for everyone in the town." In addition we experienced that not all who appear to need help deserve it. If you try to help strays there won't be anything to regret. 

Pets, Winter Season and other Events

 "A lion doesn't loose sleep over the sheep's opinion."  "A rat who doesn't like digging its own hole but loves using holes abondoned by other rats, will one day find a hungry snake in it."  Ubuntu African Proverbs.                                   With temperatures still above 20 degrees centegrate folks ask: where is the winter? Well it takes place at night, though still pleasant unlike extreme temperatures as in Europe. Nonetheless several cats, in particular the littles ones are not well, there is virus and those that were torn too early from the loving paws of their mother, suffer from a too weak immune system. Ignorant people can do a lot of harm, it depresses me seeing very young kittens die in spite of all effords. You don't save unwanted cat babies by placing them in front of animal loving guys' doors. The best way to support them is to allow nature to function, let their mums care for them, give them milk, love and education. In view of the large number of kids in the neighborhood that seem to be constantly screeming and running, out on the street most of the day, (surely not the behaviour of happy children) I feel some human mothers could learn from cats. The street is not suitable to educate children. Besides, the boys here are not interested in reading a book, just want to play football, never get tired of kicking balls against the house walls. If a ball lands on the compound or roof of a house they won't necessarily ask for permission to fetch it but often will help themselves, after all they are good at climbing. Surprisingly there are hardly ever accidents, even though the children don't pay much attention to the traffic, including pedestrians. Times are changing. Nowadays it seems to be fashionable among youngsters to keep a dog, if possible an exotic one. Unfortunately on the other hand all too often there is very little respect for the dog's nature, his requirement, knowledge how to treat a dog properly. Dogs and cats serve as toys for the kids entertainment. Playing with the dog, having fun, to them it means pretending to attack the dog, letting their comrades also join in with shadow kicking and hitting, laughing when the poor dog gets frightened, barks, etc. Then they say: Look the dog is agressive..... I reply: No, you are aggressive and you don't know how to play with the dog so that he also enjoys it. Then they say: We are just making fun. I answer that the dog isn't laughing and that they are at fault if some folks are frightened of dogs. - At present one cannot find potatoes, sugar (was available for a short period), cement on the market, milk occasionally, some medication and cosmetics also, in particular imports. Hopefully it won't concern pet food also. Having to feed such a big hungry feral family that would mean a lot of stress, to say the least. Kids brought me a handicapped lovely black kitten, they found at the Mosque. The right back leg looked as if it may be broken. It turned out that Johnny, as I named him, is 4 months old, the left leg has an old fracture that more or less healed, while the bones of the right one have a complicated fracture, one bone sticking outward, no connection with the other part of the joint and partly broken in pieces. Finding a specialst to carry out such a complicated operation in Tunisia may be impossible, perhaps in Tunis the professor who teaches future veterinarians could, but I can't finance that, in addition it would mean several trips to Tunis and it may all yet be in vain. Johnny is still very young, a difficult decision. The alternative is to let my sweet little treasure carry on as long as he can. He is a quite gentle kitten with fur like velvet. Jeremy, my adult black and white tomcat, with lovely big eyes, looks confused and tumbles. He either fell and suffers from concussion, has a nerve problem or there is yet other cause. It may be necessary to x-ray his head at a later stage, hopefully his medication and a good rest will, though, restore his health. Thank heaven we still have a lot of sunshine during the day time. But when the sun goes down, at approximately 17.00 hrs, it quickly gets dark and the temperature drops. The sky here, in a coastal town, is too beautiful for words. Nature is the greatest artist. In addition Tunisia has the sea, a beech with very fine sand, historic buildings, lovely flowers, the most gorgeous cats and dogs, (as well as poor strays) unfortunately a lot of this is not appreciated. When you are poor and have problems making ends meet, life of cause isn't easy. Nonetheless, my wish: May life treat you the way you treat cats and dogs. 

 

Postcript Education, Languages, ect.

