All my Perls and Diamonds

" Don't think money does everything or you end up doing everything for money. " " Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers. " "Truely, whoever can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." "Cheerish those who seek the truth, but be aware of those who find it." Voltaire.  "Experience is merely the name men gave to their mistakes."  "A good friend will always stab you in front."  Oscar Wilde.                           Being accustomed to welcome 12 to 15 visitors to my Cats's Table I was shocked to only see two this morning, a little later another three turned up, one running from some distance, viewed him right at the end of a long road. What happened? Knowing that this here is not exactly a paradise for cats (and dogs), I worry and checked several times later whether some little treasures perhaps overslept. Did not look like it, only a lovely gentle puppy appeared. His chance to enjoy a bit of saved sausage. Minusa, Salvador, (more or less Siamese beauties) and heavy weight boy Ricardo had to pay an urgently needed visit to our veterinarian - dentist, discolored theeth and red gum. Happy to see them in a much better shape afterwards and to be advised that suddenly appearing black spots on the gum or even black gum is not a sign of any illness. Minusa and dainty Salvador are now receiving Antibiotics on account of an infection. Riccardo is feeling fine, thank heavens.  Black beauty, Masud, wants to "eat out" and thinks the croquettes fed in another room are more tasty, though actually taken from the same 20 kg bag. Not feeling well I went to bed after breakfast. When my husband wanted to check how I am, Malek joint him, sneaked into the bedroom and greeted me like a long lost friend. So much pure love!!! Those who don't like pets miss out on such a lot. Feral light orange-golden coloured gentleman, Nikola, never gets angry. He allows others to snatch his piece of sausage and when he gets attacked he just closes his eyes, when threatened just walks away. Unlike several kids in the neighborhood (plus some adults) he certainly doesn't require an anti-aggression training. While I was lying sick in bed young girls were calling me, "Madame, Madame, Madame.....". It sounded urgent and got me worried that they discovered a cat in stress. But then they demanded "Bonbon, Bonbon, Bonbon" (sweets). I remained quiet and of course did not attempt to get up. Next I heard stones thrown against the metal fencing of our house. My husband was shocked, he had thought stone throwing would be just be a specialty of not very bright boys. Looks like there is no longer a big difference between the behaviour of boys and girls here, at least as far as kids of families are concerned that tend to keep a distance from education (as little reading as possible, no books in the house apart from school books temporarily). For a short spell (too expensive in the long run) I bought fairytale books and presented those to the children here, hoping they would discover the beauty of books. In addition I hope to teach them respect for animals. They do watch me and occasionally comment on my special relationship with ferals, which is new to them. One women looked astonished at a guest to my Cats' Table and explained: "This is my cat. What is he doing here?" Then she picked up the little beauty and carried him to a house in the neighborhood. By the way, now 12 cats again attend my Cats' Table, so I needn't have worried about their well-being, though, of the regular 4 more or less completely white cats only 2 returned. I had offered shelter to pretty brown-black Fleur with blond streaks because she was pregnant. She mainly lived in one of the 2 wooden pet houses on the roof terrace. After she had her kittens and finished feeding them, I missed the appropriate time to get her spayed and neutered. So she decided one day spring is a good time to enjoy the freedom of the road, an opportunity to get as often "engaged" as she feels fit. Fleur now just returns for meals (she really loves her sausage, locals call it Salami) and if need be she can always make use of one of my outside shelters. Beautiful little darling, I respect her wish and I am always happy to see her being well. 

