My Pet Cats!

These are my two cats CATriona and Crazy Cat. They are siblings. I found them in a box in front of my apartment's door 3 years ago. Please like this video and comment. Don't forget to subscribe, and please share this video. God bless you!

Street Cats of Jeddah: I Rescued These Two Abandoned Kittens

I rescued these two cute abandoned kittens this afternoon (April 20) just outside my apartment. I'll take them to the vet tomorrow.

The Rescued Cats at the Veterinary

This was taken last January 14, 2019 at the vet.

Expat Life: Poor Kitten - Heartbreaking Scene at a Pet Shop

This was our second time to go to Al Adhal Souk in the South of Jeddah, but this time with our tiny car to buy provisions for our house cats (and budgies). October 27, 2018. GoPro Hero5 Black.

At the Vet: A Sick Rescued Cat, A One-eyed Cat & Doctor Spaying a Cat

This morning (Sept. 11, 2018), we took a sick & newly rescued cat to the vet. The good doctor has always been our pet cats' doctor for many years now. She's never asked fees for her services. God bless her.

Date: Sept.11, 2018
Video camera: GoPro Hero5 Black
Video Editor: Microsoft Photos & Video Editor

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The Street Cats of Jeddah

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Goodbye Bin Dawood

Yesterday I said goodbye to Bin Dawood my sickly old cat that I rescued 5 months ago at Bin Dawood supermarket on Heraa street. I brought him to the German lady veterinarian (whom I knew since 2012) to be euthanized. 

Bin Dawood's health condition was not improving since I took him in, and it was getting worse. When he uses the litter, he's not covering his poop, he always sleeps on top of the refrigerator and knocks everything on it. Just a few weeks ago he pooped on top of it, that was my tipping point, so I had to let him go.

And also, I took with me my two other male cats to be neutered. All of my rescued cats are all neutered or spayed so that they will not increase in numbers. They were all neutered and spayed by the same doctor free of charge. Thank you, doc!

At the #veterinary house earlier. #cats #spayneuter #spayandneuter #spay #neuter

A video posted by Pépe Cabréra (@cameranicabrera) on Jan 29, 2016 at 3:39pm PST

My #cats after their #neuter #spayandneuter #spayneuter

A photo posted by Pépe Cabréra (@cameranicabrera) on Jan 29, 2016 at 11:55am PST

Bolt & Ken Lee (Home Video)

A video of Bolt and Ken Lee just a few hours ago while I was petting them.  God bless you all!

My Cats' New Ramp & Perch

I've always wanted to do away with wooden planks and broken furnitures that litter in the street for good use. This is a common sight in Jeddah streets and choosing to ignore them is not just my instinct - or I could nudge some brains into functioning.  My lack of enterprising skills surely would not qualify me to even start some brainstorming if not for a necessity.

My apartment for over the past 6 years has been turned into a rescue center for countless feline beauties that initially found their homes in the streets or under dilapidated cars. In fact, I've lost count as to how many of them have already availed of my humble facility. Some others already died of natural causes while the surviving ones continue to enjoy their royal lifestyles - and have gotten used to seeing strange smells and faces when we decided to take in new members once in a while.

Fast forward: I've just finished constructing  a ramp and perches for them using woods I picked up from the trash bin across our street and an unwanted entertainment center I found outside our apartment complemented by old tires that have got no room in our small apartment for added variety. I do not have any background in carpentry, but I do know how to hammer and saw, so I just bought the right tools to use, and voila!

And Three Became Eight (The Rescued Kittens)

I've found 7 cute kittens under a car near the garbage bin in the street just outside our apartment the other day. They turned out to be the kittens of the tabby cat owned by the Indonesian expats from the second floor. The cat regularly waits for us every morning outside the door of our apartment for weeks now, seemingly begging for food, and ever since I see to it that I gave her some cat food whenever I see her by the main door. I even gave her a bath once and shampooed her because she stank and looked underfed. We knew that she has kittens somewhere in the building judging by her rows of teats that sagged, but we never thought that we will see those kittens out in the street and under a flat-tired car. 

