The Beautiful Street Cats of Tangier

A photo essay

Photo taken from the rooftop terrace of my hostel in the Medina.

Westerners are often shocked when they arrive for the first time in Tangier and see the hundreds of cats in the streets.

I was, too.

You immediately assume they are neglected. But this isn’t the case at all.

My estimate was 80 percent are decently healthy, many with shiny coats and contented looks.

It took me a couple of months and the experience of rescuing a kitten to begin to understand the situation.

It is complex.

I saw people caring for the cats. I was told it is the way for them to live in the street, alongside humans.

I was reminded of the Jews and Muslims and Christians that have lived in Tangier for centuries together in harmony.

The cats also live here in harmony with humans.

Shop owners and regular people feed them. They put boxes out for momma cats. They wipe their eyes with homemade solutions against the weeping from the sea wind, they tell me.

They sometimes bring them fresh sardines from the fish market.

There is cat poop and food in parts of the Medina. You have to step around it in the streets. They wash it away at night and it comes back the next day.

They fiercely care for the cats and also let them live their lives freely in the city.

Below are some of these lovely creatures.

I passed by many of them often in the old Medina where I lived.

A normal sight: cats perched on anything around the city.

Mother and kittens. Boxes are put out for them after they give birth. And you often see people moving kittens around, back to their mothers when they wander away.

In a street deeper into the old Medina, away from tourists.

At a covered marketplace. This stall had used clothes and shoes.

This is my favorite “living cat art”. I passed this restaurant many times per week. The adult was often in that exact space, but only once did I see this wonderful, symmetrical pose with the kitten in front.

An orange tabby at my table. I think part of the job description for waiters is shooing away cats.

I passed this grey tabby often on this very same cushion. On a very busy street in the tourist area of the Medina

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