Green carriers give 'paws' for thought

Dubai: Rocketing veterinary bills made a Feline Friends volunteer "paws" for thought. The result: 1,000 eco-friendly "cat bags".

Lissy Morris felt it was the perfect opportunity to do "something good for the environment".

Feline Friends is an organisation run by volunteers, whose goal is to bring relief and care to the feral, stray, and abandoned feline population in Dubai. It does not have an animal shelter, nor receive any official funding, and therefore relies on donations and volunteer foster carers who provide temporary care for cats and kittens.

Biodegradable

Morris said: "We all know that plastic bags are disastrous. Couple that with a need to raise funds for our non-profit organisation and I decided it was worth a try to get sponsorship for eco-friendly shopping bags."

Cat food company Whiskas came to the rescue and sponsored the first 1,000 bags. Made of a cotton and jute fibre mix, the biodegradable bags priced at Dh20 each are fast gaining popularity among regular clients.

Morris said that since the bags are made from a special natural mix, they disintegrate much faster than plastic bags.

She added: "We do hope that these bags won't be discarded as frequently as most plastic bags."

Lesley Muncey, co-chair of Feline Friends, said: "If one person uses an eco-friendly bag it saves about six plastic bags a week. On that basis, 45 people could avoid using a million plastic bags. The biodegradable bags are our minor contribution," she said.

Volunteers at Feline Friends first started distributing the bags towards the end of May 2008. By mid-June, half the bags were sold out. Morris added that as there seems to be a demand for "cat bags", they would have more made. The bags are available for purchase at veterinary clinics in Dubai and also at upcoming Feline Friends events.

Nationalgeographic.com reported last week that a new population of wrinkly-faced, bamboo-eating lemurs, listed as critically endangered by the World Conservation Union, has been found in Madagascar.