I mentioned in my last post that I'd taken a cat to the vet here in Dahab the other night. Her name is Tracey.

She belongs to a Bedouin man called Mohamed Soliman at a really lovely little backpackers hotel called Marine Garden Camp. It's right on a beautiful beach, and full of character, as well as several stray dogs and cats. Tracey's named after my good friend here Tracey Searle, and she lives a full outdoor life playing with the other animals, sleeping by the sea and generally being cute.

To make sure she stays that way, I took her to to be neutered. Quite an experience, here in Dahab. You take the cat in, leave it for one hour, then take it home heavily anaesthetised, and in a state that most pet owners would never want to witness.

From there, Tracey has been spending her time in my flat recovering. It's been a rocky road, with vomiting sessions, a crash course in litter training and this has been the first time I've had to administer an injection. All character building!

She's on the mend now and sitting on my lap as I type. Hence becoming a Magical Beard Cat just a few minutes ago...