The siege and the cat that saved my life
Amra Sabic El-Rayess was just 16 when war took hold of her hometown, Bihać in Bosnia Herzegovina. The city was bombed and blockaded for three years but Amra had a lucky charm.
Aged 16 Amra Sabic El-Rayess was a grade-A student with a bright future ahead but then one day when she got to school almost all her ethnic Serb classmates were gone.
This was Bihać in Bosnia Herzegovina in June 1992 and the city was soon surrounded by ethnic Serb forces. The remaining mainly Bosnian Muslims, which included Amra and her family, would face a three-year siege. But amidst the death and destruction Amra found a lucky charm, a 'refugee' cat called Maci who adopted her and who she credits with saving her life.
Professor Amra Sabic El-Rayess now lives in the US and has written a book about her life called The Cat I Never Named.
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
Presenter: Andrea Kennedy
Producer: Thomas Harding-Assinder
Picture: Composite image with Amra Sabic El Rayess
Credit: Courtesy of Amra Sabic El Rayess + Gian Luca Salis / EyeEm via Getty Images
Podcast
-
![]()
The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