 "Unlike the stomach, the brain won't alert you, when it's empty." "When you marry a monkey for his wealth, the money goes and the monkey remains." Ubuntu African proverbs.                                                                                                                                                 A young girl, approx. 10 years old (not sure of her exact age or nationality) with a very special talend for learning foreign languages, presently masters 9 languages and intends to continue. The most difficult languages in her opinion are Arabic and Chinese. Well, it is easier for children to hear and speak the exact pronunciations and memorise the vocabulary. Once you reach the age of 30 it unfortunately  starts to becomes more difficult to hear the differences. Reference learning Arabic as a foreign language this presents a real problem. If your pronunciations are not quite correct various folks won't understand what you are trying to say, some kids laugh while surprisingly others manage to understand you none the less. Cats seem to be able to learn any language (at least a few sentences), but will reply in their own language. They manage to quickly know not just the name humans give them but also that of their comrades/ other "family members".  This of course also applies to so called street cats. I was surprised to note how few folks know the word Baguette (in Arabic called Hobes), considering that it is the most common and pretty cheap bred here and also in other countries of this continent, a heritage of the French colonies in Africa. On the other hand quite a few kids use the English word "bitch". If you are aware that a bitch is a good mother for her puppies (and sometimes also for other animals), sensitive, really caring mum, no need to feel insulted. Neglecting the young onces is less common among them than among humans. We could have a better world if we would try to learn more from animals.  Mother: "Son time to get up."  "Son: " I don't want to go to school, nobody likes me there, the teachers don't, the pupils, even the staff there. " " Mother:  "You must go, my son, you are the director....."         Heinrich Boell's "Anecdote on Lowering the Work Ethic" was published 1963. Recently I discovered an altered version of this famous short story as of "African origin". Likewise some proverbs exist in various countries. While in Germany it is considered to bring you good luck to find a small coin ("Wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist den Taler nicht wert."), people in Portugal believe that if you need to bend down for a small coin, you are not worth possessing big ones. Occasionally I find Millim coins and then I say, if money lays on the street here, folks can not be so badly off.... 

Education, Languages, etc

 "A stubborn fly will follow a corpse to the grave and be buried with it." "You are not judged by the height you have reached, but from the depth you have climbed. ." African Ubuntu Proverbs".                                                                                                                   Tunisians are said to be very talented when it comes to learning foreign languages. I noticed that those working with tourists more or less speak various languages, not unlike other countries that attract tourists. French is the 2. language (typical for ex-colonies, in Algeria many demand to change this) just as well as it means not everything is written in Arabic, makes life easier for non - Arabic folks here and also for international trading. A recent study brought to light that 70% of Tunisian pupils' French is of a poor standard, they would prefer to learn English, the language mainly used for computers and generally in the world of science (the common language of the later was German until Hitler made great men and women, scientists and others, flee the country). Anyhow, translation of English to  Arabic and via-verse, including by the computer translation program, appears to be an extremely difficult task. Often it is not at all easy to make sense of it. Some examples that I repeatedly found:  " I eat cats and dogs every day. I drink it. The cat is dead. I shake it to the vet."    You what? Sounds horrible! It should have read:  "I feed cats and dogs every day. I give them water/ something to drink. The cat is tired/exhausted. I take it to the vet." Some written words exist in 2 languages but with a different meaning. While Fluss is an Arabic word for money, in German it means river. Since money flows out of the pocket like water, not so far fetched. In Germany some French words changed their meaning, Fisage is used for an ugly face, Rendez-vous in German means a dating with a boyfriend/ girlfriend, the English word Gift stands in German for poison, Rat for advice, Gymnasium for grammar school, a student studies at the university, a Professor often lectures at the university, the academic title higher is than that of a teacher. The different use in various countries of can lead to misunderstandings. - If a high percentage of my pupils get bad marks, I would suspect that they are either exceptionally stupid, lazy, are neglected by their parents, or my teaching methods are boring, e. g. teacher talking most of the time, pupils are restricted to listening and repeating instead of actively participating. Some teachers believe in discriminating pupils of poor families and/ or those with darker skin. Such rasism in Africa? Since when does the colour of skin reflect the value of a person and isn't it a protection against skin cancer? Teachers with an attitude like that proof that they themselves lack education and should look for another job. Tunisia can be proud to have abolished slavery on 23.01.1846 two years earlier than France, 16 years before US and many European countries, the sale of slaves was already forbidden wef. 09.06.1841. In my opinion there are too many school holidays here and the standard of general knowledge could be improved. In particular neglected kids from brocken and/ or poor families could do with that. I just found out that 3 members of my big feral family are are a special breed of short haired black American cats crossed with Burmese in order to achieve that black panther like appearance. Indians named them Bombay cats. Superstitions here believe black cats bring you bad luck, such a believe dates back to the middle ages. One should think we advanced since then. Education of the ignorants, starting with the kids, a rewarding task for teachers, so much needs to be done. 

