To begin with if you are a new reader to my blog I want to state upfront that I am uncategorically not only an animal activist but a cat “purrson.” I have written many previous posts reflecting my love and enjoyment of cats as a pet and experiences in cats with Saudi Arabia. However I realize that the title of this post can be a little confusing and I’ll now attempt to explain.
Many individuals here in the Kingdom and particularly Saudi nationals will refer to the stray cats one sees on the streets of Saudi Arabia as Saudi Street Rats. Now as much as I love cats myself I am beginning to better understand and acknowledge why this is so. First of all the Saudi street cat is a stray feral cat which was likely born on the streets. It never learned how to play mischeviously as a little kitten but was instead focused on daily survival. Learning how to salvage among the trash bins for food while staying out of the path of moving cars or perhaps children who like to throw stones at the street cats. It is not surprising that as a result few if any of these Saudi street cats show any kind of friendliness or inclination towards domestication.
The typical appearance of these cats has not gone unnoticed either. The Saudi street cat indeed has its own distinctive appearance. The typical Saudi street cat will have a very narrow emancipated body. The head of the cat will be very narrow and almost pointed. Usually due to the bad nutrition and harsh life, the mouth area will be somewhat deformed and the eyes may not be clear but a little milky. The tails are usually exceptionally long and similar…well, to a rat. (hopefully there has been no cross-breeding going on here).
So it is no wonder and not surprising to hear that many Saudis avoid the Saudi street cats and believe them incapable of domesticating. I say never give up hope. Perseverance and continued kindness can indeed work miracles. Don’t expect the Saudi street cat to change its colors in day or week or month. It may take months of repetitive work but these cats can be won over. Their trust can ultimately be gained.
So how do you gain their trust and convert them into a domesticated pet? Start very slowly by placing food out for the cats. Place the food at the same time each day. For a minimum of weeks or even a few months just place the food near where they gather and back away. Do not attempt to stay near the food or go near the cats. Ever so gradually start placing the food down but not venturing off. Instead stay and sit a distance away watching them while they eat. Slowly slowly start sitting closer to where the food is located. Eventually you will be able to just put the food down and the cats will gather round to eat while you are still there. At this point continue to sit among them so they become accustomed now to your close presence. You can now very carefully and selectively start to pet a back of a cat or top of a head while the cat is eating. Chances are the cat may scoot off. It may even hiss and scoot off. But it is hungry and accustomed to being fed so it will return. Gradually the cat will have no objection of being petted. Eventually after it has had it fill it may even stay for continued petting. This is where if you have decided to adopt the cat you may start leading it to your home with food. If a cat is fed regulary it will stay around. And then your patience will be rewarded with a responsive friendlier Saudi cat.
If you have walked in neighborhoods in Saudi Arabia sometimes you may see Saudi street cats simply lolling on the street or sidewalk which do not run off as they are approached. Be wary of these cats. It is easy to convince oneself that because they have not run away they are friendly and somewhat tamed. This may not be the case. In a number of cases the cat may be too ill and diseased to move. If it is in such a condition that should be readily apparent at close glance and the cat should be avoided.
Not that I imagine anyone would need any reminding but after having contact with a Saudi street cat, regardless of how brief or how friendly the cat may have been, be sure and wash your hands thoroughly. Remember, even a friendly Saudi street cat (of which there are a few) is still a cat which is living off the streets and out of garbage bins and has not had any vaccinations against diseases.
Filed under: Animals, culture, Health, pets, Saudi Arabia, Saudi culture, Saudi customs, Saudi education, travel, Uncategorized
They do have a distinctive appearance, faces like rats, all long, with slanted eyes. The cat in your picture here looks soft like an American kitten!
I tamed a feral cat in Riyadh using the exact method you mentioned. I named him Jade because of his green, green eyes. He became very tame and friendly, eventually prefering to spend more time indoors than out.
Thanks for commenting Marahm and I’m glad to hear that you were able to make one of these kitties a pet during your time in KSA. I have 2 street cats right now that are starting to live in my front courtyard. One of them has become a big happy baby, wanting petted sometimes more so than food. The breakthrough moment was one day after he had ate his fill of food he decided to crawl up in my lap and fell asleep! This one is now trying so hard to come inside my home but I cannot let him in due to my two domesticated cats who are very territorial. I can only imagine what kind of cat fight would ensue if I were to dare let him in!
