Trying to think Positive

 "In a wartime truth is so precious that it should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies." Churchill                                                                                  There are good and bad days. Spring should be a happy season, more sun and happy faces? You wish, Rising prices, various products difficult to find on the shelvings, everybody grumbling, or so it seems. What makes it worse, there are shameless greedy guys willing to misuse the situation to fill their pockets, or should I say, bank accounts, through phantasy full tricks, e. g. a "baker" buying large quantities of subsidized flour, storing it, waiting for rising prises. He didn't even possess the equipment to bake bred. Fortunately he got caught and several more with equal criminal energy. Among various other medical products anesthetic became difficult to obtain for veterinarians and other doctors. Now a van with 30 vials of Katamine was discovered in Hergla toll station. This product is a powerful anesthetic illicitly used as hallucinogenic drug. In Sfax garbage disposal has become a problem, the citizens there hope that the government will help as the town appears to be overwhelmed, with rising temperatures regular collections, no "wild rubbish dumps" are essential to avoid health issues. The temperatures in the south of the country are not surprisingly much higher than in the rest of the country. Nonetheless in particular the folks down there, in various areas, have to live without  tapped water, for several days, e. g. Redeyf. Heaven knows why the water works cannot find a solution. In this day and age there must be plenty experts available. Not enough funds? Other countries not willing to help?- I see a cute little boy with lovely curls, Europeans would envy him for this. Strange, the mother keeps being "adviced" that she should let him have a haircut, that "looks cleaner" , in addition he could loose weight that way..... wonder why he should? I see among the new kids and youngsters many skinny, legs like a stork. Haircuts like prisoners, the new fashion? Certainly not my taste, why can't folks be happy with what nature provided them with and worry about bad manners and habits instead of giving stupid advice? A young boy in front of my house throwing stones at cats. As he doesn't except being told off (being brought up without borders, without basic values), he received a slap. He threatened to inform his parents and was told please do and bring all your relatives if you like. It's a chance to meet the ignorant family. When the father arrived, he was no surprise. He had no problems with his son abusing animals or causing damage to houses (we have had a lot of this) "He is a child....." One of the most stupid sentences I heard here. If you want your son to become a criminal one day, with a heart of stone, let him grow up wild, don't teach him empathy, respect and love of nature and animals, allow him to believe that he will always get away with murder. One shouldn't be surprised when members of such a generation beat their teacher, who is no longer regarded as a person deserving respect. A man arrives at the vet's with a bird that he accidentally injured with his car, he left his card and stated he will cover the costs to heal the poor bird. People like him give me hope. But anyhow, we urgently need animal protection laws, the whole country would profit. 

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Ramadan, Spring & Changes

 "A clever man doesn't make all mistakes himself, he also leaves the chance for others." Churchill.                                                                                                      Ramadan is supposed to be a holly month, but unfortunately this doesn't prevent some from committing evil crimes to innocent animals. While the Quran states that a perfect moslim respects and protects animals and nature, they feel a strange urge to poison, shoot, etc. beautiful, mainly gentle cats and dogs. How can anyone say it's haram to spay and neuter them, yet believe it's okay to create hell for Allah's (God's) creatures and brutally murder them? Normally one can see several cats near garbage containers, serching for food. Most of them have disappeared near where I live. What happened? A gruesome explanation I have been told: immigrants from some subsahara countries kill and eat cats and dogs, or abuse them for obscure witchcraft methods. This is of course against the law here and shocks the population. Horrible thought, hope it can be stopped. Nonetheless, in Europe I never viewed such gorgeous cats. Unfortunately this doesn't even protect them against being kicked out whenever it seems to be more convient. I wonder whether such folks would be prepred to do this also to other family members? Anyhow, I could never rely or trust such guys. In my opinion they shouldn't have children, what values could they possibly teach them? In Sousse the poisoning of cats by some disturbed guys continues, in Djerba dogs are tricked into cages so they can be caught and murdered, absolutely sickening. I continue to pray for education of the ignorant and harsh animal protection laws.  Will it be included in the new constitution? That would be fantastic. We need patience, improvements happen, but slowly. Gentle bitch Leika is limping lately, did she spay her back leg? No, as my husband immediately suspected, stone throwing hooligans caused the injury. I shouldn't be surprised, when I asked the kids to be more considerate, stop their constantly yelling, I had a stone thrown at my head. - Lovely Jasmina brought her kitten, Sunflower, maybe 3 weeks old, to stay with her behind my barrier, between my plants. She knows there is water, food and protection. I will do my best. One of Sunflower's eyes closed, when Jasmina briefly left, I cleaned the kitten's eye with Physiol solution and then used Unigenta for treatment. From time to time various medications are not available, e. g. at present Oxytetracyline (excellent for cats' eye treatment) and antibiotics, "maktur". Today Jasmina allowed me to repeat the procedure for her baby's eye. Good, she trusts me, makes things easier, still, nothing to be taken for granted. Members of my big cat family sometimes fight among each other, just like humans do as well, 2 have got an eye injury, Alien and Tarecca. The later worries me in particular as she's got only 1 eye (result of an accident). The vet thinks her eye can be saved, among other medication she prescribed Antibiotic eye drops. Couldn't find it in various pharmacies, then I remembered that I bought it not long ago following my own eye injury, so that's luck, in addition my other medication turned out to be usefull as well (checked with the vet). My biggest present is having all cats and our puppy doing fine. The end of Ramadan is lately celebrated with fireworks. Folks say it's a tradition, but it isn't actually, too new habid for that. Poor people buy plastic toy pistols and firecracker for their kids, sadly they don't consider buying books instead. "No money!" They argue that this is what their children desire, they possess so little knowledge, yet like to constantly talk..... very strange. Anyhow, those stupid firecrackers make our puppy nervous, he still gets his panic attacks, not very helpful. No use talking to the kids, they don't give a dam, respect, consideration and empathy many don't learn in their families arround here, unfortunately. Instant revenge they consider their right. Spring means more sunshine, some rain and nights not quite as cold, thank heavens for that. Had enough of all that sneezing, running little noses....  "The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch without doing anything." Albert Einstein

