The Electronic Intifada 23 January 2025
Don’t mess with Lucy!
The Israeli genocide in Gaza has weighed heavily on our hearts and souls.
Homes have been destroyed, families have been displaced, tens upon tens of thousands have been killed.
And the devastation didn’t stop there; it seeped into the simplest details of our daily lives. With electricity deliberately cut off and food scarce, mice began invading our homes and tents, adding a new layer of suffering to an already endless list of hardships.
It all started when we noticed the first mouse scurrying around the kitchen in the factory we sought shelter in in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City.
The mouse darted around between the dishes as if challenging everyone to catch it. It wasn’t alone either; soon, mice multiplied at an alarming rate, taking advantage of the chaos of war to invade our homes.
Nothing escaped their small, sharp teeth – clothes, papers, the food we struggled so hard to obtain. I remember the day my mother discovered that our month-long supply of flour had been torn apart, white dust scattered everywhere.
Even the children weren’t spared. One night, my brother, Muhammad, 9, woke up crying from pain in a finger, and we discovered a mouse had bitten him while he slept.
That was the final straw. My father decided we had to find a swift and lasting solution.
An unexpected savior
We tried everything. We placed poison in the corners of the house, but the mice seemed immune. My mother set traps up, but they rarely caught anything, as if the mice had outsmarted us.
We even tried staying up late to catch them ourselves. But these small creatures were too fast, disappearing into the darkness before we could get close.
One day, as my father sat pondering a solution, a simple yet risky idea came to him: Why not get a cat? It seemed like an obvious choice, but in war-like conditions, having a cat meant an additional mouth to feed and care for.
Still, necessity trumped prudence.
My father visited a neighbor who had a small cat named Lucy. She was agile and clever, and when we brought her home it felt as though she understood her mission perfectly.
From the very first night, Lucy began exploring the house, tracking the mice and hiding behind furniture in ambush. As days passed, she really started displaying her skills. We’d wake up to the sound of light movement, only to find Lucy holding a mouse in her mouth, as if saying, “Here’s my trophy!”
Her task wasn’t always easy; sometimes, we’d see her face fierce resistance from larger mice, like a real-life version of Tom and Jerry. We’d cheer her on and laugh at her occasional failed attempts, but we knew she was taking a huge burden off our shoulders.
Lucy became such an intimate part of our family that it seemed as if she could read our minds and feel our pain. She would sit beside us when we were sad and play with the children, bringing joy to their hearts. Even during the toughest nights of Israeli air raids, when the sounds of shelling and planes filled the air, Lucy would comfort us with her playful antics.
Mice declare war
One night, a group of mice infiltrated the storage room where we kept the little food we had left. It was a critical moment, as if the mice had decided to declare war.
Lucy darted into the room, with us following close behind, armed with sticks and brooms. What unfolded was nothing short of a real battle: Lucy chased the mice from corner to corner and we tried to assist her.
After hours of effort, we finally reclaimed the room.
Over time, the number of mice dwindled significantly and their presence became rare. Lucy was our hero. She not only helped save our food but also restored a sense of safety amid the chaos.
Lucy taught us that survival requires persistence and adaptability. In the face of unrelenting Israeli military attacks, poverty and fear, this little cat became a symbol of resilience.
She fought back with courage, reminding us that hope exists even in the darkest of times.
For us, Tom and Jerry was no longer just a cartoon but a reflection of our reality. And thanks to our determination – and thanks to Lucy – we triumphed in the end.
I will keep Lucy with me no matter what happens next.
Reem Hamdona is a freelance writer in Gaza.