We talked to the owner of the cats and they said  they threw those kittens because there were too many of them and that they didn't have any choice but to evict them out of their apartment. They could have kept them outside of their apartment or let them  roam freely through flights of stairs but the building watchman does not see it possible for hygienic reason. The owners however took back one of the kittens to be with its mother. So after 2 days of feeding those kittens under the car, we decided to take them all inside our apartment and take care of them 'till they get a little bigger. Seeing them lying on a very hot surface, their tongues sticking out  due to extreme heat and thirst is just not right. Unfortunately, when we were scampering around to catch them, one of the kittens had run like hell it thought it just had a great escape. And we lost sight of it, three days now into our search and rescue episode to no avail, it must have gone with other bigger alley cats. 

Just this afternoon after work, we bought them a few cans of cat foods and a small litter box. I've already bathed and blow-dried all of them and now they are all clean, smelling good and comfortable like little kings and queens. Just a few hours ago before I decided to write this blog, they were all playing like crazy just like  normal healthy kittens do and I don't think they have any idea of what's going on or what  kind  of future will they have. So sad. 

I can't help but wonder how come here in Saudi Arabia they don't have any government programs/agencies or NGOs that  take care of these poor creatures? Seeing them on the street every single day, some flattened and buried under car tires, really breaks my heart. If only I'm as rich as some people here, I would probably buy a patch of land somewhere and rescue all the cats that I see on the street and educate pet owners to neuter or spay their cats, and be responsible pet owners. They should think of these animals as integral part of their families and not as toys like dolls and toy robots that they give to their kids. These are living animals that need TLC. Feline population in Saudi Arabia has soared unabated in the streets because of lack of education  on the part of  pet owners who readily dump them in the streets when confronted with incapabilities to keep them any longer. Lack of compassion is also obvious here for people or citizens who could have thought of something humane for these animals.

Now we have a total of 8 rescued cats (3 of which came from our previous rescues) in our small apartment and they are taking a huge bite out of our monthly salary. Cat foods and cat litters are getting more expensive here in Saudi Arabia. And if anyone out there happens to be an animal lover especially those who live in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, we would appreciate it much if you could share a little in any way you can for us to be able to keep them much longer. Please free to leave your comment below if the predicament of these cute cats moves you. And if it appeals to you that adopting one of them does not bother you that much, feel free to do so. You may send a word by my email at pepecabrera1972@yahoo.com. God bless you all!

I'm Reading: 'The Nine Lives Of Montezuma' by Michael Morpurgo

I wasn't actually looking for something to read when I was at the bookstore yesterday. I was just there to help my friend because he wanted to buy an MP3 player, but when I went up to the second floor to just look around, (that's where all the books are,) I can't help myself but to get closer to a certain book I saw from a distance. The cover of this book really caught my attention, it was an orange cat with green eyes surrounded by bright green leaves. Most of you guys know that I'm an animal lover, especially of cats (and dogs too), and that's one of the reasons why I was attracted to this book aside from it's beautiful bright cover. The title of the book is'The Nine Lives Of Montezuma' by Michael Morpurgo, ooooohh! It was obvious to me that it's a children's book and I was right when I opened it. The prints are much larger and it has drawings inside that depict the characters of the story in some of its pages. It's a story about the dangerous and exciting life of a farmyard cat, from a fiery kitten to a tired old Tom (that's the book description from the net).

I didn't think twice to buy it. It doesn't matter if it's a children's book or an adult book (not the one you think of course you dirty minds), a book is a book, it doesn't matter if the person reading it is 9 or 39 (not my age!). I love children's book. If you can remember I posted here last year about'The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz' by L.Frank Baum after reading it, I never thought it  was so different from the Victor Fleming's 1939 film version starring Judy Garland, amazing!; and'Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat That Change The World'  by Vicki Myron, that book made me cry (but don't tell!).

I've already finished reading the first chapter of ...Montezuma last night which is called The Beginning, tonight I'll start with the second chapter called The Second Life. The book only has 9 chapters. I'm so excited, can't wait to read it! (I only read before going to bed at night, that's the only time I have.) 

