As nearly 85% of Ksar El Kebir’s residents were evacuated due to rising flood risks, many street cats and dogs were left stranded in the city, prompting local animal welfare associations to step in to feed them and relocate many to safer areas.
Footage circulating online showed volunteers rescuing as many cats as possible, including sick, injured animals and kittens, placing them in cages inside their cars and transporting them to safer shelters in Tetouan, Tangier, and Larache. Volunteers were also seen leaving food behind for animals that were able to survive on their own.
Many residents joined the rescue efforts, with videos showing citizens pulling trapped cats out of flooded and waterlogged areas.
Abdelwahed Lechhab and Hajar Marzouki, members of the Feeding Street Cats Initiative, told Hespress English that they managed to relocate around 45 cats from Ksar El Kebir to a farm in Larache, where a veterinarian volunteered to host them temporarily and ensure their safety.
The couple, who run a YouTube channel with more than one million subscribers, said flooding made their shelter in Ksar El Kebir unsafe. As a result, they decided to move 35 cats from the shelter, along with about 10 street cats, to Larache.
During the early days of the evacuation, the couple initially left the cats behind while they evacuated to Larache themselves. However, they continued traveling back and forth to provide food and medication before ultimately transferring the animals to the farm once conditions worsened.
Lechhab added that before leaving the area, they managed to feed approximately 140 cats living in higher ground.
He noted that their efforts focused exclusively on cats, as they were unable to accommodate dogs at the same facility.
The couple said they usually feed around 170 cats in Ksar El Kebir and care for about 35 cats with special needs, including mother cats with kittens. As part of their work, they attempt to neuter and sterilize the animals before returning them to their original locations, allowing them to live without further reproduction.
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