The world right now is full of horrible news and stories that take your faith away from humanity. But we have a treat for our Pet Planet readers in the form of a story that will restore your trust in human beings and their capacity to love. Niaz Ahmed, an old man who lives in Karachi, Pakistan, goes out of his way and means to feed 100 cats every day. He not only feeds them once but twice daily!
Old Man with Cats
People of the area have affectionately started calling Mr. Ahmed ‘billi walay baba’ which means an old man with cats in the local language. The extraordinary story of this 55-year-old man is so awe-filled because he struggles to make ends meet in his own home, yet he never misses the day when it comes to feeding his favorite cats of the neighborhood.
Mr. Ahmed is a carpenter by trade and runs a small furniture shop in a small neighborhood of Karachi. He fell in love with cats 20 years ago when a little kitten wandered in his shop and started meowing. It was clear that the little guy was hungry. So, naturally, he decided to go to a nearby meat shop and get something to eat for the hungry kitten.
That little kitten, which he named Munni, never left his shop after that day and forged a bond with the man. Munni stayed at Mr. Ahmed’s shop for years and had kittens that also made the shop their home. The old man’s affection for cats grew from there, and he started treating all cats, even the stray cats of the area, with kindness and love that they deserve.
Feeding Stray Cats
Munni passed away after seven years but the little kitten made Mr. Ahmed realize that he was an ailurophile and had to keep the memory of his beloved cat alive by loving all of the felines in the neighborhood the same way.
This extraordinary man’s daily routine is roughly like this; he wakes up early morning and after breakfast, he goes to feed all the cats that he can find nearby.
He goes to work after his chore of kindness. After his day’s labor is done, he goes back to feed all of the cats once again in the evening. He hasn’t missed a day in the last 15 years and considers it his duty to feed the cats. That level of dedication makes him a superstar for every animal lover out there.
Not Just a Cat Lover
Mr. Ahmed is not stringent about his affection. He not only feeds about 100 cats every day but also the stray dogs that frequent his shop whenever they are hungry.
He has to spend about $2 a day to feed all the animals per day, which is a huge deal for someone who spends his life on a meager income. But Mr. Ahmed believes that it is God that helps him and feeds the poor animals through him. According to him, this is the best form of charity that one can perform and brings him joy and peace to spend time with the cats and feeding them.
He doesn’t even accept help from other people when it comes to his beloved cats. He says that it is his job to feed them and he’ll continue to do so until he is breathing.
We can only hope that Niaz Ahmed will inspire many more people to shower animals, especially stray ones, with affection and feed the ones that are hungry.
All we can do is hope that this man with an amazing heart continues his work for years to come and we can follow in his footsteps.
