Animals are not toys or objects and should not be treated as such. This ought to be simple to understand. However, animal lovers are complaining that many pets suffer due to owners who don’t know how to care for them, or others who treat them like objects for amusement and throw them out on the street when they are no longer wanted.
“It’s too much, what I see happening to animals. I have taken in many cats from veterinary clinics. These were home cats that were thrown out, because the owners didn’t want them anymore,” said Ruga, a Saudi animal lover. “Even many veterinary clinics that I have been to don’t know how to handle different animals, or don’t have all the medicines needed for different tests and ailments,” he said. “I had guinea pigs and wanted to have them sterilized, but the clinics I visited said they did not have the special anesthetic needed for small animals like rabbits and guinea pigs.”
Danya, who is also an animal lover, feels that the issue of caring properly and responsibly for animals needs awareness on a massive scale. “Getting it in the media will help, but a lot more awareness needs to be created,” she said.
Umm Abdullah, who has taken care of stray animals for more than 30 years, said that over the years, she had observed many cases of negligence as well as cruelty toward animals. According to her, children often hurt animals because they are not taught by their parents that these are living creatures and can feel pain.
“I recall a case where a cat was set on fire by some children. A friend of mine saw it and poured water on the cat. Fortunately, the cat was able to recover.”
Veterinarian Dr. K.T. Nyathi, who works at the Jeddah Veterinary Clinic, said his clinic dealt mostly with cases of cats that are thrown out on the streets.
“You can tell these are house cats, because they are very domesticated and like to be around people. When a cat grows up in a house, its immune system is not as strong as a street cat’s, so when it is cast out it gets many diseases,” said Nyathi. “People need to be educated on how to treat animals, how to handle them, and care for them, and they must know that having a pet is a responsibility.”
Nyathi further explained: “Another wrong practice many cat owners do is to give them a bath. Cats are very clean animals, and they have natural oils that protect their skin, so when they are given a bath they lose the oils and get skin infections. Only long-haired cats need to have their hair brushed, but cats should not be wgiven baths, which many people here do.”
Lobat Asadi of the Saudi Humane Society said the issue of animal care had many layers and aspects. “The Saudi government has laws in place for animal abuse, pet shop regulations, and the illegal importation of exotic and endangered animals into the country. In addition, Islam teaches us compassion for all living beings including animals,” she said.
“In the past, the Ministry of Wildlife was very merciful and responded to a case of a lynx and another case of a bear in a pet shop. These animals were transported to the Riyadh zoo.
What we hope to accomplish under our newly formed animal welfare volunteer group, the Saudi Humane Society, is to educate the public and report such cases of inhumane and illegal treatment of animals to the correct government official for follow-up,” she said.
The Saudi Humane Society is looking for volunteers. People interested may contact them on their e-mail: [email protected]