Postscript My Beautiful Wild Family and Lovely Visitors

 "A sheep does not pay condolence visit to a dead lion." "You can't convince a monkey that honey is sweeter than banana." Ubuntu African Proverbs.           My sweet Black Diamond was more sick than I realized, he suffered from the Calcivirus that practically destroys teeth, gum and more. Unfortunately  at present a real threat here for ferals and vets can't always save their life. All efforts were in vain, my little treasure passed yesterday over the rainbow. His immune system was too weak. He was 4 months old, too small for his age,

1 of those 15 kittens placed by various people in front of my door. When he was no longer able to eat and had difficulties to drink, I took him every day to the vet for injection, cleaning his mouth and prevention to dry out. I fed him milk with a bit of honey and chicken broth. In addition sprayed mineral water into his mouth. On some days my Black Diamond even managed to purr a bit. Holding him in my arms I fell sleep and so did he, a nice feeling. Folks who for unknown reasons hate cats, don't know what they are missing. Life is difficult in more than one way for all those poor cat babies that are torn away from their mother's loving paws. I shall never understand the ignorants' urge to separate  them. In view of so many children here you would think humans understand that babies need their mother, isn't it logic that this rule als applies to animals? By the way, scientists say children who grow up with a cat or dog as a pet do better at school, become more intelligent, learn responsibility and concentration. Sounds like a good therapy for the kids in the neighborhood, they seem to be always running, yelling, unable to concentrate, not at all relaxed and happy. Revenge for whatever is on their mind. Of those above mentioned 15 kittens damped in front of my house 5 suddenly died and 2 others that were damped at the door of a neighbor suddenly disappeared, they must be assumed dead, even though they were feed and apparently enjoying the provision of food. By the way, the croquettes that I leave outside for feral visitors are still getting stolen by neighborhood kids, presumably from poor families with pets. The plastic bowl disappears and returns after a while for refilling. Though I haven't got much money and have to spend a lot on those 20 kg sacks of croquettes, I think it's better if these families keep their pets and help themselves to my cat food than throw out their pets. Some of those regular visitors to my "Cats' Table I am pretty sure are anyway living in houses and are let out to have their breakfast provided by me. Every morning there are so many little treasures waiting for me indoors and outside. Can't disappoint all those trusting beautiful eyes. A good motivation to get up early, even when I sometimes feel more like staying in bed, my bones aching, but it's better for my health to get up and move, yes, it is rewarding to have cats. Their life though isn't easy though, too many on the street, not enough getting spayed and neutered. Today during a 15 minutes walk I viewed 3 dead kittens on the road. Much needs to be done, much help and education is needed. 

My beautiful Wild Family and Lovely Visitors

 "He who tosses worms in the river isn't necessarily a friend of fish. All the fish who take him for a friend, who think the worms have no hook in it, usually end up in the frying pan." Ubuntu African Proverb   "The more I get to know humans, the more I love dogs" Erich Kästner.                                        Knowing that many very young kittens tend to suffer a sudden death, in particular those coming from the street (or are brought by not very animal dedicated families), every morning I check whether my new family additions are alive and more or less well. Now I usually discover running noses, some "sealed" eyes, or even pus, maybe that black staff ( parasites) in the ears and lately diarrhea. I learned what to use, but my cats hate it and I don't enjoy the procedure either (in particular for the more wild little treasures), but anyhow, as the British say: it keeps me off the street.... My sweet kitten, Black Diamond, surprised me with a bleeding wound near his mouth. I don't know what happened, injury from a fall or attack by another cat inside my house? He is a quiet gentle cat that loves to cuddle.  Black Diamond hasn't eaten, not sure he drank water and it is Sunday. I am gonna see how he is on Monday and decide then wheter he needs a veterinarian. My little ones get on well with each other, they love to stick together, only at feeding time some try to secure more food for themselves (can't use a seperate bowl for each cat, 25 adults and 15 kittens), anyhow, in the end none remains starving. Then it's time to attend to my guests at my Cats' Table. There are my regular ones arriving (occasionally one or two missing breakfast time for a couple of days), looking perfectly clean and gorgeous. I don't understand how anyone can indicate that cats are dirty (only a sick one is maybe less clean, not unlike humans after all). The most beautiful ferals I have ever seen I discovered in Tunisia, sadly on the street, some regarded elsewhere as very expensive breeds. I guess several were orginally brought by foreigners and certainly kept in houses. The poor little treasures have to put up with a lot. Amazing that they still manage to love us. When you see cats running away from children or expecting stones when you really throw them a piece of sausage (called salami here), you can imagine their bad experiences. A young woman from the neighborhood saw Fleur's kitten Perl, a Siamese beauty and asked me if she could take her. I explained that I don't want the devoted mother (dark fur with blond streaks) and child separated. She agreed to take both in a week's time, but didn't seem to know much about keeping cats, e. g. thought that cats eat "what we eat". I was going to advise her and offer to do so and help also in future. It turned out that this isn't needed as the young woman changed her mind, perhaps was talked out of it or didn't get the landlord's permission. Sadly she was too embarrassed to speak to me and chose to pretend she doesn't see me on the street. Lately the croquettes that I leave outside for my feral guests get stolen again, together with the bowl. Regarded as convient take-away food? Sweet Mary who luckily returned after 5 worrying days of absence, likes to spend some time of the day outside as I have too many cats inside for her liking. In the evening she arrives for a play of "hide and seek" before coming indoors. This means she runs a bit, then waits to give me a chance to catch up with her, hides underneath a car, when I discover her, she comes out, runs a bit more and then finally allows me to catch and carry her back to the house. I feel honored. Mary is so sweet. She doesn't want to fight with  kittens and allows a black one, daughter of a black and white cat, to chase her away. The mother and child duo lately occupies Mary's space in front of my house. Mary is not happy with this, but remains non-aggressive towards the occupiers. For unknown reasons Suzy and Alien decided 3 months ago to hate Riccardo, they try to seriously attack him. All are approximately 4 years old and have been living together under my roof for most of their life. I have to separate them. Riccardo was quite sick for a while and is generally quite gentle, but so are Suzy and Alien. All like to cuddle with me. I don't know what went wrong. I try to treat all my cats equally, though some require more attention than others. Hopefully the winter won't be too hard, thinking of all who have no family, no house. Winter here usually means cold nights, a lot of moisture in the air, spells of heavy rain falls, possible floodings, sunny days, my cats sunbathing on the roof. 

