My daily involvement with animal welfare sometimes causes me to make very hard decisions and I constantly ask myself — was that the correct decision or just the easiest?
One such incident involves the story of Eboli, a five-month-old kitten that had a tough start. One afternoon, I received a call from a Good Samaritan, who explained that at her hotel in Al Ghusais, Dubai, there was a young kitten suffering from a very bad eye injury.
Perhaps as a result from a fight with an older cat, her eye was infected so badly that the vet was left with no option other than to remove it. The cat of course was very unhappy when she arrived at the clinic. She was hissing and seemed to send a clear warning as if to say: "Do not touch me!"
Then the vet asked me the classic question of whether we should put Eboli to sleep as she is a feral, that is, an undomesticated cat. Different questions went through my mind. How would we find her a home if she went through surgery? After the recovery period and without an eye, wouldn't it be unfair to release her back on the streets?
The kitten was healthy in every other way so how could I decide, just for a missing eye, whether she should live or die? I asked myself how I would feel if my eye was hanging out of its socket; if I were in severe pain for a few days and find myself suddenly pushed into a dark box.
We opted for the most difficult choice, which was to get her through surgery. Treating her injuries was not the hard part but finding her a home will be, as we must have patience enough to know that everything comes to those who wait.
The surgery went very well and she is improving day by day.
Currently, she is at the Modern Veterinary Clinic and my mission is to find her a home where she will be forever, where she can learn that trusting people is not so bad after all. The Good Samaritan not only rescued her but also donated money for the full cost of the surgery.
We humans have qualities like mercy, tolerance, compassion and hope.
If you feel that your heart's vocabulary has any of the above-mentioned adjectives and you are willing to give Eboli a chance in life, please contact Friends of Animals on 050-7706711 or send an email to info@friendsofanimalsdxb.com.
— The reader is the founder ofFriends of Animals, Dubai
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