Eileen, Obituary

 Sweet baby Eileen was born approx. end of March 2017, I found her in front of my door together with Allan, both dark brown streamed. They were the first cats I bottle fed with cat milk, fairy new on the market here. She and her brother used to fight who can have the bottle first. They developed well, but after one year I suddenly discovered her brother dead in the morning, no sign of illness. Middle of November Eileen developed breathing problems. The vet recommended Marbocyl and Kortison, and she recovered. She loved to cuddle and got specially detached to me. In March 2019 I got my little treasure spayed and neutered. In Januar 2021 Eileen got bold patches behind her ears, dermatique the vet diagnosed, we applied ecorex. One year later she started to eat only very small amounts of food and the vet discovered kidney problems, following a blood test. Our little treasure stayed over night at the vet's and we bought special croquettes for her (50 Dinar for 1 kg). Kidney problems are sadly fairly common here, the water is of a poor quality and so is their immune system, all too often. I loved cuddling with lovely Eileen, such a gorgeous little darling. For a short period Eileen got better, then she started to have a blank expression on her face just sitting there, not interested in anything. I feared the worst, but didn't want to give up. Took her once more to the vet. On the 9th of April she passed away, looking very peacefully. My sweetheart I miss you, thank for all the love you gave to me. 

Postscript Diamonds and Perls among the Rubble

 "The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of convidence." Charles Bukowski.                                                         Wondering where the diamonds and perls are? For me they are the gorgeous cats and dogs indoors and outdoors, too many forced to live as strays, some all their life, others innocently lost their home through folks too blind to see and appreciate their true values. What do I love most of all in Tunisia? It is not the beautiful beech (if kept clean), not the sea, the architecture, the food, etc., it is those amazing cats. We bought a red collar for Leica, a gentle bitch, I call her a half stray, she has human friends and and creates no problems. Cats know she's okay, they even try to steal her food. Now someone without shame has stolen her collar, it was mend to protect her. Isn't it enough to stupidly throw stones at innocent pets? Living among the ignorant can be so trying. Our puppy, Djego, still gets his panic attacks, less often now, thank heavens. With his reaction to noise, maybe headphones would a solution? Just dreaming, my husband uses these when it gets too much. He by the way, informed me that beautiful Bella (3 colours), Fleur (dark colour with blond streaks) and Minus (white tomcat) are waiting outside, in front of our house, for a late breakfast.... They sometimes oversleep the early one. I am prowd of my husband's reaction, no complaint that my expenditures for pets should and could be reduced, after all, a Cat's Table in addition.... In the kitchen Adele tried to steal a piece of raw meat. I took it away from her and offered it to Djego. Big surprise, he doesn't want to eat raw meat.  Fishmongers sometimes donate a sardine or two to stray cats. While several eat the raw fish more or less completely, others won't touch it at all. I have seen cats even picking out, as uneatable, the tiny, soft bones of tinned  sardines. Like humans, all are not the same. Black and grey Alien had problems eating, smell from the mouth, which usually indicates teeth or gum problems. It turned out that 5 teeth were black and had to be removed. Cats' visit to the dentist vet is all too often drastic, though they seem to recover quickly and Alien is enjoying his Croquettes again, his favorite food. Lately kittens are especially endangered when a virus spreads. Their immune system is frequently too weak to cope. Poor little treasures. I wish more folks here would understand the babies need to live, be fed and trained by the mummy cat for at least 6 weeks, for dogs it is 3 months. By the way, a woman would need to be pregnant for 18 to 21 months before giving birth to a baby as well developed as a chimpanzee at that stage. When we discovered Djego, close to death, he was only 2,5 months old. I don't know how long he had already been forced to look after himsef. He has such beautiful brown eyes, when looks in my eyes, it is so difficult not to melt. Nevertheless, we are forced to look for a new home for him. Living among so many cats, several not respecting him, is very stressful for our sweat darling. 

