Living In A Refugee Camp, Three Palestinian Sisters Have Saved 35 Cats In Gaza

Three sisters in perennially disturbed Gaza city, which is facing military blockade from Israel, have become saviours of 35 stray cats and the roof-top in the al-Shati refugee camp in north-western Gaza city. Mariam, Raesa, and Elham al-Barr turned their three respective houses into cat shelters, taking care of stray cats and kitten providing them with food and medical care.

Mariam al-Barr (MEE/Mohammed A Alhajjar)

Mariam, who is the youngest of the three lives with her parents in the al-Zaitoun neighbourhood of eastern Gaza city and she is taking care of eight cats.

"I cannot remember when we started [fostering strays] because cats have always been part of our family," Mariam tells MEE. "We were brought up in a house where our parents always helped and adopted stray cats, and we grew up to do the same thing."

Cats, MEE/Mohammed A Alhajjar

¡°My parents and sisters cannot afford to feed 35 cats every day, they can barely feed us,¡± said Mariam al-Barr. Mariam who studied from the Islamic University of Gaza wants to become a teacher but is yet to find the job.

"Whenever I am going to the course and see a hungry or injured cat, I forget about the class and take it immediately to my house," she says.

It all started when Mariam once found an injured cat on the pavement near her home. The cat seemed to have been hit by a car, Mariam took care of the cat and after one week, she found one family who was interested in adopting the cat.

They also take care of the medical expenses of the cats, (MEE/Mohammed A Alhajjar)

"We have a wide network of family members, friends and neighbours who sometimes call us and ask if we have cats for adoption. But we do not give any cat up for adoption until we make sure they will take good care of it,¡± she explains.

Raesa, 42, and Elham, 45-the two sisters live in two separate small apartments in the same building and they help Mariam by keeping the rescued cats on the rooftop. The rest live in apartment where their children and spouse take care of the cats.

Raesa al-Barr has raised her children to show compassion for weak animals (MEE/Mohammed A Alhajjar)

Raesa teaches her five children to protect cats from other residents who at times mistreat them.

"I raise my children the way my parents raised me and my siblings: to be compassionate and help weak creatures," the 41-year-old housewife tells Middle East Eye. "When they go to sleep, all my children cuddle the cats they rescue instead of teddy bears."

Cats (MEE/Mohammed A Alhajjar)

Raesa's husband, Suhail Zoho, shares her passion and usually helps her feed, bathe and care for the cats.

"My husband has always supported and nurtured my passion for helping cats. He often brings me cats as gifts and treats our cats as if they were our children," she says. "A few months ago, he [adopted from a friend] a Persian kitten as a surprise gift for me because he knows I love them."

It¡¯s indeed a great job done by the sisters in the city which frequently remains under shelling and firing.