As we flip the pages on the calendar to a new year, SPCA International is continuing to surge ahead with Operation Baghdad Pups. We are responding to continual requests to help men and women serving in Iraq bring their dogs and cats home from the war zone. With a new President about to enter the White House and U.S. troops presence in Iraq ratcheting down, there is an increasing urgency to get these dogs and cats to their new homes before it is too late.
To date, we have rescued 68 dogs and 8 cats, but now we are seeing an increase in requests to help cats. One of these requests came from a man named Kevin, currently stationed Baghdad. His cat lives close to the American Embassy in Baghdad. When Kevin first saw the friendly feline the cat was helping guard the gate that people and vehicles entering the compound must pass through. When the human guard would open the gate, the cat would move aside. Once the car passed, the guard would close the gate and the cat would move back into the same spot. Kevin was astonished to watch as this routine was repeated throughout the day – every day.
When Kevin finally asked the guard who the cat belonged to and if it had a name, the guard replied, “He’s just a stray and he’s got no name. He just hangs around and we give him some scraps of food in exchange for his help guarding the gate. At night especially, he’s pretty good company.”
Kevin decided that a cat with such an important job deserved a name. Since the cat seemed to consider himself partly in charge of assessing who entered the compound and who didn’t, Kevin thought of the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. In the story, in order to open the cave where the treasures are hidden, the characters have to say “Open sesame!”
Kevin decided to name the cat Simsim, the Arabic word for sesame. Now Simsim has a name and a forever home waiting for him in the United States with Kevin.
Simsim is scheduled to leave his job and start his new life in February on SPCA International’s first 2009 rescue mission. With your help, Simsim and other cat and dogs, will leave behind the life they had in Iraq and learn to live in a home where they will never want for anything ever again.
Help SPCA International bring Simsim and his friends home by making a donation today!
