Miaows from Morocco - Introduction

One of the first things you notice when you arrive in Morocco is that there are cats EVERYWHERE! It is not that there are no dogs, it's just that you don't see them as often. Cats roam the streets freely and seem to have no real fear of people and you often see people feeding stray cats on the street.

Morocco is a predominately Muslim country and the domestic cat is a revered animal in Islam. Admired for its cleanliness as well as being the favourite animal of the prophet Muhammad, the cat is considered "the quintessential pet" by Muslims. Cats unlike dogs, are thought to be ritually clean, and do not spoil a person's purity for prayer and are thus allowed to enter homes and even mosques. Furthermore, there is a widespread belief among Muslims that cats seek out people who are praying. Cats are often depicted in paintings alongside Islamic scholars and bibliophiles who loved their cats as they protected their precious books from mice.

There are also quite a lot of references to the Prophet Muhammad and cats. The Prophet loved cats and is said to have had a favourite cat named Muezza. There is a well-known story about Muhammad and Muezza. One evening when the call to prayer was heard, Muezza was asleep on the sleeve of one of one of the Prophet’s robes. The Prophet wanted to wear the robe to go to prayers. Rather than disturb Muezza, Muhammad cut the sleeve of the robe to leave Muezza in peace. It is said that when Muhammad returned from his prayers

Muezza gave him a bow of gratitude. The Prophet is said to have stroked Muezza between her ears which is why Tabby cats have stripes between their ears shaped like an M.

Another story relates to the cat of one of Muhammad's companions who had been given the nickname Abu Hurairah (literally: "Father of the Kitten") because of his love of cats. According to legend, Abu Hurairah's cat saved Muhammad from a snake. The story goes that a snake had crawled into the prophets sleeve so Abu Hurairah and his cat were summoned. Legend has it that the cat requested the snake come out of the sleeve and discuss the terms of its departure. When the snake popped its head out of the sleeve the cat pounced and dragged the snake off. The grateful prophet is said to have stroked the cats back in gratitude and this is why cats have the righting reflex that gives cats an innate ability to orient themselves when they fall in order to land on their feet.

The Sakinah which is the spirit of peace and tranquility (similar to the holy spirit) is supposed to have appeared to Muhammed looking like the face of a white cat.

Sufism which is the mystical dimension of Islam also has many cat stories such as the ones about Shaykh Ashraf’s Madrasa cat, which helped the teachers to bring order to the school and even sacrificed itself for the sake of the dervishes-(disciples), This story is a bit sad the cat had noticed that a snake had fallen into a pot of milk that the cook was boiling to make rice for the students lunch. The cat tried to bring the cooks attention to this fact by circling the pot and mewling loudly. The cook shooed the cat out of the kitchen. The cat realising the cook did not understand ran back into the kitchen and jumped into the pot of boiling milk sacrificing its own life. The rice had to be thrown away which was when the snake was found in the pot.

There is also a story about the creation of the the domestic cat associated with the Old Testament story of Noah and the Ark. The animals on the Ark complained to Noah that there were too many mice. When Noah told God he advised Noah to tickle the nose of the lion when Noah tickled the lion's nose two domestic cats flew out of the lion's nostrils. (which kinda suggests that cats are lion boogers).

This is a selection of photos I took of cats when I was on holiday in Morocco in December 2015.