Cat Corner Stories

17/12/2023

I had a dream about Bine last night. Does this mean he's not of this world anymore?

He didn't recognize me at first as I approached him down the street. Then I called out to him and he recognized my voice. He came right over.

I'm afraid to even ask anyone to check on Cat Corner anymore. I'm afraid of what they may find.

I don't think I'll ever get over my departure from there.

Tamer keeps trying to console me by saying Allah put me in their path to help them, and so there will be others to do their part. Trying to rationalize things beyond my control is becoming a challenge again.

I miss my sweet boy. I miss them all.

12/08/2023

Happy to the luckiest cat from Cat Corner – Maki! 😻❤️🎉

Today marks his 1st anniversary in the arms of his adopter, a wonderful English expat in Saudi Arabia. Once she leaves for England, Maki will travel with her as well. For now, they are spending their quality time together in a comfortable place they call home in Jeddah.

Maki was abandoned outside in our neighborhood in June 2022. We were able to help him and offer him a foster home. It was a very heartfelt goodbye on this day one year ago, but I managed to visit him quite a few times before we left for Slovenia.

This gorgeous boy has many fans among Cat Corner followers. I am certain we all rejoice in celebrating Maki's fortune. He deserves a very sweet life indeed. ❤️

***

First photo was taken today by Janey, his adopter. She was kind enough to send me his portrait today. The second slide is from 1 year and a day ago. He sure grew a lot more fur since then. 😻

08/08/2023

Happy International Cat Day 😻❤️

Here is a cutie pie I haven't shared before. She resided in a green park near our temporary home after we had to move away from Cat Corner. We drove there every morning, but in the afternoons we visited this park and chatted up so many new kitties.

It brought some comfort that they were being cared for by at least one dedicated cat lady. There was a designated feeding station and many water stations all around. Unfortunately, there were no signs of TNR (yet).

Let there be kindness over mistreatment, always. Let there be better days for all the kitties in Saudi Arabia. Inshallah. 🤲❤️

***

16/06/2023

I N M E M O R I A M

My heart is aching again this week. I received news from Mary, a fellow rescuer in Jeddah, that our dearest Cookie is no more in this world. I was told she fell sick and suddenly passed away.

Cookie will forever have a piece of my heart and now she took it with her to the other side of the rainbow.

She was one of those many kittens, that were put in the street with their momma Frida. It's now been 2 years since I stumbled across them. Cookie was one of the lucky ones that found a home with Mary. Faith would have her move to another family, as Mary made sure she would not be homeless even during her personal crisis.

I only saw Cookie once more when she was almost 1 year old. She was glorious. She grew up to be even more stunning than her momma Frida. The latter, as you know, also received my share of help, as I promised her on that faithful day when I found her and the kittens. We made sure she was spayed, after the infamous Monster put her outside again, when she was in heat.

I am sorry I couldn’t do more for you, Cookie. I wish you could have been mine. Rest in peace and wait for me. ❤️

10/04/2023

Today marks the 2nd anniversary since Cat Corner Stories started on Instagram! 🎉

I've been wanting to post something for a while, but I couldn't bring myself to leave things in the past and face new future challenges. Today's anniversary brought a perfect opportunity to do so.

I've also been wondering, if I should change the name of this account, but no alternative has come around yet. On the other hand, there is Cat Corner in Jeddah, and there are Cat Corners all around the World, including Slovenia. Let's see, what the future brings.

What do you think? Do let me know in the comments. 💕

16/03/2023

I had an incredible heartfelt reunion today. Haven't seen my old friend for more than a year. The neighbors kept her inside for the winter. Otherwise, Gatolina rules the park within this small neighborhood, where my parents' house is in Ljubljana.

She must be around 10 years old. We started meeting at the park bench more than 6 summers ago. At some point, she started recognizing my car's engine, and she would jump off her tree and hurry up to where I was parking. For the last few meters, though, she would always slow down. Had to play it cool. She's a cat, after all!