Nice post Carol, and you have lovely cats! Are they males or females? Ever thought of having little kittens?
Bahrain is over run by cats…and we have what is referred to as the Dilmun cat…apparently its a recognized class of cat that has a group dedicated to it and look out for it. It would seem that while most street cats are just street cats….now and then you can see one that has the characteristics of the Dilmun cat…which are codified just like any other recognized breed of cat. Theres quite a big deal about it here in Bahrain which I pay no attention to…I just like cats whatever they are called.
Short story for u guys. I live right next to a kebab shop…we are practically touching walls so there is about a foot of space between us…it also has a long wall running along it…so its the perfect spot for a stray cat to have her babies. Well…one mother cat has been having brood after brood for years now…I recognize her distinct black and white markings…and way back when she first discovered this spot she was extremely wary of me…and her subsequent kittens even more so. I have a kitchen door that is useless as it just opens up and faces this wall…but i can see her with her kittens (the new generation) lounging along the walled area. I can see them sitting on the wall from my kitchen window too…which i could reach and touch them if I could climb over the sink…sigh. Anyhow…over the years she has become just a touch less spooked (a touch) and tolerates me opening the door and watching her and her current family…before the kitties would scurry for cover at just the sound of the door opening but now then they would just look at me…wary but not running away. Eventually it got to the point that if I left the door open the kitties would do little brave forays into my kitchen door area…then rush out again…back and forth until eventually they would come into the kitchen for a quick look around then out again….this has been going on for more than one litter of her kittens and each new litter is less scared and will quickly checkout my kitchen now rather than have to get brave enough to do it.
Im wondering…has she “told” each new litter that Im ok…lol…my presence is not something to fear…just wondering cause each new littler (and we are talking about 2 a year for around 5 years now) seem to have significantly less fear then the one before…and will find its way to the kitchen door and inside within days of first exploring the area rather then the weeks it took before…just wondering here….they are sooooo cute….but Ive never taken one in…I just like to see “wild animals” up close and personal. Almost like seeing deer or something…lol.
Wow… that’s a nice story coolred… I’m sure the mother has somehow “shared” her experience with her kittens.. that coolred is actually cool.. and that they could sneak in to coolred’s kitchen for a quick look! lol! Too bad you’re leaving Bahrain before the newer generation sits in your lap! 🙂
Oh, coolred – that story is beautiful. And I think that the mother is feeling more comfortable and therefore the “new” generations have less fear because they do not sense a threat of you from the mother cat.
Nader – actually my two kitties whom you met are both rescue cats from Pakistan! Tripod (the 3 legged wonder) had been hit by a car and left to die and thankfully I found him… and Saheba somehow turned up at my door as a stray young kitten. They have both been around the world 3 times with me and are indeed part of my family. They cannot have babies since I had them both respectfully “fixed.”
Great post Carol , I’m catching up after days.
I agree that if you touch a Saudi cat, you must wash your hands right after. My son got very, very sick after contact with such a cat once and I no longer encourage the kid to either pet any stray cats they see or leave food out for them – since that would only give the cats more reason to hang around outside my house.
I do love cats, though!
@ Coolred, that’s a lovely story 🙂
I always love cat-stories!
coolred that is a great story! I’m sure the mum-cat makes clear you’re ok. I am very curious about the Dilmun cats now!
My cats are from a noble strain of barn-cats in my family for generations!
Glad you enjoyed Riyadh Mom and very happy to see you back!
Aafke – you have such beautifully colored cats!!!
Heres some info ladies…on the Bahrain Dilmun Cat…enjoy.
http://cat-chitchat.pictures-of-cats.org/2008/09/bahraini-dilmun-cat.html
Beautifully written Carol!!
Still, they creep me out. If just my mom gives me the green light, I will end up living with many cats around lol
Oh.. that reminds me of being a kid and a stray lady (who we called Rambo cat as we thought she was a boy) gave birth to a litter in our BBQ! Only one survived and I remember spending the whole of the school holidays sitting out the back step desperatley trying to get this tiny kitten to come to me! I sat still for what felt like hours at a time!
Eventually Rambo cat left her kitten in my good care.