End of Summer and other Events

 "A bird who wakes up early just to sing besides the river bank, will soon discover that crocodiles do not admire the sound." Ubuntu proverb  "There is enough in this world for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed." Frank Buchmann.                                                                                      Beginning of November still lots of sunshine, but nights are starting to get cold, soon it will be damp and cold, sneezing season. Not much fun for cats and all who are forced to sleep rough. I will be endlessly cleaning noses and eyes with Physiol drops, etc. My little treasures hate it. Winter hasn't started, yet but I am already looking forward to its end. A house build Arabian style with a yard/terrace in the middle is great in summer, partly also in spring and autumn, if it doesn't rain too much. In winter it's less pleasant, more difficult to keep warm. Most houses have long corridors, which means the noise and exhaust gas from the street has less impact. Scientists say the climate will change to even hotter summers and colder winters, and insufficient water supply. In Sousse (and other places) large amounts of water gets wasted every day. Cleaning the house floor appears to include "cleaning the street" as well for 100 m or more. What you see, all that water on the street, is not the result of burst water pipes, but unfortunately "normal practice" here. Yet in the south and other areas there is not always water available, not even bottled water. It comes and goes.  In Europe this year's heat wave caused the death of at least 15,000 people. Draughts in Africa doubtlessly led to a much higher figure. Much education is required to make folks understand the need to protect the environment and thus also our health and country. A neighbour tried to tell me that we have a lot of problems with cats here, not meaning their hardship but that he considers them a nuisance. I replied the kids are a much bigger problem, no manners, no respect, doing a lot of damages to house walls, my fencing, etc., throwing stones and constantly yelling as if bitten by a tarantula. I actually was a fairly relaxed person until we moved to this part of Sousse. Now I am nervous, keep bitting my teeth and suffer from high blood pressure. Some folks advise me to move to a quiet place, what is keeping us here? Well it is the gorgeous cats and their suffering. By the way, another neighbor told us that the cats are more relaxed and content nowadays on account of me feeding them. Several said they believe a place in paradise is reserved for us.... I hope and pray that those who abuse animals will be punished. - A man employed by STEG (electricity suppliers) briefly knocked on the door and started to walk away. A neighbor told him that we are in the house, could he knock again or perhaps at our window (because of the hooligans here there is no bell), he replied: "No haven't got the time." Not the first time we receive such "service." In view of so many unemployed, why can't STEG find better employees who understand that they are paid with the money received from customers? Or doesn't it matter since STEG got a monopoly for gas and electricity supply? - With raising petrol prices there were plans to increase the taxi prices, one dinar on the meter already on arrival. This would mean the luxury of kids travelling to and from school getting quite a bit more expensive, perhaps less taxis stopping right in front of our door (passenger then walking off in all directions.....) and possibly easier to find a vacant taxi. But making taxis more expensive would not be a popular decision and to be fair, the bus service leaves much to be desired. 

