Human beings have a unique need to nurture. While some pursue hobbies such as gardening, others prefer to keep pets as the care and affection is returned many times over.
“As we share evolutionary emotions, the relationship we build with a family pet can be as intense as with another human being,'' says Abu Dhabi resident Najah Al Maskarey, 52, and a pet enthusiast.
Having provided homes to cats, dogs, fish, tortoises, rabbits, parrots, terrapins, chameleons, frogs, hamsters, puppies and, for a brief time, an African Serval (wild cat), for the last 30 years, she says: “I can't imagine my life without pets, whether they are furry, feathered, scaly or with shells.
“They are often funny, cute, appealing; sometimes exasperating, clumsy, expensive but always worth the hard work. They are soothing, comforting and sensitive to our feelings,'' she adds.
Fish as first pets
“I converted my balcony into their accommodation with lots of plants and they lived happily indoors, free,'' she says.
Today, she lives in a nine-bedroom villa on Salaam street and has all the space for her pets. But that's not the only thing these animals need.
Expenses involved
“One must have certain communication skills to amuse them. Ability to afford the pet's expenses is also a mighty concern. Nowadays, health services provided for the animals are equal or more expensive than the ones for people,'' she says.
“It depends on which animal you have as a pet. For example, in case of dogs the prime concerns are time and space.
“It is not fair to keep dogs in flats as they like to stroll. Whereas, if you wish to have [an] aquarium, that doesn't require much space or time apart from regular maintenance,'' Najah says.
Due to the outbreak of bird flu around the world, many of the freed pet birds landed in Najah's birdcage.
Keeping birds, she says, is a slightly difficult job as they can be kept only outdoors. “To avoid the pitfalls from the summer heat, I always moisten the earth in the birdcage [by watering it] as it provides a cool atmosphere to the bird. I provide facilities for them such as a bird bath under a tree.''
Good alternative
Najah is planning to shift to Khalifa City where she will take all her pets. The only change will be a large and well-equipped aviary that will be air-conditioned through the summer, she says.
Although allergic to fish water, she finds aquariums a good pet alternative as it provides a soothing effect on one's mind and body.
“It gives you an atmosphere of peace, calmness and tranquillity. Deep down, you will feel tension free when watching the swimming fishes,'' Najah says.
However, much has to be done for regular maintenance. Nearly all beginners may face the problem of fish dying and the tank water getting dirty frequently.
Of rabbits as pets, Najah says: “Rabbits are cute animals and their broad, floppy, soft-skinned ears, which fall to the ground makes them look sweet.
“We also have hamsters which belong to my daughter Nadia, who wants to be a veteran. She often raises funds for Feline Friends by breeding and selling them with information leaflets on care and a starter pack of food,'' Najah says.
Natural attachment
“Hamsters are a bit boring because they are nocturnal creatures,'' she says. “They are omnivores and apart from eating grains or vegetables, they also feed on meat and insects.''
She says even her children contribute in looking after the pets, “either with feeding, grooming, playing with or cleaning their cages''.
“Faris, my son, is very good at looking after orphaned kittens and sits watching television with a couple of babies tucked under his T-shirt for warmth.''
Najah visits veterinary clinics frequently and Nadia also works in the American and the British veterinary clinic here in the capital.
“When you start living with these cute animals, there is a natural attachment. You will feel lost without them. In other words they become your good friends,'' Najah says.
— Layla Haroon is a UAE-based freelance writer
Cat-alogue of feline rescue
Najah and her family became involved with Feline Friends ,the cat-rescue charity, and in 1996, they helped save a large number of unwanted/homeless cats and kittens.
“We had a cage built in the garden with fans to keep them cool and almost every room in the house had more cats simply because Feline Friends had no place. The only alternative was to have them humanely euthanised,'' Najah recalls.
“Over the years, we have fostered and homed approximately 250 to 300 cats. “We first adopted a stray kitten from Feline Friends in 1993 and called him Ginger. He was later followed by Diablo, a Persian cat, as the owners no longer wanted him.
“Soon we had a new orphaned kitten called Misty who was rescued by my daughter Nadia at her school. Her mother had been knocked down outside the school gates.
"She spent the physics class wrapped in Nadia's shayla softly meowing in the back of the class until she could be brought home and given some special kitten milk,'' she adds.
“Cats are very clean animals,'' Najah says. “If you train them and organise their routine, they become familiar with their surroundings and follow [the] taught steps.''
She insists they must be sterilised so that they don't get into fights with other cats.
At present, Najah owns five cats which are Smokey, a grey cat which weighs 9-1/2kg, Tick, Zeta, Magic, a new black cat and Mac.
A noted practice is of pet owners abandoning their pets when they shift to another place or country. To this Najah says deprecatingly: “When circumstances no longer allow an owner to have a pet, then it should be given to the right person or to an animal rescue organisation than just being dumped.
“This is much better than to leave them [on the] roadside.''
