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Updated 14 Jul, 2016

Recently, we posted a short video about one woman’s obsession with feeding dozens of street cats outside her house. It made a splash online because cats rule the internet.

My editor thought it would be a good idea for me to meet this lady, and talk to her. So, I went with two cameramen to Gulshan, where she lives, in the heat of the day.

Our mission: to see what’s so exciting about feeding street cats.

We got there an hour before sunset and were told by the chowkidar that the lady feeds the cats right after maghrib.

In the meantime, we walked around the park to take some pictures and see if we could find some neighbours to interview.

It was easy to get a hold of a few guys to talk to; they thought that the cat lady was the coolest person in the world. They told us how they've been seeing this lady feed the cats every day for as long as they can remember. They also recounted how the lady scolds them every time they walk too close to the cats or how they're too scared to ask her why in the world she feeds so many cats.

The cats eagerly wait for their cat woman to come to the rescue
The cats eagerly wait for their cat woman to come to the rescue

The chowkidar said that he is the third person from his family to work at this house and that the previous two members of his family also told him about the cat lady. If his calculations were correct, she's been feeding street cats for at least 17 years.

As if this wasn’t impressive enough, she's been doing so every single day for all these years without fail. This is what she told me, when she finally stepped out of her house with five bags of meat. The cats had already started gathering across the street as the sun was setting. By the time she came out with the food, there were about three dozen hungry cats around.

Cat enjoying nibbles
Cat enjoying nibbles

One of the guys we interviewed said that the cats are like her children. Someone said she hates people and only loves cats.

Her own story went something like this: years ago, she found a hungry cat on the street outside her house and couldn’t bear the thought of the cat dying of hunger. So she fed the cat and never stopped since. The cats started growing in number —she started with one, but must have fed thousands of cats over the period of time.

The sight of a hungry cat kick-started this extraordinary woman's mission to keep her neighbourhood's cats well-fed
The sight of a hungry cat kick-started this extraordinary woman's mission to keep her neighbourhood's cats well-fed

The lady never skips a day. She says she doesn’t go for iftari or anywhere else at this time. She doesn’t even go for Umrah or Hajj.

The one time in her life she was unable to attend to the cats was when she broke her leg and was unable to move. But even then, she made sure to arrange for someone to come and give food to the felines while she recovered.

Take a look at this adorable kitty
Take a look at this adorable kitty

She looked extremely tired though. She isn’t young and walks with a stick. She says that she is now exhausted after doing this for so many years. She said that if other people started to take care of the cats, she would stop doing it herself.

But it’s not common for anyone to care for so many cats and I’m not sure if anyone in her area would be so keen on doing so. She didn’t seem to have good relations with her neighbours. Many mock her, though sometimes she does hear nice things about her as well from people.

I don’t know for how long she’d be able to continue doing this, but I think when she stops, people in her street might miss her.

