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‘Need Stressed to Protect Desert Cat’

DUBAI - There is a need to set up a ‘cat sanctuary’ in the emirate to help save the ‘Arabian Mau’ and give it a new lease of life, said Petra Mueller, president of Middle East Cat Society (MECATS), while talking to Khaleej Times on Wednesday.

Mueller’s efforts have seen the World Cat Federation (WCF) officially recognising the native cats of the country as an Arabian breed called ‘Arabian Mau’,

Upset and dejected over the Dubai Municipality’s new campaign called ‘Protection Against Stray Cats’, which calls for spotting and reporting them to the civic body, Mueller said the municipality had reacted positively to his suggestion of setting up designated areas in some parks where the cats could be kept and looked after.

“We have done a lot of research to prove that the UAE’s street or stray cat is a ‘native desert cat’, with more than 1,000 years of history. Such a campaign (on stray cats) raises concerns about the future of these cats,” she said.

Mueller said the real estate boom in the UAE was eating into the territory of all native desert animals.

Talking about her proposal, she said, “Local UAE residents with land can be contacted for the cat sanctuary project. Also, the Dubai Municipality can earmark designated areas in parks where these cats can be kept. It can be an attraction for people who want to adopt the cats.

The campaigns should focus on the protection of the breed,” she said.

Meanwhile, unveiling the ‘Protection Against Stray Cats’ campaign, Abdullah Rafea, Assistant Director General for Environment and Public Health Affairs at the civic body, said it was aimed at creating awareness on the various health hazards posed by stray cats as they could be a direct cause for spreading contagious diseases.

“The campaign includes a vaccination programme under the supervision of specialists. Also, it aims at raising awareness on the need to get the cats vaccinated,” Rafea said.

The municipality started a media campaign on October 21, which will last for a month. It includes newspaper advertisements and electronic media advertisements, in addition to TV and radio interviews of officials of the Veterinary Services Section.

joy@khaleejtimes.com