At Al Barsha Veterinary Clinic, for the fourth year in a row, we are currently running our free Spay and Neuter programme for stray cats.
Each year, we see so many kittens being born on the streets and ending up in misery during the summer heat. They are also caught up in car accidents, are poisoned — as they are perceived as pests by some people — or cause fights with other cats, among other things.
A lot of them would find a new home via our clinic participation but it just never seemed to be enough. We decided that the best course of action would be to tackle this problem at the beginning.
We found that most people are willing to bring in cats from their neighbourhoods or from places that they know are struggling with managing their cat population. Each cat is always returned to its original area, herewith allowing the cat population to continue as it normally would.
This year, in February and March, we have spayed and neutered over 100 cats so far. We could have done even more if more people got involved. Now, we have decided to extend the programme for another month and hope that Gulf News readers will help us manage the spaying and neutering of over 200 cats by the end of April.
We would also like to ask our colleague veterinarians to join us in this programme, as the greater the number of cats helped, the fewer kittens in misery. As vets, it would also bring more joy to our work.
This programme ensures a limited number of cats end up in shelters, where — due to the high numbers — quite often there is no other solution than to put them to sleep. You can book an appointment and reach us at 04 3408601 or via email at ellen@abvc.ae. Visit www.abvc.ae to access a location map.
The reader is a veterinarian, based in Dubai
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