Dubai Rescue Aids Abandoned Cats & Dogs
Last week, I posted about the effect of the fallen economy on cats and dogs in the U.S. An article yesterday in The National, a publication based in Dubai, reminds us that U.S. pets are not the only ones affected by our dismal economy.
The situation in Dubai is a bit different, though. While this is the time of year people often abandon their pets to take an extended holiday, today they are leaving their cats and dogs behind, because they are returning home. Where is home? Sadly, it appears to be either the U.S. or the U.K. - shame on us. Fortunately, at least for some of the abandoned pets, Dubai’s Feline Friends is there to offer help. According to the article, each year, Feline Friends re-homes between 600 and 700 cats and pays for approximately 1,000 more to be neutered. This year has been unusually busy, though. Feline Friend's chairwoman, Lesley Muncey, told The National:
“We had 30 calls just in one day, which is a huge amount, asking us to take their cats in. That’s just the people who are trying to re-home them, let alone all the ones that won’t even bother. We have a lot of e-mails from people who have left the country saying they’ve left their cats in their villa, can we go around and catch them? Then there’s the people who have just gone home and locked their villas and locked these animals in. Or stuffed them down drains. It’s awful.”
Unlike K9 (rescue for dogs), Feline Friends does not have a shelter. It operates through a series of foster homes. George O'Donohue, columnist for The Observer, says:
When I go to visit Muncey in her home, there must be at least a dozen felines in residence, from month-old kittens upwards. The worrying difference this year is that they are all pedigrees, which can cost between Dh3,000 and Dh6,000 to buy. That these previously highly sought after cats are ending up on the same level as an alley cat offers an insight into how far the global downturn is affecting families here.Because cats left to fend for themselves on the street often die a slow, horrible death, Muncey advices callers that the kindest thing to do is to have the cats mercifully euthanized, rather than abandoning them on the streets or left locked inside an abandoned home.
Comments
Thankyou for bringing the plight of the Dubai
cats to the attention of so many!
If anyone can help us get Land for a shelter
the Cats and kittens of Dubai will be for ever grateful. Fishy kisses to all that care.
Thank you so much for spending time to give people an idea of what’s happening. A lot of people are vaguely aware that ‘things must be bad’ but actually, there’s still a lot that can be done! Feline Friends is desperately short of foster homes – even for a short period, to cover the summer break when so many people leave. Offering shelter to one of these needy cases is literally the difference between life and death.
It is a terrible situation. I was called last week to trap some cats in one area. There were about five cats that were roaming the streets. None of them would go into the traps. It was clear that these were domestic cats, not ferral cats. They were friendly but couldn’t be caught. I just hope they will learn to fend for themselves.
Everyone who brings a pet into the country or purchases/adopts a pet should have to register their pet with the Municipality and when they leave they would have to show that their pet was with them or had died during the time they were here. That would paritally solve the problem as some people would probably just dump the animals once they arrive at their new home.
With people abandoning animals everyday in Dubai at the moment the animal causes are in a terrible situation. Its extremely sad that humans treat animals this way discarding them like rubbish, there has also been a number of small kittens thrown from car windows as they drive….Some have been rescued some sadly not. Feline Friends is desperate for a shelter so we can help more cats and kittens get off the streets and spare them a tragic death.
I am a fosterer with Feline Friends and am totally dismayed by the inhumanity against cats I see here in Dubai. A pet is not just for while you are in Dubai, a pet is for life! People really have no sense of responsibility at all and just dump their pets when they leave Dubai. This to me is absolutely barbaric behaviour, the pets don’t have a chance at survival at all due to the climate here and often die a horrible, slow, painful death out in the streets. Take responsibilty for you pets people, either find them a good home or have them humanely authanized but don’t just dump them! Feline Friends do their best to help as many cats as possible, however, they are NOT a re-homing center for the convenience of irresponsible owners. Feline Friends just don’t have enough funds or manpower to go around.
As a friend of Lesley Muncey I experienced the care that Feline Friends offer these cats that are abandoned and need their help when I was in Dubai in February. I take my hat off to all the fosters and volunteers that spend so much time caring for these poor cats, because without their dedication alot of these cats would be left to die long and horrible deaths. Although not every cat can be saved all those that are, are found loving homes which is all they crave.I know first hand all the work that is involved and feel ashamed that it is some of my fellow Brits that are causing the problem by leaving their so called “beloved cats” without finding new homes for them! PLEASE can you all be responsible enough to find these animals a safe home!! A big thank you for all the friends I met in Dubai involved with Feline Friends and may you all have the strengh to carry on your vital work knowing how much good you all achieve and a even bigger thank you from the hundreds of cats that you have all saved and that are now living a better life!! xx
I can only add to what has been said below, but also thank you for blogging on this. It is truly sad that many pet owners cannot take responsibility for their pets future. Although I understand it is a tricky economic climate right now, if a person can still manage to organise their furniture shipping to their home country in time, they can also manage their pet relocation too… If this is not possible for whatever reasons – take responsibility please and re home your pets – do not just dump them on the streets.. Well done Feline Friends for their continued efforts to help the cats / kittens in Dubai.
Often in the trauma of losing your job and trying to look after your family; not quite knowing what the future holds – priorities are such that pets end being the last to be concidered. It must be heart breaking BUT a little planning goes a long way to stop the suffering. Please “PAWS” and think of the family members that cannot speak for themselves. Do the right thing – you owe them that much.
Feline friends you are amazing!
I send a huge thank you to all our wonderful fosters, without you we are nothing.
Also to all that support FF you all make a big inpact on these wonderful living beings!
No matter how small it all makes a difference!
come on lets for once please put a life before our funiture and belongings, would you leave your children?
I am one of the people who are stuck like this. We have a gorgeous cat which we rescued from a bin at 6 weeks old. He is now going on 4 years old. My husband lost his job, tried for 9 months in the UAE to find replacement work. His only posting was in Fiji. This mean for our cat that he needs to spend 6 months alone in quarantine. That is just cruel for a cat, yet no one want to take him in because he is not a kitten / very good looking. We have posted posters in supermarkets, websites and vets. Three people have contacted us. We cannot think of anything else but to take him with us and put him in quarantine for 6 months… but is that the right thing to do?