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UAE expat loses job but not her mission to rescue stray cats

Sharjah - She has spent at least Dh50,000 over the past five years from her own pocket to cover the veterinary bills of the cats she rescued.

An unemployed woman is on a mission to help stray cats in Sharjah despite having no income to pay for veterinary costs.
Gita Iyer, an Indian expat in the UAE since 2003, resides in a two-bedroom apartment in the emirate and lives with 21 rescued cats.
The animal advocate started rescuing strays six years ago and she has been trying to encourage residents to be open to adopting cats that may not be so "good-looking" to them.
"I lost my job one year and three months ago. I've been rescuing animals for six years now because when I see the condition of strays out here, I feel really bad for them. Every night, I head out and feed a lot of strays in my area. I cover the entire colony in Al Majaz 1, Sharjah.
"I always carry eye drops and anti-septic cream, so that I can help injured cats. I do what I can because I can't afford to pay a veterinary clinic," she told Khaleej Times.
"I'm looking after 21 cats in my house. They're all rescued cats that were on the streets in a terrible state. If I had left them there, I think they would've died. Landlords don't let you have too many animals in your home, but because they know that I'm a rescuer and I really care for them, they allow me to keep them."
Iyer lamented how people who would like to have pets would usually go straight to shops, when a lot of animals need a home.
"No one comes for adoption because people want good-looking cats. I had 30 cats at home, nine had got adopted. I have rescued so many others that I couldn't afford to take under my account."
She said she has spent at least Dh50,000 over the past five years from her own pocket to cover the veterinary bills of the cats she rescued.
"I rescued a cat from Sharjah Animal Market and its entire body was ringwormed. I brought it to my house, kept it there for the night and rushed it to the vet in the morning. Last month, there was another six-month-old kitten, both of its hip bones were dislocated. I had to take him to the vet, too," she said.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com