A number of stray cats gather in an area in Nineveh’s Tal Afar district, where Jassam Taqi Younis has been feeding them for the past five years. (Photo: 964media)
Nineveh
Tal Afar tea vendor dedicates five years to feeding stray cats
NINEVEH — For the past five years, Jassam Taqi Younis has taken it upon himself to feed hundreds of stray cats across neighborhoods in Tal Afar district, Nineveh, using leftover chicken from local vendors to ensure the animals have food, cold water, and ice during the hot summer months.
Younis, who works as a street tea vendor late into the night, sees feeding the cats as a humanitarian duty. He referenced a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad: “Have mercy on those on earth, and the One in the heavens will have mercy on you.”
“These cats do not harm anyone. They live in destroyed buildings and unfinished structures. Many people appreciate what I do,” Younis said.
Despite his late hours, he makes time to care for the animals that “rely on God and then on us,” he said. He added that the cats help control pests, including snakes and rats.
“They do not have a language to express their need for food; they simply wait for someone to provide it,” he said.
Despite facing financial challenges, Younis has refused monetary assistance. “I don’t need financial support for this work,” he said.
Younis estimates that over 175 cats are spread across five locations in Tal Afar, with each group gathering in a specific area. “Even in the rain, I continue this duty,” he said.
