Of Cats and Dogs

A page devoted to cats and dogs in the Monday issues of a UAE broadsheet has a column by a veterinarian who gives advice on pet care, mostly by answering questions sent by readers, including how to make a scared dog get into a car.

There are two pet welfare organizations in the UAE, K9 Friends for dogs and Feline Friends for cats.  Their members are obviously multi-racial and multi-religious.  Both organizations have websites and seem to have a foothold in the country’s social fabric.

The two groups rescue cats and dogs and campaign for responsible pet ownership.  The page on pets thus has pictures and descriptions of rescued cats and dogs that have been given names and lost pets whose owners are desperate to have them back.

One dog named Hein is described as ‘scar-faced, three years old, male, with a white feathery coat; loves people, not so keen on other dogs.’  JD is a ‘Nervy Gsd cross, pretty face, but jumps at loud noises, looking for a peaceful life without children.’

Motska is a ‘ginger and white short-coated hound type male, currently in a foster home, knows how to behave,’ while Sleepy is a ‘brown female with a sunny outlook on life… Needs a home soon.’  Other available dogs are named String, who is well-trained and goes with any family; Rosie, a ‘rottweiller mix with a badly scarred face but is house trained and very well-behaved,’ and Zeta, ‘a German shepherd who does not like other dogs but loves people.’

These rescued dogs are registered at the K9 Friends shelter and have been vaccinated and neutered as K9 doesn’t advocate breeding.  It also doesn’t home dogs to anyone under 21 years old.

Months ago, the management of the K9 Friends shelter, which rented a place in Dubai, had its tenancy stopped after almost ten years.  For weeks the despair and pleas for help of K9 Friends were in the papers.  Soon even Dubai’s schoolchildren held parades, fun runs, and walks-for-a-cause to raise funds for K9 Friends.

Meanwhile, there was a fashion show by Italian designers in the capital of Abu Dhabi to raise funds for Feline Friends.  Abu Dhabi is on record as number one in the world in terms of stray cats population such that Garfield the cat was threatened with an exile to Abu Dhabi in one comic strip.

One rescued cat by Feline Friends is Tarantella, who ‘was terrified when she arrived at her foster home.  This gorgeous tabby kitten is about five months old and has beautiful green sparkling eyes…’  Rio is a ‘beautiful black Persian boy…  He is a little nervous so needs a quiet household, ideally with adults only…’ while Pasha is ‘a very sweet tabby female…  This gorgeous, placid cat is great with children and is used to dogs and people as part of a busy household.’

Oda and Jaffa ‘desperately need a safe place to live away from the streets where they are at the moment.  A kind lady had been looking after them in her office during the day, but the cats are no longer allowed in and so are looking for a new residence…’ while Mum Cat ‘was found pregnant in an unfinished building… a kind man fed her and gave a box for shelter… Mum Cat is very affectionate and adapted to home life instantly.  Her six kittens have all been rehomed now and she is just waiting for her chance as well.’

This is one country where animals are treated well, the husband had told me as part of my familiarization.  Islam requires kind treatment of animals but I believe it’s also cultural, he said.  I agree.  I haven’t seen a single stray dog nor a child needlessly hurt a stray cat in this place where using slingshots for birds is a crime fit for jail.  Thankfully, I’ll also never hear a pig’s wails.

In my own country dogs are sometimes slaughtered for their meat and children needlessly stone them.  A cat was scalded for eating fried fish.  A kitten was hanged from a bridge by a posse of young boys in Cebu City.  In Davao, children taped fireworks to cats’ ears, a real torture because cats’ ears are ten times more sensitive than human ears.
I suppose ours is more cultural.  If our children learn by example early on to be kind to animals, that’s a good enough start.

(24 June 2007)