A lady has opened the first café of its kind in the Gaza Strip dedicated to cats of all types and shapes, which will be available for cat lovers and enthusiasts to relieve some of their worries, as stated by Naima Mabeed, the project's owner. Mabeed explains to "BBC": "Our people are under multiple pressures all the time due to closures, travel restrictions, a poor economic situation, and consecutive wars. All of this accumulates inside us in the form of various psychological pressures, including stress and depression, and it is globally known that playing with cats alleviates this stress and acts as an antidepressant."
Mabeed mentioned that the idea stemmed from her childhood passion for cats, as she used to keep them. Even after growing up, marrying, and having children, she has continued to keep several cats in her home, which she still lives with today. She noted that the idea for the project was both encouraging and frightening at the same time due to the social and economic conditions of the besieged Gaza Strip for over 17 years.
Mabeed faced a wave of bullying and criticism that became evident through various social media platforms, with critics stating that such ideas are not suitable for the Gaza Strip, and that the priority should be to provide shelter, food, and drink for the poor and those suffering from difficult economic conditions, rather than for cats. Mabeed clarified, "At the beginning of preparing the project, I was thinking of making the café exclusive for women and girls; however, once the promotional announcement was posted on social media, we received a lot of interest and inquiries from both genders, so I decided to make the café open to everyone."