Postcript Not Always What You Expect

 "Be yourself everyone else is already taken."  "You can never be overdressed or overeducated." Oscar Wilde.  "Comman sense is not so common."  "Every man is guilty of the good he did not do."  "Optimism is the madness of insisting that all is well when we are missable."  "Think for yourself and let others enjoy the priviledge of doing so too."  Voltaire. "Don' t do to others what you don't want to be done to you." German Proverb    My lovely Malcom X loves the croquettes and in particular the sausage I provide for my little treasures in- doors and at my Cats' Table, being able to walk again approximately one week ago he disappeared after eating his food and did not re-appear when I called him. Did this several times in vain. Seemed he may have gone back to where he came from. Since he was not undernourished when kids brought him to me following his accident, I hoped the gentle boy may have a family, a garden, a house, more or less for himself, as he doesn't like the company of many cats. In any case, Malcom knows my house and feeding times. Well, this morning Malcolm returned, not in perfect shape, patches of tar and sticking pebbles on his back thigh and tail. I offered him his favourite food and manged to remove a lot with a brush and cats' shampoo. Not at all a pleasant procedure for the poor darling. He demonstrated this by biting my hand - without injuries to my skin. Not sure how he managed this, (done it before) my special honey. Malcolm was feeling tired, may be had to do a lot of walking, so he decided to rest in his box, like he did in the past. I was happy my lost son was okay and returned to his foster mum. - Strange, bananas sold in Tunisia are not an African product but come from the same middle/south American countries as those in Europe. Comparing prices makes you wonder why they are more expensive here. For a while actually quite expensive, up to 15 Dinar a kg. The government arranged that 200 tons are supplied by Morocco, to be sold at 5 Dinar during Ramadan, according to Internet. All we found were offered at 9 Dinar and 

for a couple of days none at all, then again sold at 9 Dinar per kg.

Found on the internet, don't let this be our Ramadan!!! 

Yesterday we enjoyed a lovely sunny day and so did 2 kids on a motorbike, naturally without a safety helmet (pretty rare item here) and even top-less, hopefuly their skin works well as an air bag...... Among the ignorant not just the environment but also road safety is not much of an issue. Kids are seldom advised not to overstep a certain line. A case of try and error, learning by doing? Adoption appears to be handed in the open, I know of some kids that have been adopted. Do I need to know? Don't think so, wonder how the concerned kids feel, inferior because their parents didn't want them, or wondering whether these were no good? One youngster is playing mad, his foster dad doesn't know how to handle him. If I had adopted a child I would say: "You are very special, chosen. Love at first sight." As a teenager I admired Josephine Baker. She adopted a large number of children from different nations and taught them tolerance, you are all equal, the colour of your skin is of no importance. Instead of adopting children I ended up as a foster mum for numerous beautiful homeless cats of all colours. -There was a time when it was of great importance to have many children. Not all lived long, all too often died at a very young age. The survivors  were a kind of old age aid and protection. Nowadays it is mainly the poor who have big families and the more educated tend to have just one or two kids. At the same time folks live longer. This resulted in several, mainly European countries, but also those like Japan, having a population of predominantly eldery citizens. With other words, their economy and social services require young immigrants to fill vacant posts. In Germany 60,000 foreign doctors are presently working and still not all doctors who wish to retire because of old age can hand over their practice to a successor, in particular in the countryside (less attractive place for academics). The Dean of Tunisian engineers declared: "Tunisia annually gifts about 650 Billion to economies of foreign countries."  "Brain drain, 6,500 engineers leave Tunisia annually after finishing their university education. Approximately 100,000 Dinars are spend on education." This means not just a big economic and financial loss, but also missed chances for local innovations. And it is not just engineers. So rich countries profit on a big scale, it allows them to quickly fill important, profitable posts, save time and investments. Shouldn't they in return compensate the often poor countries who shouldered the enormous costs? Sadly it is not just the educational expenditures that cause a big problem to poorer countries, the situation is even much worse concerning the exodus of e. g. Tunisian physicians. Khemaies Zeyed, the president of the Tunisian Union of Free Exercise Physicians stated that in 2023 there were 1,325 young doctors leaving the country while between 400 and 500 graduate each year. "Currently the majority of doctors operating in hospitals are 50 years old or older." One can easily work out when this drain of medical men will lead to a collapse of the health system if nothing is done quickly to make Tunisia more attractive and a good reason to stay. It is not mainly a question of low pay, but circumstances like badly equipped hospitals, the quality of infrastructure, the environment in general and security that make others countries like France, Germany more attractive. Those who leave and maybe decide to return one day are hopefully welcomed with open arms, which in my experience is often not what expats encounter, but rather a lot of envy,  little understanding and appreciation of  support given to Tunisia while abroad (e. g. money sent to relatives) and now on return. I don't want to grumble, not all is bad, we met some great folks and discovered gorgeous gentle cats who definitely appreciate our presence. 

