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I settled in the garden in spring 2017. I was very young, and I was afraid of humans.

But I was hungry too. Little by little, I understood that I was welcome and that no one would harm me.

One day, I found myself pregnant and had 4 kittens. One all black like me, Mazout, and 3 black and white cats that looked like their dad. I was a good mother; I took care of raising my kittens.

I hid them until they were old enough to become independent.

They stayed with me in the garden. I didn’t want any more kittens, so I let myself be caught for spaying. Since then, I’ve been enjoying my life; sometimes I come to the feeding station and ask for cuddles. And sometimes not, it’s my decision..

Unfortunately, today all my kittens have disappeared. Too adventurous… Here’s a photo of the “twins”.

It all starts with an idea. How to fund our next sterilization campaign. Philippe feeds about 25 female cats and 15 male cats in an estate in Palmeraie. They are safe, but residents are asking for the number of cats to be stabilized. A cat in the countryside is a valuable ally for hunting cockroaches, snakes, and even scorpions. But overpopulation is always a challenge. So, we manage with contraceptive pills. But we need a long-term solution. One day, the idea of sewing and selling sardines to fund the operation emerged. It’s easier to engage donors for a specific project. So everyone got involved. Philippe photographed and listed the cats to have an accurate working list. And he negotiated a “group rate” with the veterinarian. Then Abdel sewed the sardines, Sylvie filled them, and everyone started hawking our little fish.

My name was “Milouda”. A street dog (sterilized by SPANA thanks to Philippe’s good care), I had been living for 3 years in the Palmeraie circuit in front of the “Darkaoui” residence.

I spent my days with taxi drivers, security guards, and strikers, and in the evening Philippe would feed me, which was the best.

My only fault was that sometimes I would bark and chase after cars or mopeds. Perhaps to defend my territory, don’t forget I’m a dog…

So, on Monday evening, when Philippe went to feed me, the security guards told him that I had been taken by the pound or a municipal vehicle that had already passed the previous Thursday. The taxi drivers opposed my capture; I wasn’t a stray dog… and someone was taking care of me… That vehicle turned back, but it was apparently only a postponement, as the roundup had been rescheduled for Monday, but to avoid any problems early in the morning.

So on Tuesday, Philippe went all over Marrakech, checking the pound, many places, and administrations, and made numerous phone calls to find out where I might have been taken…

Now the puzzle is complete, and he understands a lot of things and how it works. He met some very good people and others, in hindsight, who were liars and hypocrites. (A proverb: ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’). He got the contact of the person who supposedly came to take me, who answered him only once, and has not responded since. However, when a manager called him, he replied that I was disturbing people with my barking and chasing after motorcycles… Philippe simply told this manager that they just needed to send him a message to find a solution… another implied that there were “VIPs” in the neighborhood, perhaps one who had a contact for dog collection in their network… no comment.

Philippe is furious and enraged, which is strange since he’s vaccinated, because associations, as he explained to officials, have been doing at their own expense for several years what the mayor of Marrakech now wants to implement: sterilization and castration. As a result, a gentle, sterilized dog was taken and killed, as some people who were supposed to give him information about my condition, ‘dead or alive,’ didn’t call back, not brave enough to deliver the bad news…

As for me, I had a great time with Philippe. I know I’m already missed in the neighborhood…

I’ll be happier now, because with my status as a stray dog, like so many others, my life here had no value…

One morning, I left with my mom and sister, driven from our shelter. Mom stayed hidden with us to observe this new neighborhood.
She checked that the kibble arrived every day, then she left. She said she would come back, but… time passed, and we were hungry. I didn’t like the kibble; I was too small. And my eyes hurt, my sister cried all the time. A lady passed by. She cleaned our eyes and put in stinging drops. She put down smaller kibble. She came back and said we had to see a doctor. She put us in a big box, and we left in a car. The doctor gave us injections. When we came back, the lady left us in the box, in a quieter garden, with good wet food. Unfortunately, my little sister was breathing worse and worse, and the next morning, she didn’t wake up. I found myself all alone, lost. I saw that cats lived at the top of a big staircase, so I tried to climb up too. The lady laughed a lot, she picked me up in one hand and took me to a place where we are never scared or hungry again. We sleep on cushions, there are toys, and I was able to grow up without worries. My eyes haven’t completely healed; I’m a little cross-eyed. Apparently, it’s charming…

I’m the first one. My name means “absolute tranquility of the soul.” It’s snobby, and I like it. I arrived one morning in Abdel’s car engine. I was 2 months old and wanted to travel. But I wasn’t in great shape; I had severe gum inflammation that prevented me from eating. Not even tuna. And I was starving. I went to the vet. I spent 3 days at the clinic. Horrible. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Luckily, I came home and discovered delicious wet food, toys, cozy cushions, and cuddles. By the way, I still managed to give ringworm to everyone. At first, we used to host cats on vacation. I don’t really like sharing, but some of them were quite nice. Then things got out of hand. Blutooth arrived. He prefers the garden, but he’s become my friend. Then Tina, who doesn’t talk to anyone, and her sister Nabuko, who wants to take my place as first lady. I can’t stand her, and the feeling is mutual. We even had a therapy session with Bettina, who knows how to talk to cats. Well. We had to make an effort. But I like to discreetly arrange for her to get scolded instead of me when there’s mischief to be punished… Then the little ones arrived. Then it was bottles day and night, no more naps possible. There were more and more of them. But what are all these female cats thinking, having babies and not taking care of them? Today, there are many of us in the house, even if some have gone to cat heaven. I’m writing this little note because I’m looking for volunteers to adopt my brothers and sisters and make some space for me…