JEDDAH: One may notice in Jeddah the ebb and flow of the local stray cat population, which is huge. According to veterinarian and local animal rights advocate Dr. Lana Dunn, who runs the People’s Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) of Saudi Arabia, animal control workers were very honest about their methods when asked.
“They said some cats are left outside palaces or restaurants in the hope they will find shelter and food,” she said. “Some are dumped in the desert where there is no food, water or shelter, and where they likely die or are killed by stray dogs.”
Some pest control workers admitted to Dunn that they drown, club and poison the city’s sprawling feral cat population, cats that feed from the dumpsters found on nearly every street.
“Most Arab states have animal charities, shelters or NGOs working to help animals — why not Saudi Arabia?”
Dunn advocated spaying and neutering pet and feral cats because it is a humane way to control their numbers. Some groups in other countries promote “fix-and-release” programs where street animals are sterilized but not killed.
Dr. Majid Elhayek who runs a vet clinic in Riyadh says that before offering spaying and neutering services, he consulted religious scholars on the moral implications of removing an animal’s ability to reproduce.
“I wrote to Dar-Al-Ifta and they asked me why I wanted to start this program,” he said. “I explained to them it was a humane way of reducing their numbers and limiting the spread of disease among cats.”
The veterinarian was given the religious stamp of approval, so he went forward with his program.
“Allah the Almighty created these animals and He knows when it is time for them to go,” he said.
According to Islamic scholar Sheikh Hassen Al-Kilaty, neutering and spraying of cats is not a sin in Islam. However, euthanasia and all other methods of killing are forbidden unless the animal is a threat to people.
Some argue that killing a perfectly healthy animal is better than leaving it to fend for itself.
