Life & Style | Pets
Frantic plea: In search of shadow
Desperate woman leaves no stone unturned in attempt to find missing cat
- By Nadeem Hanif, Staff reporter
- Published: 00:00 March 11, 2010
- Image Credit: Xpress /Karen Dias
- Eva Hurley shows some of the campaign letters that offer a reward of Dh1,000 to anyone who finds her pet safe and well
Dubai: A devoted pet owner has become so worried about the fate of her missing cat that she has taken time off work for a door-to-door leaflet campaign to find him.
Eva Hurley, an Irish national, has printed almost 3,000 leaflets in five different languages and set up a Facebook page to alert people if they see her 14-month-old male cat Shadow.
Eva, who lives near Discovery Gardens and The Gardens in Jebel Ali, owns a management consultancy firm in Dubai, but has not been to work since March 4.
The last time she saw her cat was at around 7pm on Wednesday, March 3.
"I was absolutely devastated when he went missing because he is a part of the family. He is very loving and never hisses or scratches and just loves to be cuddled like a baby," she said.
Shadow was in the living room when Eva was making dinner in the kitchen. But when she came back to the living room, he was nowhere to be seen.
Takes time off work
She then made a frantic search outside her apartment and contacted Feline Friends, Jebel Ali Cats, vets and Dubai Municipality's Veterinary Department.
For the next few nights she went out on her own from 8pm to 4am trying to find Shadow before embarking on her leaflet campaign with a couple of volunteers who have also taken time off work to help her with the search.
So far she has responded to around 50 possible sightings.
She adopted her cat after seeing him lost and frightened outside her home in November 2009.
"He's a cat who gets scared and unsettled by any kind of loud noise. He's very timid. He's not a street cat so he may really struggle outside. He always prefers to stay indoors," she said.
Part of her life
"He's a domestic short hair, which is a very common variety that isn't worth anything. But like I said, he is part of the family and you don't abandon family," she added.
Shadow is grey in colour with black spots on his back. His stomach is lighter and also has black spots. He has been microchipped.
Call for help
The Facebook page "Shadow — Needs Your Help" so far has 51 members. There is also a Dh1,000 reward for anyone who can get him back safe and well.
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