STRAY THOUGHTS, STRAY CATS
The ancient Egyptians may have revered their cats but the present-day Egyptians… not so much. It’s not uncommon to see bands of felines begging for food. Some are a bit aggressive, although their small size is a testament to the failure of their approach.
If one were to believe in reincarnation, the sweet kitty we encountered at Edfu Temple would fit the bill. It wandered around among groups of tourists, doing some serious people-watching in that weird way that only cats can focus on a single subject for an inordinate amount of time, and seemed to be welcoming everyone to her/his granite digs. It loved being stroked although I never heard it purr…. or maybe I just didn’t understand the accent.
we saw a TON of stray cats just like you have described when we were in Jerusalem in 2005-2006. The kids would try and feed them because they looked like kittens to them, and we would get swarmed. It was a little heartbreaking.
Istanbul, too – I was once attacked by a feral cat who leaped out from under a flower cart and sank all his claws into my leg and hung on. Good thing I was wearing fairly heavy jeans at the time . . .
In the Roman Forum, an NGO that was neutering and spaying the hordes of feral cats in the ruins was constantly harassed by Italian men for taking away the cats’ manhood. Go figure.
On Santorini, I ducked behind an olive tree to answer nature’s call. An amphitheater of cats surrounded me answering the call of the cheesy tiropita in my pocket. Cats are everywhere!
Have been waiting for today (Sunday) so I could catch up on your posts. Love them! Sounds like it’s been a great trip so far. The scene with you two in the “doctor’s” office was a complete crack-up. And thanks for the shout out :)! Can’t wait to hear how this next week unfolds….