Several young, avid animal rights activists have launched a campaign on social networking sites advocating the adoption of stray cats found on the streets and the opening of government-owned pet shelters with animal protection laws.
The campaign, under the slogan, 鈥渁dopt, don鈥檛 buy,鈥� encourages pet lovers to take in animals without shelters instead of spending money on high-end breeds, while warning of the cruel fate that awaits strays if left unsheltered.
Hussain Al-Dossari, a campaign participant, said that the idea of adopting cats is a wholly new concept within local society no matter how popular abroad.
鈥淭he goal of this campaign is to look for homes for stray cats and return lost cats to their owners or find them new homes. Our campaign also encourages residents to be kind to strays they encounter in the street,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e also spread awareness on the fact that Islamic law permits the castration of cats whose owners cannot afford having more than one or a few,鈥� said Al-Dossari. 鈥淭his is pivotal in reducing the number of cats and the likelihood that so many will end up on the streets, some of which are picked up by authorities after receiving complaints from residents and dumped in the desert, where they die of starvation and dehydration.鈥�
鈥淲e are appalled by shops that put cats in small cages to force them to mate and then sell the kittens off before they have been weaned because they are in high demand,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is quoted to have denounced taking baby birds away from their mothers after witnessing a newborn flapping its wings for help.鈥�
Some shops do display cats that have been given up by their owners for adoption, he said. 鈥淵et many private residential compounds are guilty of killing cats by drugging them or separating them from their babies, which is inhumane.鈥�
Nada Ahmed, the owner of a profile for animal lovers on a social networking site, said: 鈥淚 put up pictures of stray cats and animals on my page in a bid to find them homes.鈥�
鈥淚 try to raise awareness about our religious obligation to be kind to animals,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are many such pages on social networking outlets.鈥�
Muhammad Al-Sofaian, spokesman for the Eastern Province Municipality, said: 鈥淲e have a program in place to control the number of stray cats and dogs in residential neighborhoods. Residents are urged not to leave food on the street to avoid attracting a congregation of animals.鈥