24/01/2023

Happy birthday to one of our toughest kitties around, Gigi is now 1 year old!

Even though I cannot guess her exact date of birth, I don't even know her momma, Gigi's age and health are worth celebrating. "Mashallah Mashallah" is the way to go about it.

Colorful calico has always had such strong spirit since the day we've met. I won't lie, I cried seeing her for the first time. She came running one morning, the smallest ball of fluff. I was able to pick her up and hold her in one hand. "How can she even make it on her own?"

And make it she did, she is thriving. Of course, we can't forget one thing: she was spared endless cycles of pregnancies even before she could start having them. Alhamdulillah. Thanks to our gift of TNR to her, Gigi has had far better chances at staying healthy as a stray.

This photo was taken by Tamer this afternoon. It was his last time visiting Cat Corner(s), at least before he returns to Saudi again for work in a few months. He is coming to see me this Thursday. Alhamdulillah.

All is well at Cat Corner. We've made sure of it. A couple of our friends will continue coming every now and then. If you are in Jeddah and wish to do the same, please reach out to me. We will appreciate any additional help that may come our way.

14/01/2023

Today is no ordinary Caturday. At Cat Corner, there is another snippaversary worth celebrating!

On this day 1 year ago, Attila the White Whale was trapped, neutered, and released.

Attila's capture went down in history as one of the biggest challenges, and it was won by Tamer. Not even with a trap, as we didn't have one yet back then. Attila couldn't resist the wet food and valerian spray inside the carrier. Because I had a gang of already TNR-ed kitties following my every move that morning, I had to sit this trapping out and let Tamer give it a try.

As many of you already know, it was a nailbiter. My dear husband even took off his shoes to be extra silent once he made those few steps towards the carrier to close the door, with the unsuspecting feral tomcat inside.

Since then, his feral attitude has cooled off. He figured, waiting every day for a regular meal wasn't such a bad idea. He deemed me smart enough to accommodate him and serve him food up on a concrete wall, away from the other "peasants."

Honestly, I wish I had more time with him. In about 6 months, I reached a point where he even showed his back to me and allowed me to gently touch his tail. We would have our daily chitchats at breakfast, and he was more and more accustomed to my presence.

Attila continues to reside at the Last Corner, where Tamer still sees him and serves him a pile of food. He is no longer chasing females and fathering countless kittens. He is keeping his coat clean and staying healthier and safer, because he was lucky enough to be gifted with TNR. Attila's clipped ear is one of 84 badges of honor we bestowed on members of the Cat Corner Colonies. ❤️

12/01/2023

Absolutely… It’s like eating Oreos and trying to brush your teeth at the same time 😓

02/01/2023

31/12/2022

😽😽😽

28/12/2022

My last photo with Bine in my arms on December 5th 2022. I flew to Slovenia not even 12 hours after it was taken. We went to feed the gang, as usual in the morning, but I needed to see them again in the afternoon. We brought them extra snacks and cat nip. They had a blast. I cried and hugged those that let me hug them. I'm crying now, writing this post.

I still haven't shared other videos and photos from that day. I'm still processing.

I got my feline fix for the soul by visiting two cat shelters here in Slovenia. I will be sharing more about their work with you all as well.

Tamer is in Jeddah. This morning we've received news his visa to visit me was refused. After an already long and tedious process we are facing new challenges and tests of patience. Keep us in your prayers. I miss my husband, even though he sends me updates on our kitties from Cat Corner.

We usually don't share private details from our lives apart from cat activities, but this can be an opportunity to let others know, how privileged one can be with the right color of passport (and skin). My new year's wish is to see my husband soon and to continue helping our beloved cats wherever we are, together.

27/12/2022

Happy Tongue Out Tuesday from yours truly, Crassus, King of Cat Corner. 👑😼🧡

It's been 3 weeks since I left Jeddah. Tamer is still there, sorting things out, visiting the cats. Everyone is doing well, they are strong and resourceful, Mashallah. I hope the neighborhood steps up as well, especially after Tamer places our stickers at the water stations. He asked the buildings' guards to check on the water bowls already. One volunteer stopped by a couple of times, we are still waiting for the second one to visit for the first time, Inshallah.

