Can You Pet Stray Cats in Marrakech? SHOULD YOU?!1??

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If there’s one thing you should know about me…I’m not very keen on animal encounters. In fact, the bigger the animal, the LESS I want to encounter them. My general rule of thumb is if I cannot physically win in a fight against an animal, I have no business being around them. But…as a cat parent and a dog lover…I must admit that stray cats and dogs do pluck on my heart strings when I travel. If you could tell by the title of this blog post, Morocco is a “cat country” and you’ll definitely come across stray cats in Marrakech, the country’s capital city.

But…can you pet the stray cats in Marrakech?

SHOULD you pet them?

The answer to those two questions are…slightly different, and I KNOW someone out there is wondering (hello! thanks for clicking on this post!) so let’s break it down.

Can you Pet Stray Cats in Marrakech?

The short answer to this question is generally – yes. They are domesticated cats and not wild gorillas. For the most part, you will be physically fiiiiine if you are overcome by their cuteness and need to pet the fluffy neighborhood kitten.

That said – you should still be cautious though.

Like I mentioned before, Morocco is a “cat country,” meaning there is a NOTICEABLE amount of stray cats in almost every large city. Side note, Chefchaouen had a fair amount of stray dogs…but….that city is in its own playing field haha. Anyways, the local communities do take care of the stray cats and you’ll see residents putting out food and water for them, and even playing with them.

That said, cats are cats. Some of them will run up to you and jump on your lap while others…might not want to be touched. You might scare them off (and potentially away from their normal area) or they could get feisty with you and fight back.

There are much better souvenirs to take home than scratches from stray cats in Marrakech.

If you are unfamiliar with cats, most are approachable when they initiate interaction and rub themselves against you, sometimes with vocal cues of meowing or purring. Their tails will likely be up, but they also maybe be relaxed. These are good signs!

Less approachable signs are a cat in a defensive position with raised fur, or an attack position with a twitching tails. Vocal cues that a cat does not want to be touched includes the classic hissing. Also if a cat runs away from you, just respect its boundaries and leave it alone.

Just…use common sense, yanno?

For folks with a soft spot for feeding the stray cats in Marrakech, make sure to stick to cat-friendly foods rather than giving them scraps of human dishes and drinks, which might upset their little stomachs. And ALWAYS wash your hands after touching any stray animal!

Are Stray Cats in Marrakech Safe?

Most people know that they physically CAN pet a random stray cat. The more pressing question is…should you?

No.

BAHAHAHAH IM KIDDING IM KIDDING. Sorry, I had to. On a serious note, stray animals DO have a potential for disease. That’s just reality. No matter how cute or friendly a stray animal is…it is very likely that the animal might have a transferrable and infectious disease, illness, or pest.

While I personally don’t go around petting any ol’ stray animal (or most of them, for that matter), I will say that the large majority of stray cats in Marrakech were relatively healthy. Dirty…sure, because they are stray cats.

But overall, most were in very good shape. Part of this is definitely due to the generous residents offering the strays food and water, so rarely do you see malnourished cats. Some might have minor injuries from street cat fights, but I don’t remember seeing any of the stray cats in Marrakech with serious injuries.

The common sense rule of thumb is that if a stray cat looks particularly…questionable, you probably shouldn’t pet it. BUT, if you really want to weight the pros and cons on a case-by-case basis, you should probably know the signs for the biggest concerns.

Aka rabies.

Also not a fun travel souvenir.

While the actual risk of catching rabies from a stray or wild animal is low in most places…it is still a risk. Signs of a potentially rabid animal include aggressive behavior, foaming around the mouth, excessive drooling (a little harder to tell with Saint Bernards) and unprovoked attacks against humans and other animals.

Slightly less threatening (to humans) but still a concern are fleas, ticks, worms, and other unsightly parasites. They are mostly just super gross, buuut bites from fleas and especially ticks can carry nasty diseases.

AGAIN, make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after petting any stray animals. Especially if one of the animals had fleas, which can be great at hiding, you should shower and wash your clothes when you get back to your accommodation. If laundry isn’t available, bag them up to keep them separate from the rest of your luggage until you make it home.

What to Do if You Get Bit

Soooo, you ignored some of the common sense rules and -whoops- you got scratched or bitten by one of the stray cats in Marrakech and it broke skin.

IT HAPPENS.

Chances are, it won’t be the end of the world and you probably won’t need to visit a hospital (especially for a cat-inflicted injury), but you should still take care of it so things don’t fester into a larger issue. Pun intended.

1. Clean the wound immediately with soap and water for at least five minutes.
2. Apply an antiseptic to prevent infection.
3. Monitor for signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, or pus.
4. Seek medical advice if the wound is deep, does not heal properly, or if you are concerned about a potential infection.

How To Help Stray Cats In Marrakech

We’ve answered the basic question of petting stray cats in Marrakech, but after hearing one of good friend’s horror stories about her travel companion doing a terrible job trying to “save” two stray puppies in Guatemala, I thought I’d include this section too.

If you feel compelled to do more for the stray cats in Marrakech, there are a few local animal shelters, vet clinics, and charities in Morocco that are dedicated to providing free care, treatment and rabies vaccination to strays. That way, your money can go a LOT farther than just buying food for one individual cat and help ensure long-term support for all stray animals in the area.

One of the best (or at least most accessible) animal air organizations for travelers to Morocco is Morocco Animal Aid. They are located in Taghazout, but since Morocco is one of the best road trip countries, I’d highly recommend adding that city onto your itinerary anyway. If you do manage to find a stray animal in Morocco in dire need of emergency, they can assist (expect the bill to be about $250 USD) as well as offer vaccinations and neutering.

To my understanding (please correct me in the comments if I’m wrong), there is currently no national TNR program in Morocco, which stands for Trap-Neuter-Return and is a humane method for managing and stabilizing feral and stray cat (and dog) populations. But Morocco Animal Aid started their own program!

Definitely donate and support them, and they even help with adoptions if you come across any particularly cute stray cats in Marrakech! *wink wink nudge nudge*

Jarjeer Mules is a mule and donkey refuge started in 2014 to house retired animals and orphaned animals, and also provide care for working equines in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains near Marrakesh.

Conclusion

Okay, that was a surprisingly long post for a seemingly simple answer.

Can you pet the stray cats in Marrakech? Yes. Should you? Ehhh…use your best judgement, but you’ll probably be fine. Just, yanno, wash your hands.

While you’re in the country petting all the stray cats in Marrakech, be sure to check out my blog post outlining a super dope 3 days in Marrakech! Are you someone who likes interacting with stray animals when you travel? Do you notice them at all? Let me know in the comments below!

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