When I sold my veterinary hospital in Manhattan and retired from clinical practice, I didn’t think of it as the end of an era. I looked at it as a new
beginning.
I could now pursue opportunities I previously didn’t have time for: participating in international veterinary projects around the globe in places where veterinary care is unavailable.
Today, I find myself in Stone Town, the main city of Zanzibar, a beautiful island off the coast of Tanzania in Africa. Cats are treated here with a great deal of love and compassion.
In New York City, my veterinary hospital was a cat clinic, and I’m a total cat person. For me, Stone Town is heaven on Earth.
I’m here for two weeks with a group of international veterinarians and local veterinary caretakers. Our goal is to capture, sterilize, and release as many cats as we can.
My hotel is a few hundred meters from Forodhani Park, a popular waterfront spot. The park is home to dozens, maybe even hundreds, of street cats who sleep in the grass, on benches, and in flowerpots. They thrive here every evening when a lively food market brings locals and tourists together to enjoy the delicious local cuisine.
As people sit and eat, the park cats gather at their feet, waiting patiently for scraps to be tossed their way. The people are very generous and happy to oblige.
When the night market finally packs up around midnight, any remaining food on the ground is enthusiastically scarfed up by the cats.
I had a rare day off from the sterilization project yesterday. After walking in the 100-degree plus heat all morning, I returned to my hotel to cool down before heading to the Cape Town Fish Market, a waterfront restaurant in Forodhani Park.
After dinner, I meandered through the park on the way back to my hotel. I sat down on a bench by a fountain to enjoy the evening and noticed a tiny, very young kitten stumbling weakly from the day’s heat.
Another man in the park also saw the kitten struggling. I watched as he found a paper cup on the ground, filled it with water from the fountain, and set it in front of the tiny kitten.
When he saw that the cup was too tall for the small cat to reach the water, he moved the cup to a spot a few feet away, where it was just the right height. He then gently carried the kitten over to where he placed the cup so the kitten was able to drink.
– Arnold Plotnick,
Zanzibar via New York City
Thank you for the gift of sharing your story with us, Arnold.
Arnold is a retired veterinarian who lives in New York City and is also a wonderful photographer. You can see his work on Instagram at @arnoldplotnickphotography.
Thanks very much for reading,
– Jeff Marden
These stories need to be told. The world needs to hear news and stories about healing and building peace — now more than ever.
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