Not Always What You Expect

Malcolm X

Discovered in town center

They love to cuddle together

 "The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifférent to them that's the essense of inhumanity." "I learned long ago never to wrestle with a pig." George Bernhard Shaw.  "It is not just children who are fobbed off with fairy tales."  Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (Nathan der Weise). "Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will speak the truth." Oscar Wilde. "The more often a stupidity is repeated, the more it gets the appearance of wisdom." Voltaire.                       It is spring and we enjoy a kind of April weather thus often all 4 seasons in a day. The wind can be rather cold or warm, coming from the dessert. I prefer the warm version. Tomcat Carlo likes to jump on my husband's back (his taxi). Hubby complains about the sharp claws digging in. I advise him he's lucky, had he been born during the Middle Ages in the middle of Europe and folks saw this, they would believe he's a witch and burn him together with the poor cat. Witches appeared to be ideal scapegoats during those dark times but like nowadays history sooner or later brought the truth to the light. Anyhow, the price was high, killing many cats allowed an escalation of rats and the rats' fleas spread pestilence. Unaware of the source and not knowing how to treat this horrendous sickness millions of people died a terrible death. Yes, cats do a bit of pest control, e. g. they hunt and kill cockroaches, but they don't eat them. - Big surprise, butter appeared on sale again. A choice of either 50 g or 200 g, the latter at a price of 6,630 Dinar, and a notice that customers shouldn't take more than 2 packs  (at such a prize easy to accept). Milk and sugar appear from time for a few hours in some supermarkets. Otherwise one can find sugar (too much of it for my taste) in many products or on the black market. Rice is presently available. The price of bananas is more reasonable now, as promised by the government.  Milk and sugar are sold again in Kairouan. When you see a big que in or in front of a supermarket it will be because of those 2 items. - Cats are amazing. Lovely Malcolm X not long ago close to death, is doing fine. He walks, knows his name and comes when I call him. My blind boy Lulu has lost a bit of weight, being disadvantaged at feeding time, I must ensure he gets his share of food. Unlike blind humans Lulu doesn't require a walking stick or aid dog. In the beginning I worried that my house may not be suitable for him, too many obstacles. But nobody was willing to adopt a blind cat. Well, Lulu conquered my heart and I wouldn't dream of giving him away! No chance! Near my door I discovered this morning 2 large pieces of puff pastry filled with big chunks of chocolate. I guess an adult or child left this there for hungry cats, meaning well. But neither all medicine designed for humans nor all food is suitable for animals, but can be rather dangerous. Unfortunately consuming chocolate is even deadly for cats and dogs. I am glad I found the pastry in time and thus managed to put it in the bin. Cats wouldn't have necessarily touched it here, in particular as I offer them croquettes instead, but a little later a white puddle appeared looking for something to eat. I got him a larger piece of sausage. One of the cats I fed a few minutes earlier, tried to steal it of him. I managed to prevent it, " telling her not to be so greedy". -  Kids asked me whether I do Ramadan. I take it as a compliment that I look young and healthy as the elderly and sick are excempt from fastenings. Anyhow, Ramadan has started, this holly month is a very sad time this year. Of 1200 mosques in Gaza, many historic, only 200 are not damaged or destroyed. I hope and pray for an end to the fighting.  My prayer:  Oh Lord have mercy, silence the weapons of war, let there be food, clean water, medicine and shelters. Enlighten those in power. Punish those who commit war crimes. 