Postscript Don't worry could be worse

 "He who gives banana to a monkey can never expect to have it back." "The noise of a frog doesn't stop an elephant from drinking water." Ubuntu African Proverbs

Occasionally one of my cats sits in front of me looking at me very intensively, then I wonder what my little treasure is thinking, questioning whether I love her as much as she loves me? Cats are a gift from heaven, adorable, of course not all cats are alike, everyone is special, they are individuals. Some quickly make friends, get on well with all ferals, while others may even take a dislike to a certain cat or 2. I actually found cats that prefer the company of humans. On the other hand, there are humans who prefer the company of animals as they neither lie nor play dirty tricks. Kittens from various families like to stick  together and are happy to cuddle with their new brothers and sisters, once they feel secure in their new surroundings. They are so cute, nonetheless it is not very relaxing when they all (I now have 16 plus 24 adults, absolutely crazy) want to be fed simultaneously. So many kittens around is also not easy for my poor adult cats. Hopefully they stay fit and don't require much veterinarian treatments and medication, otherwise I have a problem in more than one way. I was surprised to learn that the basic check up at the vet's is here a bit more expensive than in Germany, it's 30 Dinar in Tunisia and 8,41 Euro in Germany. Thank heaven other treatments are less costly in comparison. All not easy, rising expenditures plus higher prices. We have to cut non- essentials like restaurants, hairdresser etc. For approximately one year we and everyone else haven't received electricity bills. Not that we miss that, soon the big bill will arrive and cause a lot of problems for the citizens here. Many will have to resort to installment payments. - Tunisians living and working in Europe for centuries, contrary to what ignorant folks believe here nowadays, it was never a paradise, but mend hard earned money, often unattractive jobs and the family back home waiting for money to support them (which at the same time also supported the Tunisian economy). There was a time when everthing abroad was strange, a different culture with different food, no couscous, no harissa, etc. in e. g. German shops. Many of the new generation dream of working in Germany. What they see on TV can easily give a wrong impression and the reality may well come as a shock. Everything is very expensive and the deductions of the gross pay are very high. Some of those who encounter difficulties to gain what they came for, or were already criminal in the first place, try to deal with drugs or steal. They  give a bad reputation to their home countries, and this may even concern  already well integrated folks originating from North Africa, very sad. The latest fashion among thieves "from the Magreb" is using explosives to remove cash points, but since their criminal capacity is bigger than their mental one, they blow up half the bank building as well and are now wanted for attempted murder, not just robbery. In North- Rhine Westphalia (Germany) this happened 91 times within 3 months. - Some parents have difficulties finding their kids late at night. In Europe there is a simple solution, train your children to go to bed at a time suitable for their age (no, it's not midnight even for pre-school children), this also has a positive effect on their mental and physical development. In North Africa kids usually can decide when it's bed time. Seems to me that they generally are subjected to less restrictions than those living in Europe, parents interfere as little as possible. 

Don't worry, could be worse

 "It is better to be the tail of an elephant than the head of a cockroach." If a mad man takes your clothes, don't run after him naked. "Ubuntu Proverbs 