The kitten got so friendly and fond of me that I managed to dress it up in my favourite dolls clothes and sit it in the basket on the front of my bike. I called her Princess..
Unfortunatley we already had 2 cats at the time and my Mum decided that this little kitten needed to go to another home.
I remember crying the whole way to the adoptees house and all the way back.. and I think to this day I have never forgiven my mother for that! LOL
I know have 5 cats! Which I think is compensation for the little kitten I lost as an 8 year old!
Can’t wait to be-friend some kitties when we get to Riyadh!
HS – thanks! And I hope you can get a green light to befriend some kitties.
Aussiegirl – what a beautiful story! I was so fortunate to have grown up where it was common to have cats.
I will share a story from my childhood. My pet cat, a petite black and white called “Puss n Boots” had a litter of 3 kittens: Tiger Lily, Tarzan and Cupcake. Those 3 kittens followed me around like I was their second mom. Now I was about 6 years old at the time and always racing around on my bike. Those three little kittens used to chase me on my bike until they got tired. They would then sit themselves down on the road and cry plaintively. We worked out a routine that once they started crying I would pick them up and stuff them into my pants and there they would be with their heads and front paws hanging out from my waistband as I continued to ride around on my bike!
I guess we never forget our earliest pets and the special moments they gave us, do we?
Carol and coolred, what wonderful stories! I still think we should collect essays for an anthology called, “Cats Around the World.” Aafke can illustrate!
When I lived in Jakarta, we also (and probably still), had many many street cats. Most were afraid of humans, most ate out of the trash bins, and many were sick. I was a kid but always a cat person and managed to befriend 2 of the approximately 15 on my street, though they ALL had names. 🙂 My allowance went to buy rice and chicken for them. I miss those kitties, even though they had it rough.
In 1998, here in DC, I found online, a group of 8 cats who had been brought to the US from Singapore where they were street cats. Singapore is known for its strictness for cleanliness and these street cats had been rescued from being gassed, beaten, etc. I adopted the last one needing a home- Pepper. Boy was she a toughie. I had to cover my legs getting out of the shower because she would attack me, she bit me on the face one Christmas when I tried to kiss her, and I have a few battle scars from other fun. Everyone thought I was nuts (including the vet) but I just knew that this girlie was meant to be with me. Now, she is a lapcat, a constant purrer, sleeps with me, well actually is my shadow! She insists on being pet while she eats, purring the entire time. I still warn people not to get their faces too close because she can turn on a dime, while still purring, but she is petable, lovable and definately my best girl.
The street cats everywhere are unfortunate, and break my heart. Carol- thank you for posting this. Maybe my next kitty can be a Saudi Stray!
Marahm, I have always loved cats and even have several photo albums of shots I took of cats from around the world during my travels! And I could easily write a childrens book series all about the Adventures of Triipod my 3 legged wonder cat who is not in the least bit paw-dicapped.
Monica – your story is beautiful! Pepper is indeed a lucky kitty! I wish there were some kind of official program for capture and adoption of Saudi strays but the only such initiatives I know of are private efforts by some incredible individuals here.
Carol- I guess I should have mentioned, this was a private effort. KLM Airlines donated cargo space and a vet in Amsterdam (during layover), but it was all organised by 2 amazing, wonderful individuals, one in S’pore and one in VA. I am so glad to know that there are people still trying!
That is wonderful and I can certainly vouch for KLM Airlines and how well the airline takes care of traveling pets.
Are the street cats really “emancipated”? I would have figured emaciated – hehhehe 😀
Ruhsablogger — (vivid blush) good catch!
I loved cats, i still do. I am also highly allergic to them. its making me sad, that every time i pet a cat, i have to wash mu hands and face and every part of my body that touched cat hair, or else i would have breathing problems as well as an itch around my body. i need to invest in some anti-allergy shots. i really would like a kitten.
I love street cats. I think in a lot of ways have become a symbol of saudi streets. i love them so much to the point where i am working on a animated short about street cats, reflecting on saudi culture through the eyes of these cats. its been in development for over a year now. If you know any vector artists who would like to join, please let me know.
I want a cat so bad
See if a local pet store happens to have a Burmese and whether you have a reaction. And of course the Hairless Rex is another ideal breed for those with allergies and sensitivities. If the pet stores do not have these breeds, Dr. Majid can probably be of assistance.
