Twenty felines left behind in Gaza Strip after cat cafe owner was forced to flee
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Palestinian Naima Maabad opened the first cat cafe at the Gaza Strip on Aug 17.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SINGAPORE - When Palestinian Naima Maabad left Gaza City and headed south for the Rafah crossing, more than just her house was left behind.
Her newly-opened cafe and its 20 furry occupants remained in northern Gaza.
Madam Naima, who described herself as a cat lover, opened Meow Cat Cafe on Aug 17. She envisioned the cafe, the first of its kind in the Gaza Strip, to be a refuge from stress for customers.
But less than two months after the cafe’s opening, the Israel-Hamas war started.
On Oct 7, militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel
Madam Naima, 52, told The Straits Times her family had to escape quickly after the bombs hit her neighbourhood and she could not take the cats with her.
She said: “We had to move to a place where we could be protected from all the bombing. Closing the cafe became my last concern in the face of death.
“I brought the cats to my house, gave them food and water, and entrusted them to God.”
Before its sudden closure, the cafe welcomed a steady stream of customers daily. It cost 10 shekel (S$3.40) for an hour to play with the cats, mainly Persians. The cost included a small packet of cat food.
A girl playing with a cat at the cat cafe in Gaza City in August.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Madam Naima said some regular customers, mostly children, continue to ask her about their favourite cats.
“The cafe was running well and we were happy to welcome cat lovers. The cafe brought happiness into the hearts of children.
“But now in Gaza, nothing beautiful remains,” she said in Arabic.
Her family of seven, which includes her three-year-old grandson, arrived at the Rafah crossing on Oct 12 and is now living at the border with her in-laws.
The crossing is located between the south of the Gaza Strip and Egypt and is the only entry and exit that does not lead to Israeli territory. The land is controlled by Egypt and has become a focus for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
Describing her current situation as one with “bombing, death, scarcity of resources and electricity cuts”, Madam Naima voiced her fears of an uncertain future.
“I don’t leave the house and the money we have is almost running out. I don’t know what is next.”
She misses her cats and cries every day while thinking of them, she said.
“I die of anxiety inside a thousand times a day when I try to figure out if my house and the cafe was destroyed.
“I hope (the two sides) agree to a truce so I can check on the cats and bring them with me. If we all live, the cafe will be back.”