   It wasn't planned but now the number of our big feral family has risen again. Though we had all old enough (except 2 about to be taken to the vet) spayed and neutered, there are 15 very young kittens here now. How come? Well, selfish folks placed them in front of my house on various occasions, sometimes just 1 or 2, sometimes 4 at a time. I shall never understand how anyone can put such beautiful innocent cat babies out on the dangerous street. It is not okay to do this in front of an animal friendly house, trying to force the responsibility for helpless kittens onto us. Our space, our means, our energy is limited, we are neither still young nor very healthy, we are not part of an organization that provides shelters or funds animal care and protection. We can't afford to get our cats vaccinated, they are too many. Having the newcomers one day spayed and neutered, their teeth done, expensive anti flea and anti worm products, dealing with other health problems, will be quite a problem for the future. Surprise, surprise, we need a bit of money also for our own modest lifestyle and health. The other day an elderly neighbor (not the only one) suggested that we pay for his medicine, approx. 90 Dinar. Asked what about his sons and brother in Europe? He replied that they don't earn much money. Seems feeding animals makes you rich.... I adviced my husband to tell him that we can do so, providing he pays for the regular medications prescribed for me (bad deal for him). My message for those who believe in abusing, hurting, killing pets (poison, shoot, etc): Folks with empathy for animals, who are trying to save them, need the money they can more or less spare, to help these innocent creatures. Thus these guys may not be able to help poor people as well, even though they perhaps feel sorry for the less fortunate. As for me, I learned that not all who are short of money have a good character, I judge people according to how they treat animals. - Unfortunately drinking the water from the tap here is not recommended, doctors told us. Lately mineral water isn't always obtainable, one of the stable foods out of stock for various reasons. We try to find bottled water with low Nitrate. It varies from 0, 0,5 to above 30 from assorted firms. Experts advise to avoid water above 5, as Nitrate has quite a negative effect on one's health. The most popular brands contain a lot of Nitrate, seems noone is aware of the issue. For a while sugar disappeared from the shopes. I am lucky, I seldom use sugar. Many suffer from Diabetes, nonetheless the soft drinks have a high percentage of sugar. If you have a look at the registered contents you will find those items with the highest percentage are listed first. The "fruit juice" drinks are produced with fairly little fruit, which is covered up with aroma and sugar. I call them sugared water drinks and buy mineral water instead. Shortage of sugar could be a good opportunity to use less of it in all those sugar - rich manufactured products, guess this is wishful thinking. Compared to other countries Tunisia employes a surprising high number of civil servants. The bureaucracy has a reputation of being bloated. (see a satire on Arte Mediathek: On the Divan in Tunis - I viewed it German, the original may be in French, English or Arabic). Since Tunisia badly needs money for the economy (like many other countries), the president asked the IWF for a loan. They agreed under the condition that public expenses are reduced - most is spend on bureaucrats. Since this means that perhaps one third will loose their jobs, a highly unpopular decision. By they way, problems we experience here also exist more or less simular in other parts of the world, including Europe (which some still regard as a kind of paradise). But this doesn't mean our citizens don't want miracles to happen. 

Postscript Autumn, Cats, Dogs and the Environment

 "A man who tosses worms in the river isn't necessarily a friend of fish. All the fish who take him for a friend, who think the worms got no hook in it, usually end up in the frying pan." Malcom X   "The more I get to know humans the more I love dogs" Erich Kaestner.                                                     This morning a lovely little kitten nearly got ran over by the only car on the road. Yesterday, on my way to do a bit of shopping, I viewed a cat mum with her kittens and took a photo of the sweet little family (see photo) . On my way back I saw 2 kittens, one already dead and the other one looking not very well. Then near my house I was shocked to discover one of the kittens that was enjoying being with its mummy not very long ago has meanwhile passed over the rainbow, bleeding from her head and one eye popping out. The little one was either hit by a car and thrown on the pavement or hit over the head by a big stone. The mother cat tried in vain to save her, poor darling. It is very difficult for homeless cats to protect their offspring here. Gorgeous Janina went outside without us noticing. Soon after she wanted to leave the uninviting road again, but our door was closed. So Janina decided to enter via our window, but the gap was too small. Luckily I heard her climbing, went outside and quickly took our little treasure back inside. She was so grateful and happy to be in her house again, such a sweetie. Those who know the difference most certainly don't want to "enjoy" the freedom of the roads, too many dangers plus disturbed kids with poor manners, faul language, no respect. These neglected children like to damage, destroy. They know they can do this with impunity as their parents are often poor, so their families don't even need good lawyers to avoid having to pay damages. In addition the kids are fast runners, thus difficult to catch and besides, always " innocent". Much needs to be done. I never encountered a dangerous dog on the street, but these wild children worry me. Some believe black cats bring you bad luck. But actually it is the other way around, they are lovely, very intelligent and loyal. It is people who bring bad luck for black cats, hit them with sticks or stones, or even kill, poor innocent darlings. There seems to be very little respect, appreciation and love for animals in general, I wonder why, lack of education? Much could be achieved with good animal protection laws, besides, didn't Prophet Mohamed teach that a good Muslim respects animals and nature?

