The move could be rolled out by the end of 2019…

Dubai Municipality is planning to conduct a survey among residents to assess the possibility of installing feeding stations for stray cats around Dubai. The move is expected to regulate the feeding of stray cats across the city.

The online survey will review the opinions of more than 1000 people. “There are no plans to implement feeding stations at the moment. The purpose of this survey is to study the possibility of implementing it and its environmental effects,” said a statement from the civic body’s Public Health Services Department, according to a report by Gulf News.

If the project is approved, it will be implemented and managed by an animal welfare charity, with trained volunteers in place to keep the stations refilled. Countries including Turkey, Syria and Israel have already found success in running similar programmes.

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The number of stray cats in Dubai is within the thousands and many people take the opportunity to feed the animals when they come across them in the street. Having feeding stations aims to ensure that what the animals are eating is safe and healthy for them.

The move comes after last year, Dubai Ministry of Climate Change and Environment introduced new animal welfare regulations meaning UAE residents who abandon their pets will face harsher penalties.

Article 2 of the new regulations specifically refers to abandoning pets as an act of animal cruelty that is punishable by law, stating owners should not abandon animals under any circumstances. Those who “use animals in a way that goes against their nature in art and entertainment performances, in pranks, or in staged animal fights” will also be breaking the law.

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Images: wam