Summer is a tough time for pets and their owners in the UAE – what with the weather, or with going on holiday and having to look for pet-sitters, or even for those moving back home who have to think about transporting their pet or giving it away. Consequently, it’s also the time of year when more pets are abandoned by owners who are going away or are no longer willing to care for their animals. And this is where organisations like Feline Friends come to the rescue. Somewhere in the region of 30 cats are rescued or aided by the charity every month. We spoke to Pam Greer, who’s been with FF for over five years.
Tell us about the work you do with Feline Friends
It’s a voluntary community service completely run by volunteers and has been since it started in 1991. Our volunteers foster, rescue and man the FF general hotline for homing and fostering calls. They care for cats waiting to be adopted and also some of the rescue cats that receive treatment.
When you rescue a new cat, do you have it vaccinated and neutered?
We do. The cats are checked medically, brought up to date on vaccinations, then neutered and microchipped at local vets. In the foster homes they are socialised and trained as required and assessed as to what type of family situation they should be best adopted into.
How are medical fees that are incurred covered?
The vets that we work with have kindly given FF discounted rates which we pass on to those who adopt as a standard ‘adoption donation’.
If someone has found a stray that needs rescuing, what would you advise them to do?
First let’s talk about ‘rescuing’. There are many cats living on the streets and most are not homeless. The street is their home and even if they seem friendly, they usually don’t make good pets. They should be left where they are unless there is a very compelling reason to rescue, like a bad injury or illness. The public can help them by making sure there is fresh water around and very occasionally feeding them.
Cats that are in need of rescue, on the other hand, are easily identified as having been a pet. These are often exotic cats, like Persians or Siamese, and who are not adapted to street living. Other cats and people pick on them. They have trouble finding food and water. They are often around a year old and have been dumped as they start coming into season and owners become annoyed with their mating behaviours.
Other cats in possible need of rescue are young kittens who could obviously not survive without their mothers. However, queens often move their litter for a variety of reasons, like food or safety, and they can only do this one at a time. We advise people to keep an eye on the situation for a few hours to allow the mother to return. If she doesn’t, then they may choose to rescue.
So at what point should someone who needs help with a cat get in touch with Feline Friends?
Well, FF has a group of volunteers that can be contacted for information regarding anything feline.
Some of these volunteers have been trained to rescue or catch these animals and get them to a vet for appropriate care. The general phone contact is available seven days a week from morning until early evening. But catching resources are limited because many of our volunteers work. So we do encourage the public to help the cats as best they can if the situation is safe for them.
Can members of the public volunteer or become fosterers?
Because most volunteers are ex-pats and transient we are always looking for self-motivated, team workers to join us. Summer and holidays are very difficult, because the majority of our fosterers are away. If anyone out there is here for the summer, this is a good time to step up to foster, man the phones and help catch cats.
What are the requirements to become a volunteer?
All training is provided for every position. However, unconditional love of cats is essential!
How else can the public help?
Please only rescue cats off the street that are clearly not able to survive. Don’t buy, adopt. If you no longer want your pet, surrender it to a vet, FF or Abu Dhabi Falcon Hospital. If you would like to help us but cannot volunteer, there are donation boxes in veterinary centres. Or you can email us if you would like us to benefit from a charity event you are organising. No matter how much you give, it all goes towards helping the cats and kittens.
To contact Feline Friends for homing and fostering call 050 823 1569. If you want to adopt call 056 641 4728, or email ffabudhabi@yahoo.com. www.felinefriendsuae.com (050 582 2916).