Michael Morpurgo.Com

 'The Nine Lives Of Montezuma'

The Future Of Brüno

Presenting the new addition to our family, BRÜNO! He is the offspring of Ms. Ken Lee, he was born on the 4th of July (2009) and he is officially my number 7 cat living in my apartment. Back in 2004 during my previous company, I already have a cat, her name is Chacapam, then she got pregnant and then came Lucio, Cariñoso and Ms. Ken Lee at the same time I'm also taking care of 2 other cats that I found outside, Fullah and Borat which are now living permanently inside the apartment. In total, I'm taking care 7 cats and I hope their number will not go up.

It's not easy having so many house cats around, the food is expensive, they don't just eat anything, and there are times their diet changes and they would want to eat other flavors. The cat litter is also expensive and you can't do without it. Another thing that makes it hard having pet cats around is when I'm traveling. There are times I'm not home for more than 5 days and it's a dilemma for me. whenever that time comes, I usually call my friends and instruct them on what to do with the cats. And oh yes, you have to clean their litter box, take them for a bath at least once every 2 weeks and play with them as often as possible.

My cats are not the kind that you'll see in pet shops, they are not that fancy. They are I think what Americans called "Alley cats", the type you'll often see in the streets and dumpsters which unfortunately are too much here in the streets of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Most of you would probably say, why are you taking care of those alley cats?, my answer is...I don't know, maybe because it's hard for me seeing them in the street when it's a 100 degrees out there and at the same time hungry and thirsty. Every time I see cats in the street, it's like I feel what they feel and then I ask myself, where are they going? What will they eat? Where will they sleep for the night? My heart bleeds for them. I only wish the goverment of Saudi Arabia will do something about this problem.

And about the future of Brüno and my other cats. The day will inevitably come that I'll have to let them go, when I go back home, back to the Philippines. There's a possibility that I could take a cat or 2 with me, but most of them are going back where they came from, the street. I hope I could stay longer for them. I love my cats.

I'm Reading: DEWEY: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

I'm now reading "DEWEY: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter. A non-fiction. I just bought the book yesterday from Jarir Bookstore, Sary street branch, Jeddah .

Personally, I'm a lover of animals especially of cats (I currently have five cats in my apartment, but I also love dogs). I'm already in chapter 6 and so far I'm loving it. I loved the way the author described Spencer, Iowa, the place where the story happened and also her first encounter with Dewey Readmore Books.

Link: DEWEY: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World.

Working Alone

Starting this January 14, 2009, I will be working alone for a month. You see there are only two Filipinos in my company, Me and Him, we are both working as Visual Merchandisers and he is going to have his vacation in the Philippines.

When I say "Alone" , I don't mean "Lonely Alone" , well probably a little bit of that. It's hard to talk when there's no nobody talking back to you, it's doubly hard because I really don't speak or understand Arabic that well after more than 8 years in Saudi Arabia, I know you're going to say how come?, well, my answer is I don't know. Maybe the language is just not my cup of tea, although it's essential to learn it. Going back to that being alone thing, It's not "Lonely Alone", it's more like, "I'm going to have a lot of work Alone" kinda thing, especially the language barrier with the staff, most of them don't speak English and I'm having a hard time speaking Arabic. What a perfect combination!

We talked about this vacation when we were new in this company. We already have a Plan and the Plan was, that we are going to have our vacation together and that we are going to go to different places in the country like Baguio, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, up north and even in Boracay and Bohol in the Visayas but that was before we have our 6 Cats.

I'm not saying that the Cats are my problem. I love my Cats and I can sacrifice certain things for them like this vacation, I will have my turn (vacation) anyway. To sum up everything, yes, it's in a way, saddens me that he is going for vacation. Makes me think about the things that he will be doing there, like , drinking beer [Cerveza San Miguel] with friends ( I miss beer drinking with my friends, beer is prohibited in this country, Hellooo!!! 21 century now, remember?) and Singing in a Karaoke bar, while drinking beer with friends, OK that's it. Enough with my day dreaming . All that I can say is, "May the force be with him".