Flying cat!

Yesterday I was rushing to work and I saw a boy in my street running about making aeroplane noises and holding something tiny and animal in his hands... making it fly through the air. He went to put it down in a cardboard box and I followed him and saw it was a days old kitten. I shouted at him for playing so roughly with it...... it hasn't even opened its eyes yet! He didn't seem to know where its mother was either. As I walked off to get to work I realsied that dumped in a box, beside a container of water that poor wee thing wasn't going to survivie even the day.

I called Marte.

Marte is nuts about animals (I like them- but am allergic so tend to keep my distance). I told her what was happening and asked her to go check it out, bring it home if needby. She rushed downstairs and found a bowab (not mine) carrying it in a box that was full of water... as if they were trying to drown it! Rescue misson completed, Marte then had lots of running around to find a vet that was open on a friday. Cat is fine... no aliments that vet can see yet.. just starving!

Poor Marte has been up all night doing the 1 and half hourly feeds!!! Mind you- she wasn't complaining!!! A proud new mum!

It just did it's 1st poo ever and its umbilical cord just fell off too. It barely even looks like a cat its so small... anything between 3 and 7 days old.

If anyone out there has advice re new born kittens fire away- its all new to us.... thank god for the internet!

so what has this to do with Cairo or bellydance- I'll tell you.......

in Cairo - animals get far less well treated than they do in UK... because it's a struggle to keep your children alive, never mind a stray cat. A tin of baby cat formula cost 200le (around 20 sterling). That could keep a child alive for a month!

and bellydance? well- I dont know many dancers who stay here for any length of time who dont have a cat!!!! I guess we all succumb to it at some point? Nice to have something to welcome you home at 3am when you get in from work maybe? But i REALLY didn't think it would happen to me! Well- once he/she ( it's too early to tell) is no longer being fed by the bottle i think it'll have to go to a new home. My sinuses are a nightmare at the best of times with Cairo pollution without adding allergy to that as well!!!!

For now we have to think of a suitable name for him/her !!!!..........................

I have photos.... but my camera lead seems to have disappeared so I can't download anything.