Autumn, Cats, Dogs and Environment

 "When you bury the past, make sure you avoid friends that know the graveside." "Never insult a crocodile whilst your buttocks are still in water." African Ubuntu Proverb.                                                                                            Sweet black and white kitten in front of my door, keen to enter. I am taking a closer look, it is one of those that I offered" asylum" a few days ago, it ran out without us noticing but quickly realized that the street is not an inviting place to be, live as a stray? No thank you. Poor innocent little treasures. Nowadys even beauty doesn't always help. Fleur, a regular visitor to my Cat's Table, has a gorgeous kitten, mummy obviously got engaged to a Siamese, the little one has such lovely fur, only the typical dark face markings are missing. I'd wish I could find a good family for the two. Fleur obviously loves her baby, she learned this from her mother, who always used to turn up with fleur (untill she one day disappeared for good). When cats suddenly disappear, apart from a natural death, it can also mean traffic accident, poisoned, other forms of abuse, or even slaughtered for a meal or black magic. I am told some immigrants from sub Sahara countries do the later. Hopefully they get caught, arrested/deported. This is a horrible crime and Tunisians are shocked . The cruel shooting of stray dogs (and cats?) in the whole of Tunisia for 4 weeks is very depressing. For 3 nights I heard shotgun shootings in Sousse, Jawhara. It gives me nightmares. The few strays I saw here occasionally were gentle, clean and beautiful. No danger for anyone, many had a family before. Those irresponsible folks capable to throw pets out on the street worry me. In most countries such actions are regarded as crimes and punished as such, even prison sentences. We badly need good animal protection laws. Those in Turkey (created in co-operation with animal protection organisations) are a dream. Respection of animal rights doesn't seem to cause any problems there. "Have empathy with the animals on earth, then Allah will also have sympathy with you." Words of the Prophet Mohamed. The other day my husband tried to explain to a young boy that throwing stones at cats is Haram (forbidden, a sin) and was surprised to hear the lad asking:" What does Haram mean? " The streets crossing in front of our house have multiple functions, sometimes it sounds like a market place (street vendors coming and going), then like a racing track (speeding motorbikes), a kindergarten playground (up to 20 very young kids screaming and running), or a football stadium, up to 3 balls simultaneously kicked against house walls and doors, children arriving from all directions, yelling appears to be an important part of the games. Several children in my neighborhood are neglected/disturbed. We could do with street (social) workers here. In view of often ignorant parents who don't understand their responsibility as parents, or just couldn't care less, much needs to be done. Denial of kids' bad behaviour doesn't mean you are a good parent. - A woman stated she can't afford getting her cat spayed and neutered. As she tried to drop off the unwanted kittens in front of a house, she was seen and told to stop this, as at that address there is neither a shelter, nor an association to meet the expenses. She replied: " No problem, I know a woman in the neighborhood who feeds and keeps cats, I shall take them to her house." She admitted that she had my house in mind. By the way, the woman who "can't afford" the approx. 100 Dinar for her cat, intends to now spend a family holiday in Tunis. Well, my husband and I can't finance any holiday, we neither have the necessary money nor can we leave our big feral family on their own. 

Postscript More about Cats, Dogs, Careless Folks.....

 "No matter the situation a fish will never swim backwards." "A goat is never happy when a sheep is been slaughtered." Ubuntu African Proverbs

Prices continue to rise, various items are difficult to obtain, some are sold again for a short time and disappear once more: sugar (big problem in an sugar loving country), milk, mineral water (rumor has it that it is due to lack of money for plastic bottles), rice, sunflower oil, creals, flour, bred and chicken partly, croquettes for pets, Unigenta eye drops, several imported medications, etc. More cats and dogs lose their houses, poor darlings not knowing why they are suddenly homeless. A woman on the radio demanded that folks should stop feeding animals and donate to poor people instead. A whole industry developed around pets' requirements, various items, like transport boxes, toilets, collars, leads, muzzles,etc. and also food, i. e. croquettes, tinned food, medication for animals, there are pet shops and veterinarians - does she want all to become unemployed, bankrupt? Besides, in my experience not all poor people appreciate your help, some think you should not give them the little finger, but your whole arm, so to speak. We have a family with "limited income" here, who demand money for food, medicine, gas, school books (after the young son stopped attending school). We gave them money on various occasions, clothes, shoes for the boy, two collars, lead, muzzle and food for their dog (donations from Europe for dogs). We think they sold the items for the dog (mend to prevent him to be mistaken for a stray), shameless folks, and he may even no longer be alive. For a while they had another dog, thinking they may possibly be able to sell puppies one day. Then they kicked out the bitch and lied that she wasn't their dog. It doesn't seem to bother them much if she gets shoot as a "stray". The other dog nobody has seen for a while, they say because he's sick. In the past we employed not so well off local men with decoration works around the house, several used the opportunity to steal from us. We then decided it's better to carry out ourselves as much works as possible and that money is better spend on supporting animals. I judge guys corresponding to how they treat animals. 