Actually I also have a mild allergic reaction to pets which I can control with Clariton.
I love your idea of seeing the culture through the eyes of the cat. You might want to correspond with Aafke who is an incredible artist.
I already told Marahm I’m all for it! The Cats Around the world, and hmm, a children’s book on tripod? The name already is good! I like Abdullah’s idea too.
I’ll contact my agent about it; Cat-books always sell, so we might find a publisher for at least one of the concepts!
You give me the word go and I can send you stories (and photos for illustration) about Tripod … but one small secret… I don’t think he realizes he is a cat!
Aafke,
i am drawing story boards right now, i already have a script of a 3 part story. the story is not really meant for children, but it will be something children can enjoy inshalah.
i was hoping in turning it into flash animation.
i was looking for a vector artist who could help us on their free time.
if you are interested, email me and i could share some concept art.
if you want a vague idea about what approach i am going for you can check out an animatic i did while in college, in my youtube channel “hamedabdullah” titled “Kid”
yes, bedu, send me, we’ll see what happens 🙂
Abdullah; I looked at your site… do you have one in english? 😉
”free” time… I suppose that means ”no pay”???
Damn! I have só made a bad career-choice!
You mail me: adress on my blog!
okay Aafke…stay tuned!
well everyone, wish me luck! I’ve been nurturing this old big street cat that has been coming along nicely to include crawling up in my lap and sleeping. I was cuddling him yesterday and started petting him all over like I do with my own domestic indoor cats to include massaging under their legs near the joints. My kitties love that. Well this old guy must have had a sore or wound because without warning or notice he reacted by clamping down with teeth into my hand and not letting go resulting in 3 deep puncture wounds. Of course I cleaned it immediately but I woke up this morning to a red, sore and swollen hand that I’m now going to have to get checked out. I don’t begrudge the cat its action and mad at myself for moving too fast with a street cat. And of course right after the incident it wanted to resume being petted!
Oh no carol….cat bites can be really bad infection wise. Its good that your having it checked out right away….especially as he is a street cat…I wish you the best outcome.
Bad kitty kitty!!
For everyone reading this — I just spoke to Carol – she had that cat bite investigated and it turned out to be a very bad infection. She’s in the hospital right now and needs to stay there for at least another 3-4 days.
She won’t be able to access the internet till she gets back home 🙁
Let’s all hope she feels better soon – we could all write get well soon wishes for her as comments to this post so she can read them when she gets back. I’m sure she would really appreciate all the warm wishes for her speedy recovery.
Hope to see you back here soon Carol!
I am shocked and worried! If anybody can go and visit please give her my best wishes!
I intend to go see her by Wednesday/THursday inshaAllah (when it’s the beginning of the weekend here) & will convey your wishes Aafke.
I may go and see her tomorrow if I can – since I don’t want to wait till the weekend :/
Riyad mum, please give her my good wishes, and thank you.
That’s horrible… hopefully she gets well soon….
I Just spoke with her. her hand is still swollen, and she’s in the emergency room because there are no beds available at the hospital. She doesn’t have access to internet there, and she asked one of her friends to post one of her articles, since most of her articles are written in advance.
She thanks you all for your best wishes, and she’s looking forward to coming back to her blog and enjoying your comments! 🙂
@ Aafke – don’t mention it 🙂
@ Aussiegirl – Thanks for your wishes, I will let her know.
Im glad that Carol has friends that let us know how she is…often times someone we visit on their blog just up and disappears for a time…and you have no way of knowing why or if anything happened to them. At least we know what happened to Carol…and we can pray she gets better and back with us soon.
I am pleased to tell you all that Carol is doing well. I saw her today, and she said that there’s no much pain. She’s still in the hospital, but only to monitor the infection. they put a cast on her hand so that they could control the swelling. They will keep her there till Thursday. All in all, she’s well and she tells everyone her greetings.
Nader, thank you for keeping us up to date. 🙂
It’s a relief to hear she’s doing well. Such infections can be really dangerous!
And I spoke with her again today. She’s doing well, but the doctors would like to keep her there till Saturday 🙁, just to make sure the infection is no longer there.
Aafke, my pleasure. 🙂
Thanks for the updates Nader. I meant to see her tonight but now can’t go for various reasons.
