In Sidi Slimane, a young man devotes his life to caring for stray cats

Speaking over the phone, Mohammed Lebric came across as a modest young man who seemed far more comfortable talking about cats than about himself. He spoke about them with unmistakable enthusiasm, listing their names one by one and sharing small details about each as though they were part of his everyday life. Even without seeing him, it was easy to sense his deep attachment to them and the way he regards them as members of his own family.

Mohammed, a 29-year-old from Sidi Slimane, says his story with cats began in childhood, when he would keep one or two at the family home, only to lose some of them without ever knowing what had happened.

«Growing up in a working-class neighborhood, the cats I raised as a child would go out into the street», he told Yabiladi. «Very often they would either get lost or end up dead, and I would be devastated».

Over the years, that early attachment grew into a daily commitment to caring not only for his own cats, but also for the strays roaming the neighborhood, despite his difficult social circumstances. Mohammed has worked a series of informal jobs, including selling sweets in the street before later moving into the fish trade. He says his goal was always to provide food for the cats, whether those living with him at home or the ones that had grown used to waiting for him outside every day.

According to him, the neighborhood cats now recognize the time he usually leaves the house and run toward him as soon as they see him carrying food.

Since 2019, Mohamemd has started taking in a larger number of cats at home. His care goes beyond feeding them; he also treats some himself, especially those with minor illnesses, while taking more serious cases to the veterinarian and covering treatment costs despite his limited means, often with help from a few benefactors.

Despite hardship, he rented a home for sick cats

Mohammed currently looks after eight cats in the family home, in addition to 24 others housed in a small place he rented specifically to shelter sick and injured street cats in need of treatment and care. Once some of them recover, he returns them to the street.

«I only release cats that I believe can adapt to life outside. Others, those with disabilities such as blindness, paralysis or amputated limbs, I keep with me. I would like to keep them all, but my situation does not allow it».

Mohammed’s financial situation makes these responsibilities especially difficult, particularly since he stopped selling fish about a year ago because of back problems that left him unable to stand for long periods. He is also responsible for supporting his mother and three sisters, and occasionally takes on odd jobs using a three-wheeled motorcycle cart to help cover household expenses and the cost of caring for the cats.

Throughout the conversation, it became clear that what brought him the most joy was talking about the cats themselves, especially when recounting the stories behind some of them. One name he returned to repeatedly was «Mimi», a cat he used to feed in the street while selling fish before discovering that she was pregnant and in poor health.

Mohammed says he took Mimi, whose name he mentions with the smile of someone speaking about his own child, to the veterinarian, who told him she was about to give birth. He decided to bring her home, where she eventually delivered her kittens in front of him.

He says that despite being unemployed at the time and struggling to afford food, abandoning her never crossed his mind. Since then, Mimi has remained with him permanently inside the house.

More than once during the conversation, Mohammed repeated one simple and spontaneous sentence: «I consider them like my children».

The phrase sums up his relationship with these cats, which have become an essential part of his daily life and a source of comfort and positive energy amid hardships he does not hide, though he always speaks about them with a smile.

Mohammed hopes to one day be able to care for even more cats and provide for their needs, especially as he continues to receive alerts about new cases of sick or injured strays. Despite his limited means, he still goes out to collect them and tries to save them whenever he can.