I visited SPANA on Friday, and alhamdullilah, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s based in Britain, but has branches all around Morocco. While I was there, I got a tour – visiting four donkeys and a whole passel of dogs and cats. Everything was exceptionally clean, and I tried not to look too shocked at this. I asked if I could volunteer, and while it has to be cleared with the head office in Temara, I think I’m in. I offered to shovel donkey poop, clean cages, whatever was needed, and my guide (one of the vet techs) said, “If you can only come and play with the animals sometimes, that would be enough.” At this point I was coughing, changing the subject, pretty much anything to prevent myself from bursting into big honking sobs and looking like an idiot.
Speaking of idiots, I have gone one step further down the road to madness. While in the medina the other day, I came upon a family of cats sleeping happily on a bale of hay. As I petted them, the shop owner looked on benevolently, and seemed pleased. After reaching the end of the street, which was a dead end, I made a u-turn and headed back the way I came. I stopped at a little shop before the cat owner’s place (since he only sold food for donkeys/sheep), and bought two tins of sardines in oil. When I got to the man, I handed over the tins, and explained that they were for the cats. He positively beamed, opened one of the tins immediately, and set about taking the sardines out of the tin and tearing them into managable chunks. He even put them on a piece of cardboard so the cats could lick that, and not the street. What got to me was that he gently lifted each cat down from the hay (they were still sleepy), and put them carefully in front of the food. Two adult cats and three kittens tucked into the sardines and seemed quite content.
I then noticed that ALL of them had severe eye infections – quite common for farm cats where I come from. One kitten’s eyes were completely sealed shut from goop. After I left, this gnawed at me, because I know that the eyes can often be permanently damaged from that kind of infection. As I walked past a pharmacy after leaving SPANA, I noticed a sign in the window stating it had veterinary supplies. Well, I walked inside, explained the problem to a very helpful pharmacist and his assistant (who were both absolutely tickled that I explained the problem in Arabic), and walked out with antibiotic eyedrops, solution for cleaning the eyes, and sterile pads for the solution. It cost me a grand total of about $8 in U.S. dollars. I haven’t brought the medicine back to the cats and their friend yet, but I’m sure he’ll think I’m insane. I have a feeling that I can convince him to use the medicine, though – I don’t think he’s the “owner” of the cats, they’re just street cats – but he seemed fonder of them than is normal to find here in Morocco.
I know I can’t save them all, but I wonder if what Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.”
I hope he meant animals, too.
Note : I hope no one’s offended by the Bible reference – I’m a lapsed Catholic, and while I’m not particularly religious, I am rather…er, aware of my spiritual side, though that sounds silly.