Dubai cat rescuers demand action after latest air gun attack on stray

A stray cat was left at risk of paralysis and a lifetime of pain after being shot with an air gun in Dubai.

The female cat was shot in the back on Umm Al Sheif Road in Jumeirah. Vets are unwilling to operate because the bullet is lodged under its spine, making the procedure too risky.

Fawaz Kanaan, who helped to rescue the animal, said this was the fifth time he had found a cat in this condition.

“It’s disgusting,” Mr Kanaan said. “Something has to be done.”

After being told by a friend about the injured cat, he took it to a veterinarian surgery. An X-ray was ordered after an initial examination discovered no obvious wound.

“We didn’t realise there was a bullet at first because there was no bleeding at all,” said Mr Kanaan, who is from Syria and has seven cats of his own.

He raised the cat’s plight on the Bin Kitty Collective Facebook page, which has about 31,500 members and helps to arrange treatment and find homes for stray and injured cats.

Mr Kanaan appealed for someone to adopt her but no one has come forward as yet.

The country has strict laws governing animal abuse. Anyone caught abusing, or illegally hunting, buying or selling animals, faces a fine of up to Dh200,000 and a one-year prison term under Federal Law 18, which was issued in 2016.

“There are strict laws but trying to find the person who did this and bring them to justice is another matter,” said Dr Susan Aylott, who established and runs Animal Welfare Abu Dhabi.

Dr Aylott owns a cat that had its leg amputated after someone shot it with an air gun. The shooter was never found.

Phil Grange, one of three administrators of the Bin Kitty page, said acts of animal cruelty were common in the UAE, despite the laws to protect pets and strays.

“That’s just what we hear about,” said Mr Grange, from the UK. “There’s probably a whole lot more going on that never gets noticed.

“I’d say we hear about air gun attacks four times a year and other physical abuse of cats every two or three days. It’s quite disheartening.”

Late last year, the National Conference on Animal Welfare heard a plea from officials warning vets to watch for cases of animal cruelty by children, because it could be a precursor to those children harming people. Many experts agreed.

“There is a connection between animal abuse and people committing crimes against humans,” Dr Aylott said. “These are the sort of people we don’t want in society.

“They need to either be removed from society or at very least educated that animals are part of our community.”

Anyone caught abusing animals faces a fine of up to Dh200,000 and a one-year prison term