Haunted by Cats

An article in yesterday's Financial Times tells of an expedition by Tahir Shah and his young daughter, Ariane, to the Moroccan Atlantic port of Sale. From what was a republic in the seventeenth century, pirates sailed far and wide, returning with their booty and slaves.

In the graveyard they find an old fisherman feeding fish heads to the cats which surround him. In Morocco a cat never goes hungry because people believe ghosts of dead humans dwell in them. It turns out that parts of Sale are really haunted because Tahir and Ariane come across nests of cats as they walk along the damp vaulted corridor to the dungeon in the Sqala.

I can't say I recognise in Banjo and Sherpa the spirits of any humans I knew, but once we had a dog we loved very dearly, and more than once, in unguarded moments, I looked at her and saw a very gentle, refined and pious lady with whom we were connected. If you think about it, however, dog ghosts are more unlikely than cats. At least cats have good vision in dim light.

The entire article, 'Barbary Ghosts' can be read on the blog:

tahir-shah. blogspot.com