14 rescued cats wait for their next home
Of the 24 cats we moved to the apartment, we have found permanent solutions — homes here and abroad — for 10. We have 14 left to find homes for.”
Amanda, animal advocate
dubai — Animal advocates are trying to rehome 14 cats, previously rescued and sheltered by a woman who had to avail of the UAE amnesty initiative and leave the country. The woman had a total of 31 cats — a few died and some remain in a veterinary clinic due to pending hospital bills.
Amanda, who runs the AdoptA-Cat-UAE Facebook page, along with other volunteers, was able to rescue 24 of the cats last December. Now, they owe Dh8,000 to the City Vet Clinic in Abu Dhabi in medical bills as the cats were “gravely ill” at the time of rescue.
“Under duress from the woman’s landlord, we moved some of the cats to a new apartment where we could separate them in cages, assess their illnesses and have the vet in for a home check. It was a harrowing day. I was thankful to have a friend’s SUV,” Amanda said.
“I think it must have been the bravest day of the woman’s life. She was trapped in a nightmare and so were the cats. Of the 24 cats we moved to the apartment, we have found permanent solutions — homes here and abroad — for 10. We have 14 left to find homes for.”
The rescuers received help from the City Vet Clinic in Abu Dhabi, who treated the cats and made a flexible payment plan for them.
Dr Bledar Bejleri, a vet at the clinic, told Khaleej Times that the cats were suffering from respiratory disease and needed to be vaccinated, microchipped, spayed and neutered. They also had flu, ear mites, giardia and other ailments.
Amanda said: “We currently have a pending bill for about Dh8,000 for medical treatments for the cats with pyometra and panleukopenia, which we need to cover as we cannot make any new appointments until it is paid. Normally, I enjoy a bit of advance credit while I work on a project, but unfortunately, we have crossed the Dh5,000 limit and our account is frozen.
“We are in search of foster or forever homes for some of the kitties that were taken on limitedterm foster, particularly four that were taken on by a volunteer who already does her own rescue work. We also need people to like and share our Facebook page ‘31Cats’ to help us find homes. Adoptions are very slow in the UAE right now and we fear them being moved from one home to another. Even people who don’t want to adopt can choose to long-term foster.”