Abandoned and injured, this cat needs a forever home

Dubai: A 10-year-old cat is in need of a loving home following a car accident in Umm Suqeim, Dubai, last month.

I named him Silvio.

Since the accident, he cannot walk and has suffered a lot. With an X-ray, the clinic discovered that both sides of his pelvis were broken. During the surgery they were obliged to remove the head of the pelvis to allow him to get a chance to walk properly one day.

After eight weeks of cage rest, he is able to stand up, sit properly and has even started to walk again.

Although he should regain 80 per cent of his strength, Silvio will no longer be able to run and jump properly. Because Silvio is impaired, he will need to be an indoor cat in his new home and his family will need to make sure the home is a safe place for a vulnerable chap.

Silvio was abandoned by his family almost eight years ago. They just left him behind when they moved. I am not sure if they left the country or if they moved to another home here. Since then, I have kept an eye on him while he lived on the streets of my neighbourhood.

He appeared one day and looked very scared. I thought he was a street cat, so I got him neutered and fed him. A few years later, a neighbour who I became friends with and who has been living in the neighbourhood since 2003, explained to me that Silvio was owned by her former neighbour and they just left him when they relocated.

Silvio is a domestic short-haired cat. He is an adorable cat, is calm with people and other felines, but will need a bit of time to settle in and get used to his new home after the trauma of being abandoned and being in a terrible accident.

If you think you can help with fostering Silvio, or would like to adopt him or help support his vet treatments, please contact us via email info@pearlsoftheemirates.com.

— The reader is the founder of Pearls of the Emirates, a Dubai-based animal welfare and environmental organisation.