19/12/2022

Lilly's story was featured at TNR Works ❤️
Thank you for sharing.

This is a story about Lilly, the cat that had to be "trapped" 3 times.

A very lovable stray cat, that does not take no for an answer when it comes to pets and always demands a second and third pile of food, is one of my favorite members of my colony that I feed each morning in a neighborhood in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

This past September marked her 1st "Spayversary." She is one of those fully grown adult cats that we had to bring in for spaying, after counting the weeks since her delivery. She was visibly pregnant in the summer, so we focused on TNR-ing others. My husband and I just started TNR on our own a couple of months before that, and we were struggling to get appointments. Too many cats in a small congested residential area already. Well, there are too many cats anywhere you might go in Jeddah. You cannot step into the street without seeing a cat or a whole gang of them.

Based on the number of weeks after her pregnant belly disappeared, I was guessing that Lilly was ready to be spayed. She was an easy catch, walked right into a carrier. Back then, we still only used carriers, since we had no trap in our possession. I always brought one with me for practice, so I had the targets ready for TNR on the day we managed to get the appointments.

After dropping her off at the vet, I received a phone call: her milk glands were still too full and the procedure would be very messy. "Do you think you could trap her again in a few weeks?" This was the only time I could say yes without hesitation. No spaying for Lilly that day.

We went to pick her up immediately and since she didn’t go under any anesthesia yet, we released her right away in a shade under her tree with some fresh water and food. She did not complain.

Three weeks later, I finally had another appointment for 2 females and I knew Lilly was coming with me again this time. Sure enough, she didn’t make too much drama with the carrier and we took her upstairs to our apartment to wait for us in a cooler environment, while we catch another female, the one we knew would take more time and patience.

When we went back upstairs to pick up Lilly, we found the crate to be empty and the cat loose in our living room.

“How am I gonna convince her to go in the crate for the third time? She’s not an idiot,” I wondered and grabbed a stronger, but smaller, crate we had on hand. It took me a short while. Lilly wasn’t mad at me, she came for treats and pets without any fear, but of course she was not keen on entering the crate. In the end I managed to handle her gently enough so she didn’t retaliate, but had to give her a small push inside. I was relieved and so happy that I have caught her for the third time.

She waited for me the next morning in front of our building with the rest of the gang. No hard feelings, just same old hefty Lilly, asking for pets and a second breakfast.

Lilly was the 20th cat we TNR-ed. To this day, we fixed 79 cats in our neighborhood.

~ My name is Misha and my husband's name is Tamer. We are expats in Saudi Arabia.

13/12/2022

Who could forget one of the luckiest cats from Cat Corner... Any time I posted an update on his story, he would receive the highest number of cheers and hearts and well wishes from our friends.

Maki was put outside one day in June 2022. He was struggling, not eating. For some reason, his "owners" shaved his fur before abandoning him. Later we discovered, he had a mild case of fungus, which I quickly treated after taking him inside. He was an exception to our general rule of not fostering and looking for adopters. His special appearance made it seem his search for a home would be easier. After he was neutered, no serious application came for some time. I started to worry. I wrote a pi**ed off post on all the rescue/adoption groups, how irresponsible it is to give away cats without fixing them first. All these "special" looking cats are being used for further breeding.

And then... An English lady was coming to Jeddah. She fell in love with Maki right away. She was taken by his calm and loving nature from his videos. The only problem was, we had to wait more than a month for her to arrive. We needed to have faith she was the one for him.

It's now been more than 4 months since Maki came to his new home. He is lord of the manor, master of the living room, usurper of the bedroom.

I said my goodbyes to him before leaving Jeddah. But I now have faith, it was just a "see you later." If not in Saudi, in England one day. Inshallah. ❤️