Does Anyone Know What Happened to the First and Only Cat Cafe in Gaza?

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Naeema Mea'bed's cat cafe in Gaza

Naeema Mea'bed, a Palestinian woman in Gaza, opened Gaza’s first cat cafe, "MEOW Cat Cafe", in August 2023. Reuters cited her telling their reporter that she wanted to bring joy and pet awareness to the people constrained to the open prison of Gaza. 

The cafe was fully cat-themed. Offering fourteen resident cats’ company, cat posters on the walls, cat perches, cat swings, a children’s play area, and more; this cafe was a complete feline experience for families, especially children. The breeds in the cafe included Persian cats, Turkish angoras, and hybrids. 


The cafe charged $1.30 per hour for the feline experience. On Sundays, long queues waited in front. Naeema Mea'bed told the press covering the story that she had a passion for cats from childhood. Naeema used to say that cats were natural anti-depressants. 


Naeema Mea'bed, owner of cat cafe in Gaza


Since the Israel-Gaza war had started only two months after the cafe was opened, in October 2023, nothing was heard of Naeema Mea'bed and her cats on the news. Sitting in a corner of India, I tried to find some news about what happened to them without success. What happened to Tom, Simba, Phoenix, Dot, and all her other cats? What happened to her and her family?


It even feels like hypocrisy to talk about the cats of Gaza when thousands of people are getting killed in the war. However, I keep thinking about the dreams Naeema Mea'bed might have had when she opened her cafe, her new venture. This most probably should have been her dream project. After two months of successful running, suddenly she found bombs falling on her cafe. The anguish, grief and fear that she might have felt are part of the horrific plight of the people of Gaza. 


Children playing with cats inside cat cafe in Gaza


In Gaza, 70% of people had symptoms of depression even before the war started. Naeema had also testified that cats helped her relax and overcome her depressive moods. The blockade of the Gazan territory by Israel had taken a heavy toll on its people, even during times of peace. There is no imagining how people coped after the war started, as everyone alive has lost at least a few of their loved ones. Pets could become the last straw of hope for people in such times and the death and loss of pets could be greatly traumatic, especially for children. 


The happy pictures from the cafe’s good days remind us how war changes life and how futile and criminal it is. War steals life and all the joys of life for those who are alive.


If anyone knows what happened to the cat cafe, kindly post an update as a response to me or as a separate news item. The pictures I have here are from the news reports from media outlets, celebrating the opening of the cat cafe. The same new organisations owe the international community to find out what happened to Naeema Mea'bed and her cats.   


(Image source: Al Mayadeen TV & Al Jazeera English TV)

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