Mother Madona and daughter Lady Gaga

We need a lot of empathy and love to heal the wounds and traumatised children. - 

 

Postscript Times are A Changing

 "The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of convidence." Charles Bukowski.  "I don't trust anybody any more, not even myself." Joseph Stalin.  "Loyalty to countries always.  Loyalty to governments only when they deserve it." George Washington.  "When you destroy someone's life with lies, take it as a loan, it will come back to you with interest."  Mercy Guinita.                          Last week kids from the neighborhood brought me in the evening an adult black and white cat, lying on a flattened cardboard box and totally soaked in water. They said the cat got hit by a speeding car and couldn't walk due to a broken leg. The children thought the feral may be one of my cats (tried to cross the road towards my house) and if not, asking me for help would be the best choice around here when taking the cat to a vet is out of question, without money (parents wouldn't or couldn't pay) and after working hours. Well, the cat wasn't one of mine, but he may have occasionally visited my Cat's Table. I couldn't detect any injuries, perhaps under shock or with bad luck internal injuries. First of all I tried to dry the poor darling as far as he would let me, then I took him to one of my small outdoor shelters and gave him half of a pain killing pill for animals (bought from my vet). He was non-aggressive just warning not to mess with him, even though he's sick. My husband and I decided to take him to the vet the next morning for a check up. It turned out that luckily nothing was broken, but unfortunately injured spine a possibility. An x-ray could clarify this (too expensive for me at present), but with a bit of luck his condition is just the result of the tomcat's traumatic experience, or a nerve effected. I got a prescription for 15 days medication and we hope for the best. At the vet's the poor darling actually couldn't walk, he was just crawling fast on the floor. A very sad sight. He received injections on 3 consecutive days. Not knowing the little treasure's name I decided to call him Malcolm X. (The famous Malcolm used the X because he didn't know his actual surname since his ancestors had the misfortune to be kidnapped from somewhere in Africa and sold as slaves. These were given the surname of their slave holders.). Kids playing football in front of my house. One young lad lying on the street holding his tummy, obviously in pain, probably hit by a ball. The other children ignoring him. So I told them that they are not good friends of their playmate. (I have seen simular scenarios before.) The addressed looked shocked, why did I say that? I explained that real friends would stop playing and ask: "Are you okay? Do you need help?" One boy repeated my words and offered him a hand to get up. This he managed to do and then told me : "I am fine, I am strong, I am Tunisian." Good to know. - A woman from Kairouan informed us that couples have been seen kissing underneath the meanwhile big tree I planted a few years ago. She suggested felling the tree in order to avoid such unruly behaviour. I was actually shocked. Trees are important to reduce air pollution and in addition they reduce the temperature in towns, a significance matter in view of climate change and rising temperatures. I remember a time when towns like Kairouan and Sousse had quite a lot more trees. Wonder why they disappeared..... Among others, German and French people love their trees, they know their values and planting is promoted. In Paris e. g. additional woods are getting planted. Scientists worked out that plenty of trees reduce the temperature in town by 4 degree centigrade. Anyhow, we still have some wonderful trees here, planted in way that they built green roofs. Usually one can find benches underneath, offering a rest in the shade. My husband mentioned the good old days, when a 20 kg sack of croquettes would last for 6 weeks (now only 14 days at the umost), of course we had less cats then and less expenditures all together, in particular for medication and veterinarian treatments. This mend from time to time we could afford a holiday, visit a restaurant, a café. He feels our standard of living used to be higher. But on the other hand we now have the most beautful fural children in the world, even though beauty was never a criteria for adoption. By the way, tomcat Malcolm X no longer tells me to keep a distance, he actually allows me to cuddle with him. I feel rewarded. - Certain items are still difficult to obtain, or just more or less on the black market, like sugar, milk, rice, flour, even tea, coffee (a bit better, though at a higher price). Butter I haven't seen for maybe 2 years. I loved Arabic butter but enjoyed it with a bad conscience as the days of innocence are gone. As a child and for a while as an adult, I wasn't aware that only a cow with a calf would produce milk - not for us but for her baby calf. We "steal" the milk that adult humans actually don't need according to the evolution and in addition cows are forced to produce a maximum amount of milk (breeding and special food). Unfortunately I love dairy products like cheese and Joghurt. Otherwise I am vegetarian, (can't demand this from my cats) I love animals too much to eat them. - Recently another great man died, Alfred Grosser, writer, sociologist and politian. As a German jew he fled from the Nazis to France, gained French nationality and wrote several important books about the Nazis. He criticized what France did in Algeria as well as the treatment of Palestinians by Israel. Alfred Grosser, a human rights promoter, achieved a better understanding between German and French peoples. Don't we all bleed when injured? Humans and animals alike feel pain and suffer when hurt. A man asked, how can those who do the killing in a war sleep at night? Well, it's easier from a distance or when the enemy has been dehumanized. During the last world war a helicopter was shot down in a village in Germany. Residents rushed to the scene, wanting to know what the enemy looked like. Perhaps 2 horns on his head, looking like the devil? They were shocked to see instead a handsome young man. The famous Frantz Fanon worked during the French occupation in Algeria as a psychiatrist. He said that a man came to him, asking for help so he can lead a normal family life and not have nightmare in spite of torturing people during the day. Africa is a big continent with many resources. On acient maps Europe looks bigger. That is revealing, how European saw it at the time. With more solidarity in Africa we can achieve a lot. The African Union is a great organisation to promote this. I am happy to see Tunisia is a member. 

