Ryan and I got a kitten about a month ago, thinking, great it will be so fun to have a pet. Well, we had no idea how challenging it would be to “raise” a cat in Haiti.
First of all, we didn’t know that in Haiti, most people consider cats food – just like chicken or fish. So our Haitian workers thought we “crazy Americans” were strange for bringing this cat into the house to live. What a weird concept. They laugh when they see us carrying him around the house, playing with him, cleaning his litter box…
That’s a whole other thing. Finding cat litter in Haiti is very difficult. I finally found it at Megamart, sort of like Haiti’s Costco. However, it was ridiculously expensive. I think it was over $30 for the smallest box, which in the states would cost under $10. Surprisingly you can find cat food at most grocery stores, thankfully.
Then there’s the issue of her being so tiny that our dog, Larry, a bullmastiff, could fit her completely in his mouth and eat her in one bite. And the cat is about the size of a Haitian rat right now, which the dogs are ecstatic about eating whenever one runs across the yard. So the cat would for sure be a goner if she got loose.
We have tried introducing the cat to the dogs several times, and this resulted in much hissing, clawing and sheer terror on the part of the cat. She is getting bigger though, and is able to run faster and jump higher. So she may have a chance at life yet. We’ll see. John, our boss, suggested that we make bets on the day Larry will eat the cat – you know, turn it into some kind of fundraiser for Heartline. Thankfully he picked April 1st, and that has passed now.
And about the pizza, Monise, one of our workers, suggested that instead of barbeque chicken pizza for dinner, we do barbeque cat. And she likes to tease me and say, “Melissa, I’m hungry,” whenever she sees me carrying the cat around. 
I apologize for writing a blog all about cats – I have learned since getting this kitten that there are a lot of cat-haters in this world – this includes Americans. But to those of you who do like them – he is sooo cute and his name is “Pistach” meaning “Peanut” in Creole. I’m sure you’ll hear more about Pistach in future blogs, and if any of you want to donate money and place a bet, feel free to do so!
