Caturday in Cario

[doodlebugg 10]

Not to poop on the save the kittehs theme here but I'd be more upset about the stray children than the stray cats. At least the cats get fed by the scraps from the people's foods. Not too sure how the street children get their food. Has anyone ever seen the street children there? It's incredibly heart breaking.

[Nagishkaw 510]

Indeed it is heartbreaking.

[Kenza 1]

That's one thing I enjoy doing in Morocco. Sneaking my food and food in my grandmother's refrigerator to take to the cats One time I also brought cans of cat food with me. It makes me sad how horribly they treat them and one incident I will never forget is seeing a dead kitten on the side walk...heart breaking

And yes the poor people need help too. I save my old clothes or clothes that I don't want anymore and pack them into their own suitcase and go to the market and hand them out to people that look like they need them...a great experience if you are able.

Edited May 30, 2009 by Kenza

[Melly 2 0]

Hello MENA, happy caturday!

Happy birthday to Josh!

I hope you are feeling better now Jess.

Olivia, I'm sorry to read that you are having trouble here. It's so hard to be sick when you are away from home, wherever it may be.

I hope you will feel better soon.

Hubby left for Kuwait this morning on a business trip for around ten days.

I am with the in-laws and I know they care about me, but I just feel alone here in a foreign country.

Insha'Allah these days will pass fast.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and time off.

Nawal, I hope your party is awesome.

Do they have a smileys anonymous group? lol

Sometimes I think I use them too much.

[sara535 15]

Sara, I knew about this shelter. Thank you for the link, though! I know how terribly underfunded the shelter is when priority is on people's day to day survival. If I was younger and healthier, I would go there myself and open up more....and take you with me!

aaawwww

[amysaid 9]

Also, why are so many Egyptians petrified of dogs??? Any thoughts on this?

It may be a cultural-religious thing, in Islam dogs are considered dirty animals, so if you touch one it is breaking your wudu and you have to do it over again before you can pray. So maybe even if someone is not Muslim, or not practicing, that hands-off dogs mentality is still passed along through the culture.

Just a thought

[nurse1967 287]

Well my husband is fairly devout and I have two dogs and he seems fine with it. I guess we will see when he gets here.

[amysaid 9]

Well my husband is fairly devout and I have two dogs and he seems fine with it. I guess we will see when he gets here.

Dogs are permissible for hunting/guarding purposes... there is also a lot of different interpretation in different schools of thought, so it's possible that your husband is of one of those that doesn't find dogs to be offensive or to render him impure. But I think that the majority of Egyptians are not of that minority school of thought, and find dogs distasteful and dirty.

Not to poop on the save the kittehs theme here but I'd be more upset about the stray children than the stray cats. At least the cats get fed by the scraps from the people's foods. Not too sure how the street children get their food. Has anyone ever seen the street children there? It's incredibly heart breaking.

heh, looks like my husband's neighborhood in giza.

[nurse1967 287]

I am so lucky. My husband is very faithful in his religious beliefs but has a very open mind about many different things. All of the "stereotypical" things that people think about Egyptians really so far has not been true for my hubby. His family is like this as well. I have to say it is really nice.

[Mommy2ZaidnSalma 11]

Olivia, im sorry to hear your not feeling well. I was sick for 4 months straight in jordan the last time we were there. Be careful. Eat at home and make sure everything is cooked with bottled water <3 hope you feel better soon

[Aymsgirl 0]

Happy Saturday! Sitting at home with the kids tonight waiting on picking the hubster up from work.

Happy birthday to our birthday boy Josh!!

Betsy...I hope he remains that way. My husband was very open to our dog until he came and found out that the dog was not going to ever just stay outside. We always kept our little shihtzu in the house, he was spoiled and wasn't used to being outside he was 8 years old! He was totally cool with it for about two months and then went a little psycho about saying the house was filthy and would send me emails about the unhealthiness of dogs in the home. My house is very clean and not filthy and the dog didn't shed. He just had a big religious and cultural issue with it he just couldn't let it go. The dog passed away after a bed frame fell on him and his brain swelled. We will never have another one because it was a huge issue for us.

Olivia, I hope that you feel better dear and that you get some resolution with the embassy issues.

[ya hayat alby ♥ 0]

Aww, I know how you feel. The biggest thing for me was people throwing trash/spitting on the ground. The spitting was just plain disgusting. And the trash just made me sad. There are not enough trash cans and people don't care anymore and just throw trash anywhere. At home I'm a big recycler so this was too much for me haha~! I yelled at my hubby a few times and after awhile I just felt like crying. He got the picture though and stopped real quick. His family thinks I'm a little obsessive though...

I got very sick for a few weeks the first time I came, too. It was so bad, I couldn't move and just laid in bed. I lost a lot of weight and was super scared to eat ANYTHING after that, so I lost even more weight. Gained it all back once I got home though. I went back 3 times after that, and I never got sick on anything! I don't drink the water, but I eat food cooked with it and food from outside all of the time, and nothing! I guess that one big bug made me immune to everything, haha.

I hope you feel better!

[100% Al Ahly Fan 53]

Good day...rather Good Night everyone. It's actually Sunday for some of you. So happy early Sunday.

Want to wish the little ones of MENA a very happy 1st birthday!! InshaAllah, may they be blessed always. As we say in Egypt....Kol sana wa entum taybeen!!!

I'm sorry to hear you not feeling well, Flowerl. InshaAllah you will get over this bug soon. It'll feel like a bad dream once you get to Hurgada. Try to eat what you can at home and not out. You know the BRAT a.k.a. bland diet works wonders. Bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. I think yogurt and tea are also on the list (tea is something a plenty you can get in Egypt )

Melly, I know it stinks to have your husband leave. Feels lonely, but al7amdullilah you are blessed to have the in-laws with you....this may be a perfect time for bonding. Especially with your MIL. InshalAllah before you know it your husband will be home and it won't even feel like he left.

As for the strays, well I love animals. Got two cats of my own. Although, I agree with Besty. I don't really feel sorry for them since they are pretty well fed over there. The amount of food throw away by people in Egypt is ridiculous. I swear no one eats left overs there. I would be nice though if there were places that did free spay/neuter services. Would prevent so many animals in the streets. I can't stand the barking dogs at night!

Speaking of dogs...another reason, not just Egyptians...many Muslims in general, don't care for dogs is that in Islam there is a hadith from our prophet, sallalahu 3laihee wa salaam, that your good deeds will decress if you have a dog for anything other then farming, hunting, guarding or herding. Another hadith says that if there is a dog in the home that the angels will not visit your home to brings the blessing of Allah, sab7anu wa ta3la, so of course as a Muslim we want our homes blessed so that our prayers and du3a's are accepted. Personally, I love dogs. My baba used to FREAK out when I was a kid and would pet a dog. Tell me I have to go wash up SEVEN times. Sigh....so hard to deal with sometimes, especially 'cause some dogs are so darn cute!!! Even though I like dogs, I have to admit I'm a cat person ALL the way

Anyhow, have a great rest of Saturday. Whatever is left of it anyways. Smiles!!

[~PalmTreeGurl~ 154]

sorry not to make this a huge religious thread, but does that mean (according to those that believe dogs are not allowed in islam for pets) ... that if muslims who do have dogs in their home can not be blessed by God or can not have prayers answered bcz they live happily with dogs as pets??? Bcz I know several muslims that have dogs in their homes for pets and im pretty sure they are blessed in life. So Im just wondering about the people who believe otherwise, what is your belief about the muslims who have them

[yassmine2878 1]

*peep*