I did speak with her though – and I can tell you guys she’s really missing her internet connection 😉
Riyadh Mom, Nader, please convey my regards to Carol. We are missing her comments 🙂
Oh, best wishes to Carol. Thanks for the updates.
Oh my gosh! I didn’t see the updates on this post, I had no idea. 😯 I would have visited here if I had known. Riyadh mom if you intend to visit her tomorrow (30/10) let me know plz.
Umm Ibrahim I will be visiting her today – in the afternoon. I will email you right now to let you know the time etc.
Ooh! I LOVE CATS TOO! But how unfortunate that I can’t have one thanks to my asthma. Hearing tales of my mum having cats, dogs and parrots in their company makes me red with envy.
Cat bites aside, I wish Carol a speedy recovery. Thankfully the bites was arrested fast. For anyone who will be visiting her, do send her my regards and wishes for speedy recovery. Thanks. =)
Update – Umm Ibrahim and I were able to go see Carol last evening. She’s in high spirits and doing better. Not to mention – very eager to get out of the hospital and back to her blog! 😉
She thanks everyone for their concern & should be back home tomorrow inshaAllah.
Oh I do love you all and thank you all for the beautiful comments and well wishes!!!!! Naturally I will be putting up a post very soon about the experience as I believe it deserves its own posting rather than as a comment. I learned a hard lesson but it does not change my view or love of cats. But I will be much much more careful and cautious.
I did not realize an infection from a cat bite can develop and spread so quickly and be so serious! The doctor kindly took pity on me and discharged me a day early but I’m under strict orders to follow his precise directions.
And thank goodness, I came back to an active blog with lots of beautiful comments.
Hugs ya’ll!!!
Bedu: I’m so glad you are back! Any infection wich enters the bloodstream can spread really quickly, any infection that causes swelling, can have the most serious consequenses!
Carol… good to see that you have been discharged already! Hope you’ll have full use of both hands quickly. 🙂
Hey – why am I not surprised that the first thing you probably did when you got home is check the blog! I can see you posted around 6 p.m. – which is when you probably got home 😉
Good to have you back!
Aafke – I have to say it is a disconcerting experience at the last when you can literally see the “tracking” moving up the arm. While I was in the ER my arm was marked as to where the red tracks ended (at that time) and within minutes the red tracks were way beyond the mark. Ugh.
Umm Ibrahim — I was soooo happy to meet you when you and Riyadh Mom visited me. I’ll just type slowly to keep up with the blog now!
Riyadh Mom — well…..I think I did some other things for about 10 minutes and then came and checked on the blog! (LOL)
Thanks so much for visiting me and your sms’ really cheered me up too when I was frustrated!
Carol – I don’t believe you, lol! I’ll bet you checked the blog first and then did other stuff 😉
I was very happy to come see you & will come visit you now that you are home – whenever you’re up to it.
Do you still have the cast?
I didn’t know what the english terminology is, but ”tracking” is close to lethal! If you had not gone to hospital you probably would be dead now. I was really scared!!!!!!
Of course you checked your blog first! Know your priorities!
Riyadh Mom – I am home tomorrow but back to work Sunday! And thankfully no cast.
Aafke – yeah….I scared myself…. and feel thankful that if I were to be bitten by a street cat at least it was relatively clean as compared to many of the others!
As a blogger I take it you took photo’s of the whole process, notes while you were in the ER, and will post on it tomorrow???
[…] 31, 2008 by American Bedu Was it only on 24 October that I wrote a post about Saudi Street Cats and what one needed to know about if not domesticating them, how to at […]
I could not bear to take photos but hope you are already enjoying the post….and yes, the experience has a few more upcoming posts I think you and others will also enjoy!
HI
I am very interested in the Bahraini Dilmun cats as a breed. I have seen some mamzing photos of all sorts of colours with the wodnerful spotting. Unfortunately I ahve not been able to find any information on who I might contact regarding the cats and importing some. I live in Canada, I have no idea if it can eve be done realisticly!
If you have any info I would greatly appreciate it!
Shannon
Shannon,
I am not familar with the Bahraini Dilmun cats. You might see if there are newsgroups for this breed. Good luck!
