How to control UAE’s catizens? Starvation?

Cat lovers in the UAE are calling it starvation and animal cruelty.

Dubai Municipality is, however, standing by its decision that there are too many stray cats and they pose a danger to public health.

The crux of the debate is a Dh 200 fine that will be imposed on residents caught feeding any stray animal.

The report which was carried by this website opened the flood gates for a barrage of comments from readers, most of whom were critical of the fine as a means of controlling the stray cat population.

“There are too many cats this is true but trying to ignore a starving cat is just pure cruelty!”, writes one person.

“The rule has been in place since 2003 and until this point nobody ever received the Dh200 fine ,” explains Dr Motasem Shehadeh Basher Al-zoubi, Senior Veterinary Health Inspection Officer, Dubai Municipality.

“We intend to make people aware of the situation first. They will only get fined after a second warning.”

According to the Dubai Municipality people should be aware of the dangers of a large stray cat population.

Click here to read report on fine for feeding strays and reader reactions

In one of the brochures handed out by Dubai Municipality, it explains: “Many believe that cats are not harmful at all, and this is not true. Cats may become in the absence of care and vaccination a source of transmission for many diseases to humans, particularly for those who are suffering from immunodeficiency or irregularity of immune system (such as the elderly and children in particular), so the importance of control thereon emerged to adjust their numbers and reduce their health risks in order to preserve the health of community.”

Diseases that can be transmitted by cats to humans are rabies, certain germs and infections such as toxoplasma, chlamydia, fungus, salmonella, stomach ulcer and internal or external parasites.

Lesley Muney of Feline Friends Dubai says she agrees that the stray cat population should be reduced, but the only humane way to do this is to make sure that any cat being fed is sterilized.  “The more you feed, the more they breed, so making sure they get sterilized is a must or the problem will only get bigger.”

According to her, feeding stray cats should be limited to every two-three days, although water should be provided at all times.

“I feel strongly that you should not be punished for having compassion. These are all God’s creatures,” she adds.

Jenny Sanders, a working vet in Dubai adds: “Neutering is the best solution. It could cut back the stray cat population by a quarter after a couple of generations.

“Neutering is a much better option than starvation. I have many clients who always have a spare can of cat food in the back of their car in case they see a stray cat in Dubai. It is a sweet thing that people do and I cannot believe this act can be punished,” she says.

The habit of feeding stray cats is not uncommon in the UAE.

People feeling sympathetic towards cats go as far as to include the feeding process in their daily schedule, causing certain areas to become overpopulated with stray cats, to the dislike of fellow residents who do not share the compassion.

“Especially wet cat food might smell unpleasant and will spoil very quickly in the heat of this part of the world,” says Lesley. “To overcome disturbance, only dry food should be given.”

According to Lesley there is no need to be afraid of cats on the street, as most of the diseases mentioned in the brochure are very rare.

“You have more chance of getting sick from germs transmitted by humans than catching anything from cats. In fact, some of the diseases mentioned are transmitted by humans,” she says.

“This sort of campaign can cause people to panic and become afraid of cats. Then, more cats will be thrown out on the street, we will see more abuse and cruelty and it will just add to the problem of having more stray abandoned cats.”

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.