More about Cats, Dogs, and Careless Folks and Others

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 "A wise man said:" Don't take revenge. The rotten fruits will fall by themselves. " Jabah Funniebo (African proverb) " If you sit long enough by the river banks, you will see your enemies floating by." Chinese proverb.     

  It is the time of year once more when many cats have their babies, and too many cat owners feel the strange urge to pull these from the loving paws of the feral mothers. Why ? A lot of cruel treatment of animals has to do with money, lack of education and convenience. The unwanted cat babies are thrown among the garbage or secretly dropped in front of houses of folks who more or less care for animals. While cat owners who either can't or don't want to get their cats spayed and neutered ("family planning") say they can't support a cat family, they expect others to be able to take an unlimited number of ferals, on account of such acting (I call it irresponsible) they believe they deserve a good conscience..... Lately I had 14 kittens in total placed in front of my house, 3 times I happened to see a cute innocent little one nearly having a fatal accident. I feel stressed and under pressure. Save their lives, take them indoors? How much food can I pay for, for how many can I finance their dental and other treatments, what about getting them spayed and neutered one day (approx. 120 Dinar for the female and perhaps 60 - 70 Dinar for the male), how many more "family members" will my cats tolerate? How many more toilets, how much longer can I cope? My cats don't do their big and small "business" on the street. I am no longer young and healthy, don't belong to that women group of " considerate proportions", with other words, what I can carry on my shoulders is limited. Vaccination for e. g. 40 cats is out of question. I am not an association. We urgently need animal protection laws, killing so called strays is no solution. It's been going on for so long and what has been achieved? Kids, youngsters, adults should be educated to learn to appreciate and protect nature and animals, after all Allah's creation I encountered several guys, young and old, with a disturbed attitude, e. g. frightened of absolutely gentle strays, without reason throwing stones, using sticks, etc. All bad I ever experienced came from humans, not animals. Disturbed kids feel the urge to damage, destroy, don't I know it! I was forced to exchange attractive plants (pulled out, broken off) in front of my house, by cactus plants. This doesn't prevent some from throwing kittens among them. The other day I found a lovely little one with a thorn in her forehead. Concerning the tree I planted a few days ago, well, children/ youngsters started to break off twigs, mark the tree trunk slightly with their pocket knife, will they allow it to grow? I shall try to protect it, the one I planted some years ago in Kairouan develped well (see photo). Now it is 4m tall. The Quran tilling in front of my house has been damaged by a stone. I heard the loud crash but didn't discover anything at first as I didn't know what to look for. Today I saw more kittens near my house. Very sad, not a quiet area here and plenty of traffic. I discovered Fleur, a sweet regular visitor to my Cats' Table, with her lovely baby between my cactus plants. I took them indoors, a small corridor. Mummy cat is happy with the service and her baby seems to be well. Two young girls knocked at the door. They requested the return of a tri-coloured kitten they brought to us 4 weeks ago. We told them that this kitten isn't in our house. After they left I remembered a lovely tiny cat baby, not very fit. We took her to a vet who thought she will probably be okay after a short while. At first it looked like it, but one morning we sadly found her dead. Quite a few little ones don't live long, if seperated from their mother, even if provided with the expensive baby milk. I believe they also miss their brothers and sisters, they like to cuddle together. In my house they find other kittens, from various families, and they play together or look for an adult cat, male or female and try to suck for milk. At present we have a problem with some little ones suffering from diarrhea, could be due to worms. This means may be a quarter (1/2 kg kitten weight) of the special tablet once a week for 2 weeks and then once a month for some months. Only problem with so many, making sure all receive the medication and none double. All not easy in particular since I am not very well myself, it can only get better - I hope. What really depresses me it that since a few days for 4 weeks in the whole of Tunisia stray dogs are being shoot. It is supposed to be cheaper than vaccination. Dogs don't deserve such a fate, capital punishment for barking or because some folks don't like dogs/ believe they are dangerous? Abused dogs may be aggressive, not all of them though, they put up with a lot of suffering, amazing. Dogs don't lie, cheat, steal, start a war. They are very loyal, experts in saving people's lives. Neglected, disturbed kids can lie quite convincingly at an early age, already when they just stopped wearing nappies. I repeatedly experienced this and had to stress that my eyes don't lie. Friends of mine in Europe are deeply shocked how strays are treated here. This shooting is a method that doesn't seem to belong to this century. How can one then for a better society preach the need for solitary and empathy? If free vaccination, neutering and spaying, of stray dogs is too expensive for Tunisia, why not ask for help from Europe? A team of dedicated international veterinarians would surely be happy to come and work without requesting payment.