Perls and Diamonds among the Rubble

 "The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different." Hippocrates.                                                                                      Ramadan has started, this means quiet streets, less traffic in several areas in the morning, a more pleasant walk with puppy Djego (just like me he doesn't enjoy noise, it makes us nervous), but we have to put up all too often with extreme cacophonous kids and youngsters until late at night. The street crossing in front of our house is used as a "football stadium", a kindergarten and a play ground, traffic gets only more or less tolerated, dangerous in particular for motorcyclists or pedestrians, as up to three balls are kicked in all directions, by screaming children. There seems to be a celebration on the street, many neighbours attenting by the sound of it, looking down from the roof.... big surprise, only 4 kids outside. Wow, even louder then 30 monkeys in a zoo (sorry, but I can compare by experience) and on several occasions I counted more then 20 kids of all ages....  In Africa the majority of the population is less than 30 years old, the elderly becoming a rare species. I hope that reading gets fashionable again, not just the internet. The government donated 60 Dinar to poor families as a bit of help during Ramadan, another payment is planned a bit later. Though Ramadan means no food nor drink during the day, it is a custom to have a special good meal in the evening, difficult when you are poor. Moslims tend to be more generous during this period, like Christians around Christmas. A young boy from the neighborhood, coming from a badly off family, shocked my husband by handling him a shoping list for vegetables, spices, rice, noodles, flour, oil, sugar, one chicken, etc. "This is what his mother wants...... if it is too much than perhaps you can buy half or one just one third....?" I may add that over the years we helped that family on various occasions, even though we are most certainly not rich, can't afford a car, nor employing a cleaner, etc. being a private patient and having a big feline family eats up my savings. We do hope to find a good family for Djego, without cats and small children, in a quiet neighborhood, ideally with a garden to play in. He has improved but is still traumatised, that street cat (one I don't know) that all of the sudden jumped on his back and attacked him, while on a leash, has thrown him back, Djego's relationship with cats worsened, seems he wants us to kick them all out, perhaps just keep Fritzchen. I presume Djego would eventually relax more if he would get spayed and neutered, (approx. 200 Dinar), needs to be vaccinated too, 90 Dinar. Too much for us. Pity we haven't got a garden. A puppy needs to play, poor boy, seperated from his mummy while still too young, thrown out on the street, attacked by a dog, close to death and viewing his fright of children, most probably abused by some too, we do wish him a loving for ever home, in Tunisia or Europe. Whenever we go for a walk guys tell me that Djego is beautiful, which race? Atlas, expensive in Europe. He originates from the Atlas mountains, a loyal guardiandog, keen to protect his owner and his property, including his flocks. Very allert to any possible dangers, wild animals, and warns of suddenly appearing strangers, Berbers breed (Aidi) in Morocco, an old race, effectonate and docile.- A neighbour, the kind one can do without, tried to tell my husband that excrements were left on the street by our dog, very strange since we always pick them up and carry this back to our house, won't even leave the excrements in one of those garbage containers as we don't want a plastic bottles collector to accidentally get in contact, while serching the container. Several guys, young, middle aged or old, finance their livelihood with the sale of plastic, so there are no longer lots of plastic bottles polluting the environment (as before the revolution). Tunisia intends to import more tomatoes, onions and pepers and ban export. Why can't we produce enough to cover the demand? So much could and should be improved. Tunisia depends too much on imports, while having to cope with high unemployment. I have been advised that working as or for farmers is not considered

 an attractive lifestyle, too much hard work for too little money. So folks leave the countryside to start a better life in a town. Wonder how many regret this afterwards, difficulties to find a job, no nice cheap flats or houses available, many children but not much money nor much space. If then the kids are allowed to roam the streets, boys spending every spare minutes playing football, what will be their prospects in life? No rules, no boarders, no limit, no respect, no values. I pity those from an ignorant family. Teachers on the whole are not exactly

dedicated, too long and too frequent holidays, etc. Lucky are those from an educated home, taught at an early age the beauty of books. Perhaps having a parent read a good night story to the little one, send to bed when it's dark. It is so important to sleep at night, not just, but in particular for kids. Such knowledge unfortunately hasn't reached North Africa yet, or only some. 

