Feline friend

In Salwa Al Hammadi's villa in Dubai, 15 felines roam. They are not the pedigree breeds that most people have as pets. Most of them are stray, wounded or abandoned cats that Al Hammadi has taken in from the streets.

Al Hammadi works in a leading bank in Dubai and is also pursuing her MBA in finance and accounting. Her compassion for cats began when she noticed that the roads were becoming a dangerous place for them to live.

She has adopted cats that she has found in trash cans, parking lots or crossing the road.
"My mother is my main inspiration," says Al Hammadi. "She cannot bear to see an animal in distress.

She feeds and tends to the cats when I am at work. Most of our evenings are spent out in the yard with the cats. My mother talks, laughs and even shouts at the cats when they are fighting.

"Humans can seek help when they are in pain and can be rushed to specialised hospitals if they are in distress. Animals need love and affection more than humans as they cannot express their pain. It is our duty to help them. I am sure that by helping poor animals God will bless us.

"A cat's purr is very expressive and from their purring I know whether they are happy or in trouble. One day while driving to work, I noticed a mother cat proudly parading her two kittens on the street. The same evening, as I was returning home, the cat was on the same street meowing anxiously and I noticed that one of the kittens was missing. She was lurking around one particular house, trying to get in.

Instinctively I felt that the lost kitten would be inside and went up to the house and requested the surprised owner to let her in so the cat could find her kitten. She even had a piece of fish in her mouth for her kittens and she rushed in, calling out to them with a special meow.
"Maternal instinct is so strong.

A mother will suffer and endure pain to raise and feed her children.
"I found Lucy [another cat] lingering in front of a shawarma eatery, hoping to get a morsel from someone. So I bought her a shawarma. The vendor was shocked to see me give the sandwich to a street cat. His look upset me a lot so I told him that the money we waste on unnecessary things would be better spent on feeding poor animals.

He was offended by my comment. Anyway, we took Lucy into our household, but unfortunately she died recently.
"As long as I am satisfied that cats in the streets have food and water and maintain good health, I don't take them home. I always pass by a place where I have seen poor cats with nothing to eat.

I put some food nearby on which they can survive. All the wounded cats I find are taken to Dr Luay Al Karad for treatment. The moment he sees me he says, 'Welcome! Who do you have today?' He is the best veterinarian that I have met. Once the cats recover, I release them. I don't mind if any cat comes back for food.

"Kitty is my personal favourite because she has suffered a lot. I found her near a drain with a broken paw.

I took her to the vet and by God's grace she recovered, but can't walk properly anymore. She also had a lot of trouble with her pregnancy. She is now a very lively and loving cat. I am happy to see her relieved from her pain.

"Mesho is deaf. He goes out every evening, but comes back in the morning for food and relaxation. Tinky Winky's mother abandoned him when he was a kitten and I raised him. Whenever Nounou sees me, he forgets food and his cat mates and sits next to me to feel loved.

"If I cannot accommodate a cat, I ask my neighbour, who is also a cat lover and has 12 cats at her place, to take them. If she has any problems I end up convincing my mom to keep it. I recently found a safe residential area and all the cats I cannot keep at home, I leave there with ample food and water.

"I only help stray cats but not the luxury Persian cats because they will always find people to take care of them."

Al Hammadi's compassion extends to all creatures. Lucy, Kitty, Nounou along with others like Mama Cati are the lucky ones who have experienced the expansiveness
of her heart and home.

– Zenifer Khaleel, an Abu Dhabi-based freelancer