Feline Friends urges public to give shelter to abandoned cats

Dubai: Cat rescue organisation Feline Friends has once again reached full capacity. With no shelter, it relies on volunteer rescuers to care for the cats in their own homes.

Lesley Muncey, Chairperson, is no stranger to caring for cats herself, and is currently looking after 12.

Six of these are kittens (four of which are just five weeks old) and the other six are permanent residents in her home at Dubai Media City.

Muncey said her volunteers have been shouted at by members of the public. "Everyone seems to think that stray cats are Feline Friends' cats, and if there's a stray, then it's our problem — they're not. The ones we choose to help and take in are ours, but that doesn't mean they're all our responsibility," she told Gulf News, surrounded by some of her own feline friends. With the volunteers' homes full to capacity, Muncey is appealing for public help when finding abandoned kittens or injured cats.

"If you find an injured cat, then you're welcome to call us for advice, but we'd ask them [the caller] to help us and take the injury in, because they're there at the time," she said.

The organisation doesn't always have volunteers at hand, which is why the public is asked to help. Feline Friends can recommend a vet, and Muncey's advice is to take an injured cat to your nearest vets — the organisation can be contacted for advice.

Pet cats need to be registered with the municipality, have a municipality tag and must have the relevant vaccinations. Muncey herself would like to branch out into caring for other animals as well, but the lack of an animal shelter in Dubai is hampering her plans.

"Some people who ring lie to us, to try and get us to take a cat," Muncey said, citing a particular case. One member of the public said that an injured cat was on a construction site, but it became clear that someone had actually taken the cat in and was trying to get rid of it.

"People ask "where's your shelter, where's your premises?" We haven't even got an office. I work from home and all the volunteers work from home.

What to do if you find an abandoned kitten

- Take the cat to the nearest vets

-Ring Feline Friends for advice

Tips: Abandoned kitten

- Don't pick up the cat straightaway. If the mother is nearby, it may abandon the kitten completely

- Check that the kitten/s are actually abandoned. Sometimes a mother cat will return after a few hours. The kitten would need to be watched for around four hours to check on abandonment status.

- If the kitten is abandoned, call Feline Friends for advice.

- Depending on the age, kittens need to be fed every two hours when very young. Check on the internet for advice.

- Cats/kittens should not be given cow's milk. In an emergency, they can be given diluted evaporated milk (1 part milk, 5 parts water).