Times are A Changing

The water on the street is not rain water, but the result of residents using a hose to "clean" the street. 

 "Always forgive your enemies, nothing ennoys them as much."  "The truth is rarely pure and never simple."  "I am not young enough to know everything." Oscar Wilde.                     We enjoy lots of sunshine, feels like spring or even summer during the day and winter in the afternoon and at night. Still too little rain and at first from time to time, meanwhile daily, the household water gets shut off (at varied times, getting earlier and earlier and usually then lasting until the next morning.) Now at 1.30 p. m. already no water from the tap. Though ennoying in a way and it's surely not ideal to improve hygiene in the country, it is probably necessary since the water resource level is extremely low and ignorants love to use water hoses and seems to aim to create "swimming pools" on their street. I have seen it in many places. Occasionally I asked: "Is the beech too far for you?" Prices are rising yet again. Not easy to pay more for so many items., e. g. the 600 gram saucage I buy for my cats was sold for 2 Dinar a few years ago and now I have to pay 3,500 Dinar (price reduced after protest that 3,800 is simply too much), tinned kitten food I bought not so long ago for 5 Dinar is now sold for 7 Dinar. Unfortunately I need much as I don't want my little treasures to start a revolution. They love their croquettes (now of course also more expensive), in adition they are accustomed to have a bit of sausage in the morning as well, so do also the visitors to my Cats ' Table. My beautiful "children" thank me with lots of cuddles, purring and love. Sometimes cats talk while eating, sounds like "this is delicious." They are so sweet, couldn't live without them. Kittens are unfortunately often not strong when it comes to fighten off colds, flue and viruses. One day they may seem pretty fit and the next day suddenly pass away. Their immune system appears to be much weaker here than in Europe. In addition it is not very helpful if they are dragged away from their mother' loving paws at an too early age, a strange "custom" here among the lesser educated. I need  (but don't always feel very fit) to check daily the little ears, eyes (e. g. pus) noses, teeth and gums for parasites, possible signs of a virus, comb the lovely fur with a special flea comb. I learned a lot from my vet about how to treat minor problems. No time to get bored. Life would be easier if I had enough money to get my little ones vaccinated. At least most of the medicine they need is available here, with a bit of luck produced in the country. Imported items are not always available ("maktur"), some seem to get too expensive for the local market. Looking back, there is more available and often of better quality than before the revolution, but you can't always find what you want. 

