Expat teachers in Dubai offer Dh3,000 reward to find cat missing for 45 days

Dubai: A beloved rescue cat named Lando has been missing from Dubai for 45 days, prompting his desperate owner and his colleague, who was caring for the cat at her residence, to offer a Dh3,000 reward for information leading to his safe return.

The small, shy Arabian Mau with distinctive white and orangish-brown markings, has been missing from Dubai Land Residence Complex (DLRC) since November 29.

He belongs to Peter Hopkins, a music teacher at a British curriculum school in Dubai. Lando vanished from the apartment of his colleague Hayley Reynolds, who offered to take care of him when Peter went on his winter vacation.

How Lando was lost

Lando was lost from the second-floor balcony of Raynolds’ apartment in Park Place Residence in DLRC after she accidentally left the door open overnight, she told Gulf News.

Shouldering immense guilt over the incident, the biology teacher said: “I feel very, very guilty. He was under my watch and escaped…I forgot to shut the balcony door because my five cats are fine with the balcony and I just forgot, unfortunately. And the next morning, he was gone.”

The Australian teacher, who has lived in Dubai Land for four years, said she had previously looked after Lando over the summer without any untoward incident. She believes the 18-month-old cat may have been scared and probably jumped off the balcony.

However, there was no trace of him or evidence of blood or an injury after his fall at the site below, she clarified.

Community search

Since discovering Lando's disappearance, Reynolds had been conducting daily searches of the nearby areas, focusing on the park next to her apartment and the area nearby Aquila School.

Multiple versions of missing cat posters have been distributed throughout the DLRC neighbourhood with the reward now raised to Dh3,000, which both teachers plan to split.

"We've had so many people reach out, including several school students…Everybody in this community has been very lovely and helpful and they've all been trying together to try and reach out and find him. So that's been really reassuring,” Reynolds said.

Owner's heartbreak

Hopkins, who joined Reynolds in the search immediately after his return to Dubai earlier this month, has been deeply affected by the loss of his only pet.

“It's very lonely without him, absolutely…I keep thinking I see him, like a hallucination, if I see a bit of light in the corner of my eye."

The British teacher, whose family lives in Spain where he has two other cats, said he had adopted Lando as an eight-week-old kitten.

The tiny cat was rescued from Business Bay and the doctor at his school sought teachers willing to take him in.

"I've brought him up carefully for 18 months,” said Hopkins explained.

The devoted owner had recently paid for surgery to remove Lando's lower teeth due to mouth problems.

Distinctive features

Lando is described as a small, neutered white male Arabian Mau with a pointy face, orangey-brown markings and beautiful features. He has a microchip ending in 0004. A distinctive feature is a slight kink at the very tip of his tail, "the last couple of centimetres,” which can be felt when touched.

The fact that Lando fell from a second-floor balcony could mean he may be injured or traumatised. Hopkins remains hopeful: "Maybe someone took him in, but perhaps they're not on social media and they're not aware he's lost."

Appeal for help

The teachers are urging anyone with information about Lando's whereabouts to contact them immediately. Posters in multiple languages have been distributed throughout Dubai Land Residence Complex and shared across social media platforms.

"Microchipped--No Collar. Very timid and scared. Please do not chase," reads one poster.

Anyone who has seen Lando or has information about his location is asked to call +971 56 905 8976 or +971 58 578 4768