Caturday: Cats in War 11 - Desperation and Altruism in Gaza

 

sons, Zain and Zayed, helping to care for the cats

This is an update on the dire straits of the Animal Friends Shelter in Gaza. With 57 cats (and growing, because of the kindness of the brothers who operate the shelter toward street cats, that they try to take in or otherwise feed on the street -- or, better stated, share their own food with) and war all around, even resilient people lose their strength without the help of friends and strangers. 

Brothers Tamer and Samer Skaik stayed behind in Gaza City to care for the cats and move them to safety (if there really is any such thing there) when the city was repeatedly bombed. As food has become more and more scarce, they have been reduced to one meal, mostly bread, which they share with the cats. (Note: for those who have not read the papers, the aid trucks from Israel and elsewhere are being hijacked, assumedly by Hamas soldiers, and the people of Gaza have to pay high prices, which many do not have, on the black market or have nothing to eat or drink.)

Through the kindness of people around the world, connected by the Internet, the Skaiks have received enough donations to pay for visas for the families (wives, children) to escape to Egypt; however, they are not a wealthy family and living expenses are out of their reach, so efforts are being made by those concerned for their welfare to find that support through Go Fund Me and direct donations. (I have made direct donations twice, and the donations went through just fine.) No amount is too small to help. Even a few dollars, together with a few more dollars from other folks, can help stave off starvation. Even re-posting and FB sharing can help.

You can read the update (as of yesterday) here -- and get to know some of the family and cats. According to the update, it appears that Samer will need to go to Egypt to help the families set up a household there; Tamer will stay behind with the cats. (Moving 57 cats to Egypt is something that is just not feasible, and they are not willing to abandon these already-abandoned and loving animals -- the videos show a sweet albeit large family of cats that gets along amicable in spite of starvation conditions.)

And here is one more video, just posted, about the street cats AFS feeds and tends (for medical needs). Many are domesticated cats that have lost their families in the war. 

For more posts about the Animal Friends Shelter, click HERE.

For more posts about cats in war, click HERE.

For more posts about Gaza, click HERE.

For more Caturday posts, click HERE.


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