In Essaouira, bike-rental shop owner Jad El Argane has become a local attraction thanks to his rescued cats, who ride perched on his shoulder as he cycles through the city, a bond that began unexpectedly when a pregnant stray sought his help in 2023. In Essaouira, this small business owner's happy place is a bike ride with his cats. Jad El Argane divides his time between running his beachside bike-rental shop and caring for his cats, and together, they've unexpectedly become one of the city's most charming attractions. In a place already known for its medina walls, narrow alleys, ocean breeze, and soulful Gnaoua rhythms, Jad or Jad, as his friends call him, stands out. He's not the only cat lover in Essaouira, but he is the only one who has trained his cats to perch on his shoulder while he cycles freely across the city. Wherever he goes, one of his six rescued cats rides along, feeling the breeze, taking in the scenery, sometimes even wearing the Moroccan flag like a tiny superhero cape. On social media, Jad shares candid videos under the label «Supercat family». The clan includes Fluffy, Bez9oul (rescued with an eye infection), Chaaaybia (whose tongue was amputated), Snoopy, Hachoum (a black cat who loves to swim), and Momo, along with many others who have come and gone over the years. «I've cared for more than 300 cats, some I raised, others stayed with me for part of their lives», he proudly told Yabiladi. He speaks of his cats like his children. He talks to them like adults. And they respond to him in ways that surprise even him. Yet before this bond formed, Jad was indifferent to cats. He had never raised any, never imagined he would. Everything changed on Eid al-Fitr in 2023. «I didn't intend to open the shop that day», he recalls. «I went there because a client called and wanted a bike and said to myself, 'I'll stay just a bit.' Then I saw the neighborhood cat coming toward me. She stood in front of me and started meowing, she was pregnant». Unsure what to do, he suddenly remembered a video he had watched during Ramadan, about what to do when a cat seeks your help to give birth. «It was like a sign», he says. He knelt down and spoke to her: «Mimi, I promise you that you are safe here. You can give birth in my shop, and I will never give up on you, not you and not your kittens». She immediately began searching for a spot. «I was surprised and scared because it's a responsibility». From that moment, cats became part of Jad's life. He cared for Mimi's kittens, and the ones after them, rescuing, rehabilitating, and even training many until someone was ready to adopt them. The Birth of the «Supercats» Now 40, Jad explains that the Supercat story began by accident. One day, while getting on his bike, one of his cats, Jimmy, jumped onto his back and clung to him. «I was scared he would fall, but he didn't move. He held on to me on the bike until we reached our destination», he recalled, still surprised by the scene. The next day, Jad tried taking him out again. «I said to myself, 'Let's see if he does it again.' To my surprise, he didn't jump, he stood on my shoulder while I was riding». He tried with another cat. «In just a week, all my cats knew how to hold themselves steady on the bike with me». He quickly understood that cats learn by observing each other. «Jimmy was the pioneer, he gave the others the reassurance», he laughs. In Essaouira, Jad and his cats became a familiar sight. Locals and tourists film him as he rides past, a cat balanced proudly on his shoulder. «My cats stand on my shoulder, their front paws on my arm, their back paws on my shoulder», he explained. «I've never seen this before. Friends from around the world who train cats tell me they've never seen anything like it». For two years now, he has posted videos daily. «I've trained more than 40 cats to ride with me. Now, I can have up to four cats on the bike at the same time». Love, Judgment, and Thick Skin But not everyone embraced the sight at first. «When I first started riding with cats, people thought I was crazy. Others said I had nothing to do», he remembers. Jad learned not to care; he had grown thick-skinned. «I suffered intense bullying growing up. I couldn't speak until middle school. I also have a disability in my arm. So I stopped caring what people think». Today, Jad says he is «the happiest person on earth» with his cats. They even pushed him to quit smoking. And now, he dreams bigger, he wants to enter politics one day, to make Essaouira «like Istanbul, a city where cats are part of the charm and an attraction for tourists».
