Dubai Municipality’s Veterinary Service Section rescued about 80 stray cats in the old fish market, the civic body announced on Instagram on Monday.
Fifteen specialists were sent to save the cats that have been struggling to find food ever since the fish market relocated, Khaleej Times quoted Hashim Mohammed Al Awadhi, Head of Dubai Municipality’s Veterinary Services Section, as saying.
Al Awadhi said after receiving the necessary treatment, the rescued cats will be given up for adoption.
“The [Aleef] app has a record of potential owners and a record of lost and found, and stray cats. So it helps us reach out to those interested in adopting cats,” he added.
In Dubai, registering and microchipping a pet is mandatory for pet owners. Failure to do so calls for a Dh500 fine and the permanent confiscation of the animal.
“If a pet is registered under an owner’s name and is found abandoned in the streets, the owner is subject to Dh500 fine,” Al Awadhi warned pet owners.
During the first half of 2017, 3,730 stray cats were reported to the municipality.