I remember a time when one wouldn't view folks telephoning while driving because mobile phones didn't exist, when people were happy to ride a bike, no kids on a motorcycle polluting the air  just for fun. A smell as if there is a fire somewhere in the neighborhood. This can mean a barbecue, someone burning waste of any kind or simply motorbikes using cheap stinking diesel. Noone appears to worry about the harmful exhaust gas. Our hobby "standmen", youngsters riding their motorcycles with the front wheel in up in the air, continue their acts, one occasionally with a boy aged approx 12 years of age, sitting behind him., another one kneeling with one leg on the seat. They also like to ride in wavy lines, like someone drunk would. All of this on a street with traffic and usually kids playing football, our multiple purpose road. Nobody seems to take any interest and tries to stop this before a serious accident happens. 

What goes Round comes Round

 "How it is we have so much information, but knows so little?" "It is the responsibility of interlectuals to speak the truth and expose lies."  "For the powerful crimes are those that others commit." "How people themselves perceive what they are doing is not a question that interests me. I mean, there are few people who are going to look into the mirror and say, " That person I see is a monster, " instead they make up some construction that justifies what they do. "   Noam Chomsky.                                                                 At a time full of hate and revenge (the new style of politics) it does good to listen to a voice of reason, empathy and love. Margot Friedlaender, (maiden name Bendheim) born 5th of Nov. 1921 in Berlin, her mother and brother were arrested in 1943 and murdered in Auschwitz, for a while she somehow managed to live in hidings, but then went through the hell of the concentration camp Theresienstadt. This great, gentle, wise lady survived the unspeakable horrors and emigrated in 1946 to New York. At the age of 88 Margot Friedlaender returned to Berlin, as a contemporary witness she decided to visit schools and other places to talk about what happened during the Nazi dictatorship, in a country that once was seen as a country of poets and reflecting people (Dichter und Denker), how the terror began and why it must be stopped right in the beginning. Quote: "What has happened, we can not change. It only must never happen again. Humans must be respected, no matter which religion they have. We are all alike. When we are born, it doesn't matter whether by a Jewish woman or one of another religion. The child is fed by its mother. The child has no religion. It is human. Be human, respect humans. There is no Christian, no Jewish, no Moslim blood, only human blood. With any religion one should afterall be a human. "  Now aged 102, this amazing woman continues to bear witness of what crimes human beings are capable of doing and the importance to learn the right lessons from history. Hate and revenge, collective punishment are not the solution, they only create a spiral of atrocities. "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth", this is not mend to demand revenge, but to say (at a time of lots of brutality): don't allow your revenge to be bigger than the unjust that has been done to you. A wise man once said that the former would lead to half the world blind and toothless. Margot Friedlaender wrote a book about a Jewish girl hiding in Berlin: "Try to make your life. " In the whole world there are still 245,000 Holocaust survivors alive, 14,000 live in Berlin. In the past they have often been called traitors by other folks of Jewish religion. And by the way, the biggest Palestinian community in Europe also live in Berlin. The horrible massacre of 7th October made life very difficult for both sides. The craddle of mankind stood in Africa, our common colour of skin was black, there is no master race and in my opinion no space for "chosen people" in a civilized society., we are all humans. James Baldwin: "People will always hate what they don't understand and they hate so much because they understand so little." 