Comments

waleed fakhar Jul 14, 2016 11:44am
she used to live in my area in dastagir ...we used to get fascinated by her in child hood in school days...
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El Cid Jul 14, 2016 11:46am
Such freedom to be altruistic, be kind and love animals without expectation of profit is only possible in Pakistan. In America she would be arrested and put in a mental hospital and all her cats exterminated. In China all her cats would have been surreptitiously eaten by her neighbors long ago. Pakistan is the frees of all countries and societies in the World. You would never know this truth unless you have traveled the World and lived in many different cultures. It really opens your mind and thoughts.
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Ahmar Qureshi Jul 14, 2016 11:46am
Respect for you Madame! 17 years & 18th on a run, & soon there will be two decades! Something more than just consistency in righteous acts.
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Linny Jul 14, 2016 12:10pm
At the first glance I read "Karachi's Cat Woman has been feeding on hungry kitties.........." :)
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R.S. Menon. Jul 14, 2016 12:27pm
I also came upon such a good gesture while I was serving Govt. of India in Delhi. I used to stay in R.K. Puram, a Govt. employees residential area, where an Andhrite old lady used to feed milk to the cats on a daily basis. I left Delhi in 2011 on my superannuation. I dont know whether that lady still carries out the saga or not. R.S. Menon, Bangalore
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N.S Jul 14, 2016 12:33pm
Cats are the most adorable of felines, how can anyone not adore them. This lady efforts are praiseworthy as love to fellow humans and to living things makes a person human and humane.
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Shaikh Faisal Abbas Jul 14, 2016 12:54pm
I also know one such person who lives in Akhtar Colony karachi south near DHA phase 1.I have been seeing him since my childhood, and he has spent almost all of his life in feeding cats and street dogs and thats real love for animals.He must be now 60plus he can not speak and listen properly due to his illness and his legs are unable to bear his weight so he uses crutches but still he feeds all of the cats and street dogs of the locality when he stands at any place all the cats and dogs sit and stare him for food .I salute him and his courage.He earns his livelihood by collecting corrugated boxes and plastic bottles and sell them in the market.
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Pakistan Zindabad Jul 14, 2016 12:57pm
Cat Woman???????
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Concerned Jul 14, 2016 01:21pm
It is a blessing to see a horde of cats fed red meat, while the dejected wretched of the earth go hungry. Long live inequality.
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Iqbal Hadi Zaidi Jul 14, 2016 01:34pm
Incidentally about 6 or 7 years ago I found a cat in the lawn of the complex I was living in and she was so pretty that I simply could not help feeding her. I brought some milk fir her but she did not like and just sipped a few times and went off. I did not see her fir few days though I have been looking for. Anyway I found her again and gave her milk which again she didn't like so I wonder what to do now. Then I decided to buy some meat for her so I went to supermarket where luckily I found cat, dog and birds feed packets so I bought one which was very much liked by the cat and therefore from that day till today I keep cat feed packet and plastic plates in my car and feed her and others as and when I see them. In Kuwait one cannot find street dogs, may be not even one in a week or so and cats too are not as many as we have back home. However, feeding a cat or a dog or a pigeon is a virtue in any case. Iqbal Hadi Zaidi
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Imran Jul 14, 2016 01:47pm
Not many people in Pakistan will carry out such a nobel act for humans let alone for cats. May Allah give her the strenght to keep on carring out this good deed and give her sawab.
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SK9595 Jul 14, 2016 01:57pm
Nothing but respect for this awesome lady. Keep up the great work Madam and hopefully other people can learn a lesson or two from her.
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Ali S Jul 14, 2016 02:49pm
Someone should start a campaign to spay/neuter stray cats and dogs. I appreciate this woman's kindness, but feeding meat to stray animals is not a sustainable solution and they carry many diseases.
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Hayat Jul 14, 2016 03:35pm
I have seen her personally. She does that near her house in Bock-16 Gulshan e Iqbal. It is amazing to ee her do this. Kudos to the lady.
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aslam shaikh Jul 14, 2016 03:46pm
Should have spent this time and effort to feed and teach children. Maybe they have more priority.
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Ali Jan Jul 14, 2016 04:16pm
Fascinating! Peshawar once had a cat loving Anglo-Indian lady Ms. Birch who lived here before partition and died in old age in 1960s or 70s. She owned a house behind Company Bagh and ran a private school in her home. She adopted all the stray cats in Peshawar and fed them. When the new homeowners arrived after her demise, they found the place teeming with hundreds of cats. If anybody remembers Miss Birch or knows where she is buried, kindly drop me a line please. Thanks. alijan98 @ gmail dot com
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Muhammad Ali Jul 14, 2016 04:39pm
I live in Europe and every time their media shows very bad picture of Pakistan. We have the most beautiful and kind people in her form, in the form of Ayesha who feeds all animals, in the form of Edhi, etc. I feel so good to hear such news and I feel proud to be a Karachiate. Keep the good work.. There is something very special about Karachi ;)
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Rizwan Hamid. U.S.A Jul 14, 2016 10:51pm
