Love cats as much as I do? here’s how you can heLp them!

The UAE is one of those places where cats are, well, catnapping around everywhere. And it’s always refreshing to see certain residents helping out these furry little critters. We had a little Q&A with Carol Ann Geldenhuys, founder of Kittysnip, to discuss the best ways to take care and co-exist with what is a common sight in these parts: homeless felines just trying to get by every day.

how can we help stray cats in our area?

The first priority is to have all stray cats neutered to prevent more unwanted kittens from being born. If you would like to help with this process, you can contact vets in your area and explain there’s stray cats in the vicinity. In this instance, you may be able to have the neutering done at charity rates.

During the summer months, have bowls of clean water available for them to drink from, and feed them every third day; this will not stop them from hunting for rats, scorpions, etc. Cats are hunters by nature.

And if you can’t assist these defenseless little animals, then all we ask is that you don’t injure or hurt them. They have just as much a right to live on this planet as you do.

what are some things we mustn’t do when it comes to strays?

Never feed them chicken or fish with bones in them. This can cause them serious injury when the bones lodge in their throat. Sadly, a lot of cats end up dying due to starvation because the embedded bones prevent them from eating. Also, don’t feed a cat cow’s milk: most people don’t know that cats are lactose intolerant.

why is neutering something that helps cats in the long run? We realised that the only way to slow down the vicious cycle of thousands of sick and unwanted kittens being born on the streets was to try to sterilise and neuter as many we could.

Furthermore, by stabilising the population, cats will naturally have more space, shelter and food, and fewer risks of disease. After being spayed or neutered, cats living in colonies tend to gain weight and live healthier lives. Spayed cats are less likely to develop breast cancer and will not be at risk for ovarian or uterine cancer, while neutered males will not get testicular cancer. By neutering male cats, you are reducing the risk of injury since otherwise, male cats have a natural instinct to fight with other cats.

want to adopt a cat? ask yourseLf fIrst:

• Why you want a pet?

• How much time do you have to care of an animal on a daily basis?

• What are your expectations?

• Do you have children? How old are the children?

• Do you live in an apartment or a villa?

• Have you owned a cat before?

• How prepared are you (financially speaking) to adopt an animal?

• Do you understand adopting is a lifelong commitment?