On a rainy day in February — specifically February 4, 2023, at 5 p.m. — there was a knock at the door that filled my heart with happiness. It was my best friend, arriving right on time. He had promised me the most beautiful gift ever: a kitten.

I had prepared everything she needed before her arrival and when she finally came, I was overjoyed. She was just 44 days old and I made sure to feed her on schedule. I got her milk from the veterinary clinic and kept her warm from the February chill. I was also diligent about vaccinating her on time at the vet.

I named her Pinky and bought her a cute pink collar. She loves to sleep in my bed, on my neck.  She’s such a sweetheart with her beautiful three-colored fur: mostly white, with some grey and beige patches.

Not everyone realizes how rewarding it is to have one or more cats in our lives. The presence of cats, or any pet for that matter, warms up a home and adds loveliness to it. Having a cat makes a person more emotional, affectionate, and responsible.

In June, Pinky turned six months old. She had just come back from the vet feeling fresh and I snapped a picture of her sitting on my bed like a little queen. She made me so happy!

Retrieving Pinky

A week after the war began, in October, while I was evacuating with my family from Gaza City to Rafah, my best friend called to check on me. I was in tears and told him I was so scared that I had forgotten about Pinky and left her at home. He urged me to go back and get her but I explained that I couldn’t because we had gone too far.

Three days later, I experienced some of the worst feelings of my life because I had left my cat alone at home. I shared this with my friend, saying that I couldn’t bear the guilt. He said he would try to find a driver who could take us from Rafah to Gaza City.

Luckily, we found one and managed to get home. The journey from Rafah to Gaza City was terrifying; there were barely a few houses left standing. It was horrifying to see the scorched cars on Salah Al-Din Street that had been bombed by the Israeli occupation. Thankfully, we arrived safely.

When the car arrived in the Tal Al-Hawa neighborhood, the streets were completely destroyed and the vet’s clinic was in ruins, which troubled me because the clinic was close to the house and I thought Pinky might have died due to fear or as a result of the bombing. The car stopped at the entrance to our building where I lived and I quickly made my way inside.

I opened the door and searched for Pinky. The sounds of the explosions were relentless, and I found her hiding in my room. I picked her up, kissed her, and placed her in her bag, trembling with fear. After taking one last look at the house, I walked out. The driver sped down the road. The entire journey took two hours and it felt like we had survived by a miracle.

Obtaining vet care 

I tried to find a vet to care for my cat. Pinky’s veterinarian had been evacuated from Gaza City to Khan Younis. When the Israelis occupied Khan Younis in November, the vet moved to Rafah. In December 2023, I took Pinky to him, eager to have her vaccinated.

When the Israeli occupation took over Rafah in June, the veterinarian was evacuated to the central Gaza Strip, where I had been since February. He established his residence on Salah Al-Din Street, remaining there until August. During that time, I took my cat there. The street was completely devastated, with burnt-out factories and houses, creating a terrifying scene.

In September, the Israeli occupation issued evacuation orders for Salah Al-Din Street. The veterinarian had to evacuate to a camp in an area called Nuseirat. I went there and the tragic situation brought me to tears.

My next appointment with the veterinarian is coming up, and I hope that there will be no bombing or evacuation orders. I wish to always take care of my cat and look after her without fear or overthinking.

As luck would have it, the vet has administered all the necessary vaccinations up to this point; however, on my last visit, he said they will expire in April 2025. There will be no more vaccinations if the war continues.

Feeding pets in wartime

At the beginning of the war, I did my best to take care of her health by stocking up on pet food, both dry and wet. Every time I brought home supplies, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the war would end when her food ran out.

A whole year has passed, and food prices gradually skyrocketed until the pet food itself disappeared completely.

After that, I started feeding her chicken and fish, which have not been available for over a month. I constantly feel worried and stressed when these foods are unavailable. I attempted to feed her bread, but she declined it. As a result of the famine, Pinky and I are now going to bed hungry.

I used to feed the cats at university every morning when I could still go before the war. Now I wonder what happened to them, since the university area has turned into a military zone filled with tanks.

As a result of the pet food shortage and starvation in the Gaza Strip, many cat breeders have abandoned their cats, leaving them to fend for themselves on the streets. I’ve witnessed this firsthand. There are cats whose owners have died, struggling to survive among the rubble of their former homes. Unfortunately, many became emaciated and died from hunger or as a result of the bombings by the Israeli occupation. It’s truly heartbreaking.

In this city marked by wars, it’s impossible to live a normal life. While I am grateful to have Pinky with me, I sometimes feel a deep sense of remorse for all the fear and displacement we’ve endured together. Despite everything, I refuse to give up.

This heinous war has affected pets just as painfully and negatively as it has affected Palestinians. All pets have been completely marginalized in this cruel war. When I meditate on birds from the balcony where I am now, I can’t help but feel envious of their ability to fly. I admire their freedom to move from one place to another, to find food and nurture their fledglings without restrictions. Most importantly, they can cross borders to any country they choose, experiencing a freedom that feels so distant from my own.