For the past 26 years I have done the same here in the US. At one point I was feeding 52 cats ( 16 at home) every day twice a day. Then ended up with 37 in the house. I have now spent over $250, 000 in the endeavor. Unfortunately I had a down turn in my career and lost it all 10 years ago. I am still taking care of 7 cats today, but I am not in a financial position to help others who are doing this. That breaks my heart. I may be poor today, but mentally when I see a hungry cat eat, makes me feel the richest man in the world. So please, whoever reads this in Pakistan, help the poor animals. There is no one to take care of these beautiful God's creatures.
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Rizwan Hamid. U.S.A Jul 14, 2016 11:00pm
@Iqbal Hadi Zaidi The reason the cat did not drink the milk is because a cat cannot digest milk except their own mother's milk. I don't know where this concept started in Pakistan, that you need to give milk to a cat. When I was little, we used to do the same ( mama said to give milk) . I wish they would teach people that giving milk to a cat is not only keeping her hungry, you also git it an upset stomach.
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Zak Jul 14, 2016 11:10pm
Those who are kind to animals, are showered with blessings. She is showing compassion. Thank you.
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Waqar Jul 14, 2016 11:28pm
What an awesome lady. People who keep pets, especially, cats tend to be more patient and have a lot more empathy than others. My young son rescued nine abandoned kittens from an old rusty washing machine. They grew to have a special affinity with him. He fed and provided shelter for them. When his favourite cat got run over, he was devastated. Over five hundred years ago, Muslim physicians would allow cats into hospital wards. The resonance of their purring would help patients' broken bones heal much faster. For cat lovers, I recommend the heart warming video of the 'father of cats in Al-Aqsa - Jerusalem'. Very similar to this lovely lady.
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MJS Jul 15, 2016 03:43am
Along the same lines, my mother has been feeding crows in our backyard for 30 plus years. She is now 80 plus years old but still finds the strength to put out water, bread and seed for the various birds and whenever she can buys meet for the crows. The crows are very intelligent birds. They bring her "gifts" in the form shiny & colorful metallic or plastic objects to show their gratitude. Often they leave bottle caps, beads, imitation jewelry, shiny metallic objects, toys, lego bricks etc. in our lawn. These crows not only recognize her but signal each other to come over for the "feast" whenever she goes out with food.
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Malik Jul 15, 2016 04:02am
This just reminded me of another beautiful cat-event! In mid-1990's I used to travel between DI Khan and Multan by PIA. As soon as the flight landed at Zhob, one would hear the cats meows! Yes, there would be cats on the apron and the stewardesses would feed the cats. I enjoyed this spectacle for almost two years! More power to this Cat Woman!
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Kashig Jul 15, 2016 04:13am
Very nice lady with good heart, May Allah keep her in good health Ameen.
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sultan pervez Jul 15, 2016 05:12am
The term extreme comes to mind when i think of this poor lady. In my view, the poor very nice lady is well over doing. The whole interest seems to have gathered in her mind out of shear boredom rather than kindness or the love of animals. Her valueable time can be better spent doing or searching interests that could be useful to humans rather than just cats.
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Tahir Chaudhry Jul 15, 2016 05:44am
God bless you.
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Rubbery Jul 15, 2016 06:46am
Does she have a name?
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Concerned Jul 15, 2016 07:19am
@Iqbal Hadi Zaidi Feeding a ca, dog or a pigeon is a virtue, while feeding a human is a useless act.
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sd Jul 15, 2016 08:37am
@Concerned kyoo bhai, are some living things more important than others? She feeds these animals with no expectation. I am sure you feed human beings in need too (hopefully). So all is good.
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Kryptonite Jul 15, 2016 10:41am
Very sweet of of this woman. I am a big animal lover myself. These are the good things happening, away from all politics, terrorism, hate etc etc. Hats off to her.
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Rizwan Khan Jul 15, 2016 11:18am
Please do ask her to make an arrangement to clean the street after the cats have been feeded, as you have shown her feeding the cats but not how does the street looks like afterwards. I am the resident of the same street and have to bear the smell, blood, trash and dump of cats ruins the whole street. the woman or Women feed them fresh heads of chicken (mostly) which can not be swallowed by the cats and they vomits all around the street. It really is a kind gesture to feeds any being, but please make sure to clean the neighbourhood and duly make sure if its creating any trouble for others.
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mohammad khan sydney australia Jul 15, 2016 11:54am
Of course she is a Jannati and Allah has blessed her that's why she is able to feed them. It is her saddaka jaria. She should have been Edhi sahab's sister. It is heartening to see there are people some such people in Pakistan blessed by Allah rabbul alameen.
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kit kit Jul 18, 2016 08:09pm
@Rizwan Khan I understand but the reason she is feeding chicken heads is because its the left overs butchers give her for free. she cant afford other food. perhaps if you could have a word with her and all the street makes a small donation to buy other food such as chicken thighs. I do empathise . also what about any vet charities that can spay the female cats so they dont have more kittens? Is there anyone who could help there? Our govs are useless
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