My Gorgeous Wild Family

 "Be aware of people who dislike cats." Irish Proverb.  "If you can't do great things, do small things in a great way." Napoleon Hill.  "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today."  Malcom X.                                             Winter has now finally arrived, with a bit of luck still sunshine during the day. Recently lots of rain day and night, much needed, but cold and wet is not easy for strays. Still, come rain or sunshine, they arrive punctually for breakfast at my Cats's Table, for most probably the oxxnly good (small) meal for the day. Some turn up during the day also and call me: Please feed me, I am hungry! Among them 4 big boys, Kassimir (elderly, gentle and a little slow, allows others to fetch his bit of sausage without getting aggressive), yellow soft fur, Wotan, yellow white fur, lovely bushy tail, Caesar and Manuel, mixed colours, brow with white tummy and bib, long hair. I gave them their names. For those who once lived in a family, it's a new one, all with or without a name, I call "Schaetzchen", which means little Treasure. I noted some visitors to my Table like to cuddle. Talking about cuddling, Schmusi, my black and white tomcat, one day walked up to me, sat on my lap and gave me a kiss on my cheek. Looks like he appreciates his vice mummy. My heavy weight boy, Riccardo, doesn't get on well with 3 other cats, and with one of them, Alien, it even looks like hate. They scream at each other and actually sometimes fight, usually at the roof. When I am downstairs the quickest way to stop this is to shout at them. One isn't supposed to shout at cats, but it works. I found in book advising how to handle cats, when you have many cats in the house, there will be fighting among them, in such a case only a bucket full of water helps. "If you try to just separate them you will get injured." Not my experience, having shouted that "Mummy gets angry with you", I walk up to the roof, pick up Riccardo and carry him downstairs. Even though he was full of aggression a second before, he immediately becomes gentle and absolutely non-aggressive, I speak to him softly and praise his good behavior. He has been living with us for 5 years, arrived as a kitten. Until about 2 years ago there were no problems. I joke, maybe Riccardo should change his Aftershave, so he won't get mobbed. I am very proud of my blind boy, Lulu, he copes well, downstairs, upstairs, well integrated. Lovely soft light yellow fur, likes to cuddle. He is amazing, at present he has got a cold and recovers from the Calci-virus that effects teeth, gum, eyes, in addition can cause diarrhea and it can spread to other cats. First sign are a bad smell from the mouth and difficulty to eat. It is important to consult a vet as soon as possible, luckily mine is very dedicated and his clinic is within walking distance. (Taking a taxi doesn't just mean extra expenditures but also means stress trying to find one or waiting for a long time, and then just arriving folks snatching the taxi).  I keep wiping and cleaning sweet little noses. The claws I get confronted with, are less sweet. It is particular bad when I give my little kittens, Cinderella, Priscilla, Micky-Mouse, Speedy-Gonzalez and Lady Gaga their medicine hidden in a bit of cats' saucage. They try to knock it out of my hands, this often leads to bleeding fingers. The kittens I had in the past used to be better behaved. It is not helpful if the little ones are snatched too early from their mother's loving paws, before Mummy could teach them manners. Living with just maybe 5 cats is so much easier than feeding a large pack, kind of wild in a crowd when it comes to feeding indoors. Well, in a pack humans also often act differently. Nonetheless some folks believe we could and should take an endless number of cats, because they don't feel inclined to get their cats sprayed and neutered, prefer to spend their money on cigarrettes, cars, etc. rather than on medicine and veterinarian treatments. Lady Gaga, only survivor of Madonna's babies, was born with 2 deformed back legs, one got better, the other one seems to be paralyzed. In spite of this she moves very fast, climbs and grows well. Sometimes she still cuddles with her mummy. I don't like the cold and so do my cats. At night I try to keep them warm with little blankets, some enjoy it while others through their warm cover off. Every morning my first thought: are all okay? Recently I discovered 2 lovely gentle yellow kittens in front of my door, in a little shelter I had created for Mary, my part time outdoor cat. She protects my house and of course sleeps indoors, doesn't want to be part of the big crowd, therefore sleeps in a small corridor. It makes me sad not being in a position to take the 2 golden coloured new comers inside, but I absolutely can't cope with more cats in the house. I just gave them a bit of food. The next day they were gone, but then I discovered them between my cactus plants, not a good place, nor the street in front. It is used as a kind of football field and kindergarten, a racing track for motorcycles, and "stand man" on motorcycles exercise area (at least 3 boys doing their dangerous performance). We have so far been lucky, no serious accidents. By the way, the kittens disappeared, returned and disappeared again, guess they are still looking for a permanent home....... I wish and pray a good soul showed sympathy and saved the gentle little treasures.