Postscript Don't take Anything for Granted

 "It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting these decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong." Thomas Sowell                                                                                                                                      Cold, windy weather with lots of rain, many cats have got a cold, running noses, sneezing, etc. difficult time for homeless pets. At present lots of sunshine in Germany and warmer than in Tunisia. Heavy knocking on my door, Djego barking like mad, sounds like something grave happened, an accident perhaps? No, just 4 preschool children desperate for sweets! Sorry but they have to go without, it is quite enough having them demanding sweets whenever they see me outside. It is less easy to live with our traumatized puppy (meanwhile approx. 9 months old) than I expected. Seems he is a watch dog, but unfortunately still very nervous and gets his panic attacks. Some cats ignore him, want to drink his water, eate his food, use his house against his will, others want to fight with him, 2 want to cuddle. Lately Djego prefers being ouside in the rain rather than taking shelter in his wooden dog house. A lovely gentle bitch that used to come for breakfast every morning, patiently waiting for me finish serving the feline visitors to my Cats' Table outside and then attending to her, hasn't turned up for 3 days. What happened? Children from ignorant uneducated families were throwing stones at her, without reason, just for sick fun. Now the sweet innocent bitch is frightened and feeling less gentle. Folks, kids and cats around here knew her as totally non aggressive, that idiotic never ending stone throwing is a crime and should be punished as such. Stupid guys here say: "They are children." Do they believe that this is normal behaviour for kids? It most certainly isn't  at all!. Children that abuse animals often end up as criminals in prison, when grown up. Parents must be held responsible for their neglectance.

If children are out on the street all day, allowed to do what ever they want, no one to tell them stop, go no further, how can they one day become good respectable citizens? I feel ashamed of the backward folks. They destroy the soul of Tunisia. "Teach a child not to be cruel to animals and you teach them the basic principles of human beings condition. " Caroline Earle White ( Animal Welfare Pioneer in United States). 

Don't Take Anything for Granted

"In Africa the only warning they take seriously is low battery." Robert Mugabe.                      Since the revolution on average prices increased 7 times. Take for example Salami, a 6oo gram sausage for human consumption, a few years ago costed 2 Dinar, today a sausage for cats, dogs, or cats and dogs, same size, is sold for 3 Dinar or even more (e. g. Carrefour 4,080 Dinar). This means I am forced to feed less of this product and should it get worse, look for an alternative. Hopefully my sweet treasures won't start a revolution, if the service and food doesn't meet their expectations. Our little fur angels also receive croquettes, I try to provide them with all they need for their health. For humans basic food various items are subsidized so nobody should remain hungry, at least in theory. Lately several products are difficult to obtain from time to time, sugar, flour, rice, wheat, cereals, semolina, milk, eggs, oil and medicine, mainly imports. It is not just due to lack of money, exporting countries nowadays often asking for advance payments, but also because of acts of speculations and smuggling on a big scale, and also in some cases the state not being able to pay contributions as compensation for subsidized goods. One special and in addition security units employed to carry out economic control operations to put an end to speculations and artificial creation of shortages of staple food, for bigger shameless profits, have been very successful lately. Vast amounts of stored and illegally transported goods have been sized and will be redistributed. Good news, as empty shelves, in partcular concerning basic food items, plus Ramadan coming up soon, can easily disturb the peace in a country that is already struggling with a high rate of unemployment, rising prices, and a not exactly successful economy. The government stated that citizens don't need to worry, everything will be there for Ramadan and the specal meals in the evening according to customs. While in the past mainly folks with low income used to buy second hand items, mainly clothes, now the middle class also visits the flea markets. Here too prices are rising, wholesales doubling. Anyhow, flea market business is bad for local tailors, less customers, less big orders,  as it's cheaper to buy something second hand. Seeing that many Tunisians who are forced to leave Ukraine because of the raging war there, decided to take their pets, cats and dogs of all sizes, with them (just like refugees from Ukraine and other countries do) is an amazing surprise and fantastic that Tunisian military airplanes accepted this. These wonderful folks can teach ignorants here true values, Tunisia can profit from their knowledge and experience, for a better Tunisia. By the way, I had the honor to speak with a young man who just returned with his cat, flying back together

with these pet loving citizens and their "four legged family members" . This gives me hope, a better world is possible. Solidarity makes us strong.