Expo City Cats Have The Best Life: How Staff Are Caring For Stray Felines
Now reimagined as a mini-city for sustainable living and work, the site that held the World’s Greatest Show in 2021 is currently helping our furry friends stay safe
There’s nothing like kicking off the week with a bit of heartwarming news. Last week a video was posted on Expo City’s social media channels showcasinf an area dedicated to homeless felines at the district.
Expo City Cats: How Staff Are Caring For Their Feline Friends
That’s right the cats have dedicated spaces built on-site that include food, water and beds.
Each of these covered spaces, referred to as “sanctuaries”, have a retractable wall so that the cats can move in and out freely depending on the weather.
There are also “cat condos”, small wooden houses placed around the shaded and grassy areas of the district, offering a safe space for the animals to relax and take a water break.
In the area the Expo City Dubai team has also installed bird stations that give our feathered friends a home, but also help the cats develop their instincts as they grow up.
The aim of the initiative is to work towards making the whole of Expo City Dubai as sustainable as possible, including the mini ecosystem that holds the cats.
UAE residents and social media users seemed to be impressed by the initiative. Many took to the comments section of the video that was shared to applaud the move and suggested that similar drives be replicated around other parts of the country.
Instagram @Natalie_bormann wrote: “I love this! Well done, guys and whoever‘s idea this was. Would love to see this more around the UAE.”
User @Fearless_in_dubai commented: “This is amazing. We need more humanity like this.”
Where Did The Idea Of A Cat Sanctuary At Expo City Dubai Start?
Harper’s Bazaar Arabia spoke to Faida Sabouneh, Food Safety and Sustainability Manager at Expo City Dubai, who shared how it all started.
“Staff at Expo 2020 Dubai set up a cat group to help monitor, care for and find homes for the feline community on site. The group grew and developed with the support of the management into an animal welfare programme,” she said.
It was the pregnant and weak animals that needed the most help at first, Faida explained. “There was a need to isolate any at-risk mothers and kittens, or to segregate any injured cats that needed a safe place to recover before being released or homed,”
Speaking about how the initiative is currently run, she said: “Cat feeding stations across the city are funded by Expo City Dubai and maintained and monitored by staff volunteers who refill with food and water as required.”
Additionally, Faida explained that medical care these animals need is also taken care of.
“Expo City has also collaborated with a dedicated clinic that enables swift intervention for health concerns, promoting the overall health and longevity of the feline population. This includes the implementation of a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programme, which is essential not only to control the cat population but to ensure their humane treatment.”
She also explained that the felines are all ideally going to get forever homes, however, they have not opened adoption to the public.
“Our cats are either looked after by our team or taken in directly by employees, with internal communication channels facilitating coordination for fostering or adoption. We do not currently run an external adoption programme,” she said.
Lead image courtesy of Unsplash