How to save a cat's life this Dubai winter

Let’s hope the next time you start your car, you won’t hear any screams.

Screams that would most probably be coming from a cat.

One of the reasons cats love cars especially in winter, is because to a cat that’s outdoors in the cold weather, there’s nothing more inviting that cozying up in an automobile that’s just returned home.

Why would this be a serious danger to them?

Speaking to Emirates 24|7,  Lesley Muncey, Chairperson of Feline Friends Dubai says, “People just start the car and drive off, unaware there might have been a cat asleep on its tyres, or still asleep inside the engine.

“It’s mainly the engine that provides a lot of warmth and a spot that looks like the perfect place for a cat to curl up and take a snooze.”

So what precautions should people take when they're heading to their cars?

“It’s a huge problem here, I know there are people who genuinely mean well but the advice given on the online forums saying “switch on your engine and then the cats will automatically run away” does not help, because that’s not what usually happens.”

Cat hiding in car engine. (Expat Cairo)

Before switching on the ignition, Lesley advised that injuries and deaths can be prevented by:

1) Slapping the hood of the car and clapping loudly
2)  Beeping the horn
3)  Checking your tyres

The noise will startle the cat and hopefully encourage him to make a hasty departure.

Lesley explains: “If you haven’t checked and when you turn off your car and check the hood, you’ll find a traumatised and potentially severely injured cat."

She continues, "We’ve had 5 cases last week alone, we’re receiving over 30 calls a day and there’s usually a few of these cases involved, the problem has gotten a lot worse.” 

These include fractured bones, torn skin, bruised lungs, abdominal wounds and trauma to the head. 

In some cases, the power of the fan belt alone can even lead to an amputated leg or cause severe injury that would require surgical amputation.

One local surgeon recalls an incident with a seriously injured cat owned by one of his clients.

“He started the car and after 5 minutes of driving, he felt that he heard something, he stopped to have a look and he found his cat, which had been asleep inside the engine, which got really hot,” explains Dr. Bledar Bejleri, Senior Veterinary Surgeon and Specialist in Imaging Diagnostics and Orthopedics at City Vet Clinic Dubai.

Recovering cat rescued from car engine. (The grannie project)

The surgeon continued, “The cat was still alive but had sustained many injuries, particularly a broken urethra which is a small tube connecting the bladder to the outside of the body. So his abdomen was filled with urine.
Being only 3 months old, it had a very tiny structure, and it was in very bad condition."

He added, “Trying to perform surgery would surely open a hole to let the urine out but the cat would need some special care after the surgery.
“It would never urinate properly, we felt it was inhumane to let the cat live that way, unfortunately the only option his owner had was euthanasia.”

Lesley concurred, “Within the last 2 weeks we’ve had to put many of them to sleep because they were paralysed from these kinds of accidents, and there are no funds to fix them.”

She added, “If they are fixable then one cat surgery can cost upto Dh8,000, and that amount can actually be used to sterilise 40 cats.“

Meanwhile, the winter grows colder and cats continue to find shelter under your car hood, which puts them in a very dangerous position.

Following the simple steps of banging the hood, honking and checking the tyres before switching on the engine, may save a cat's life.

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