I got my two ‘boys’ approximately 8 years ago when I came back to work in Saudi Arabia. The first, (and my ALL TIME FAVORITE CAT) was Hermes. I found him outside close to death on a main street. He looked to be less than two weeks old and he had a huge sore on his head, right down to the bone. I thought that he was a rat, at first. I noticed him and then called my daughter’s attention to notice ‘it’. She started to cry and told me that I had to take it home. He was honestly so pathetic and I knew that he would probably not last the night, if I did not take him home, so I tucked him inside my abiya sleeve and took him home. I just held it under the shower to clean it and figured that it would not make it through the night. Well, the rest is history. I ultiamtely called him Hermes (for hermaphrodite) because he was too young to determine his sex. He would have been Hermine if he was a girl. He has gone through most of his nine lives, surviving being declawed and almost dying. My guilt there, knows no bounds. He lost his paw ultimately. He also had to have his eye out, due to untreatable glaucoma. He came back to Canada with me where he almost died from the contaminated cat food scandal. He is the most loving cat that I have ever had. I think, that like Konrad Lorenz’s geese, he thinks that I am his mother. He has the most beautiful markings, much like a Savannah cat. I could go on and on and on about him. Everyone who has met him, loves him. He sleeps tucked under my arm and he greets me everyday, like a dog. I think, however, that the ‘trick’ was to have him when he was so very young. He had not mother at all, and he was socialized to me at a very very young age. I also think that male cats, make the best pets, and I think that it is no exception with Saudi cats. I can’t let him outside at all, because of his paw and his eye, but at least his life is now secure and easy..not what he would have endured on the streets. I would love to share his photo with anyone who is interested.
@Deborah,
Welcome and I have so enjoyed hearing about your experience and about the ‘boys.’ Please do feel free to share more.
The street cats once taken in just seem to be so grateful and sooooo loving!
[…] November 12, 2009 by American Bedu Saudi Arabia simply abounds with hundreds if not thousands of stray cats when you think of the Kingdom as a whole. And finally there is a very noble organization in Saudi […]
Hi everyone,
I got a kitten from some people I know in Dallas about a year ago. They found her when she was very young with her eyes still closed. I’m pretty sure that from her markings and her personality that she is a Bahraini Delmun kitty. If you guys could take a look at her pictures and tell me what you think, that’d be great! Here’s a link to my facebook album with all the pictures I have of her (there’s a lot of them, as I love this cat more then anything). Her name is Satia (sah-te-ah). It means “truth” in Sanskrit.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2120194&id=18807795
How common are these cats in America? I’ve never met or seen another like her.
@Katie,
The link you provided does not seem to allow one to view. ):
although I’m unable to see your link it is nice to hear about your love of Satiah!
[…] notice in pets. In Saudi Arabia the Saudi street cats abound. They are typically referred to as Street Rats due to their high numbers and sickly appearances. Therefore it came as no surprise when Abdullah […]
Hi everyone….. I just got bitten by a street cat in Jeddah that I have raised since she was abandoned at birth on the street. I got two red bumps on my hand from the bite…but rather than go to the Hospital here which is probably more filthy than the rabies the cat carries, i have decided to take my chances living with Rabies than mixing amongst Saudis at the Hospital. If I am infected with rabies I shall be executing all the cats on the street including the little one that bit me in a (Zarqawi Insurgent Manner), which includes a mix of stabbing the little bastards and poisoning them using poison hidden in food…. I shall also attempt to strangle a few. Wish me luck and I will upload some pics of either my healed arm or the dead cats. All the best!
🙂
Phil
Phil,
I’m not overly familiar with Jeddah but if you can, go through the business center of National Guard Health Affairs – Jeddah and get checked out. I was hospitalized for a full week due to being bitten from a stray cat and it was due to infection, not rabies. Since the cats are scavengers and eat from the garbage bins, they carry many germs through their saliva.
Believe it or not, I own one of these cats in Holland. Lived in Al’Jubail when I was only 9 years old when a nest of kittens was born near our house. Tragicly, only 1 survived and we took care of her and took her back to Holland. This type of cat is hard to domesticate but very loving (a little to much sometimes) but will never unlearn her wild roots. Her paws and teeth are larger then a normal housecat so I would recommend caution (deu to experience) for future owners. I love my cat and she shows she nows that a lot. Currently she is 18 years old and still running and jumping 🙂.