Dubai A Dubai cat that has mysteriously ended up in the UK after flying to France is being put up for adoption in Surrey.
Guy Chadwick, Development Manager of the Cats Protection Haslemere Adoption Centre in Surrey, told XPRESS on Tuesday that Grace, as the cat has been christened, is currently in quarantine.
“Grace is currently in quarantine and it looks likely that she will be released sometime next week. She will then be taken to Cat Protection’s Haslemere Adoption Centre in Surrey who would like to find her a new home in their local area if the owner is not found,” Chadwick said.
Grace’s link to her Dubai past was discovered through her microchip when a Frimley resident who recently found her brought her to the adoption centre. Believed to be around eight years old, the black-and-white cat has a short tail with a tipped left ear and distinct markings on her nose and her mouth.
Lesley Muncey of Feline Friends in Dubai told XPRESS: “The cat was micro-chipped and fully vaccinated, including for rabies, when she left the country for France. From what we understand, her owners here rehomed her to another family in Brittany of France. But how she ended up in the UK from there nobody knows.”
She said Grace’s misadventure had brought to the fore the urgent need for an accessible central database for all microchips to facilitate animal groups to trace owners.
Chadwick said: “We’d be very interested in hearing from anyone with any information about how Grace came to be in the UK or who knows who she may belong to – the number to ring is (+44) 1428 604 297 or email Haslemere@cats.org.uk.We’d also urge cat owners in general to ensure they keep their cat’s microchip details up to date when they move house or when a change of ownership takes place. It will enable cat welfare organisations to swiftly reunite lost cats with their owners.”
