Amy Redfern playing with the felines.     Photo by Jay Jayaraj

There’s a concern some cats may not find a home because they are not what people classify
as ‘Fluffy Persian’. People tend to look for further aesthetic than they do to personalities, Amy
Redfern, 2nd Chance Rescue Qatar animal welfare manager, tells Jay Jayaraj


When Matt Lally, 45, left Qatar for good last month, he, along with his family made sure that their pet, Munchie, a guinea pig, was left with a suitable adoptive family. The rodent was his daughter Jasmine’s birthday gift and bought at a local pet shop 15 months earlier. Typically, the lifespan of a guinea pig is between five and seven years.
“We had to think it through before getting a pet. Jasmine had initially wanted a rabbit but we figured it would be easier to re-home a guinea pig than rabbits, dogs or even cats. This is because there were a few posts on Doha Mums website where people were looking for guinea pigs as pets when we researched it. Guinea pigs are not easily available from the local market.
“We’re aware that we are guests in this country and won’t be staying long, so a dog wouldn’t have been a good option for us as that would be a far bigger commitment. Guinea pigs are small and low maintenance,” said the Englishman whose work has now taken him to Sydney, Australia.
Lally also added that his colleague had recently spent QR 13,000 to transport his dog back to the United Kingdom.
The family’s quest to find a home for Munchie began weeks before they left Doha when they had advertised on Doha Mums website. A few people had responded to the advert and Lally’s family decided to give the furry animal to a local family who have experience with a guinea pig before.
“Jasmine’s only request to the new family was for Munchie to keep his name,” added Leong Siew Ching, Lally’s wife.
In reality however, not all pets are as lucky as Munchie. With the recent lay-offs in the oil and gas sector locally, many pets mainly dogs and cats are abandoned at animal shelters or even in the streets and vacant houses when their owners leave in a hurry.
Three-year old Kisu was a stray cat which was later adopted but got abandoned again when its owner was terminated from her job. Due to the difficulty in animal migration processes into South Africa, the owner was forced to leave the feline at the 2nd Chance Rescue Qatar animal welfare as her termination was sudden and she couldn’t monetarily afford a cat.
Kisu, a sensitive and bright cat, is still a resident at the shelter now.
“Pet abandoning is a problem. A lot of people attribute it to just the locals, but it is genuinely just a problem to all nationalities.
“It happens every year to all the shelter groups. We all kind of get prepared for the part when it gets significantly worse. People often travel out of the country, for jobs or personal reasons.
“Qatar has very limited resources for pet hotels so the first problem people encounter is space which is expensive and limited. They get booked very quickly. People are left with no options with what to do with their animals so they find a solution in abandoning,” said 2nd Chance Rescue Qatar animal welfare manager Amy Redfern.
She added that it may be an expense at the time when people leave the country with their pet/s but with prior thought and planning in terms of pets’ general health and vaccinations, pet abandoning can be avoided.
“If things were planned in advance which should be the case as a responsible pet owner, there is very little to pay at the time of moving out of the country. It is not in any way a horrendously expensive price to pay, taking into consideration the animal’s life expanse when one looks at it objectively,” said Redfern.
Animal migration procedure depends on the country one was moving to. Basic rules to most countries require animals to be vaccinated and microchipped.
“Additionally, a pet owner would need an export certificate from the government here for the move. It’s quite easy and cheap to get hold of, between 30 and 50 riyals when one does it on his own.
“Then, it’s a travel-approved crate to take the animal out of the country. They can be expensive, between QR500 and 1000, but again I bought mine when my puppy was little to train her in. Should I leave the country, I have it now.
“The ticket price is like an extra human ticket. It’s better to try to spread it out over time than to pay it all at once. People don’t realise that. They try to pay in bulk and they get discouraged with the cost. That’s when it becomes a burden,” added Redfern who’s been with the shelter for almost two years now.
The cat shelter under the 2nd Chance Rescue Qatar is part of the Parkview Pet Centre in Madinat Khalifa North, near the Landmark Mall. The dogs, are located at a private farm on Exit 24 at the Al Shamal road. Currently, there are 168 dogs seeking refuge at the shelter. While the cat shelter is in a far more comfortable building, the most part of the dog shelter is very basic: zinc roofs and chain link fences. The shelter staff constantly keep the dogs cool with water especially during summer when it’s hot. The dogs do get plenty of space to be free and active during the day.
Comfortably, it should house only about 50 dogs. The current condition is very cramped and it can be difficult as the dogs do fight sometimes when put together. The cat shelter has space for 20 but they’re managing about 60 cats now. There are six cats in some cages that’s best for two.
“The situation is not ideal but it’s summer, and we try our best. It’s only responsible to look after those we already have, send them out for adoption before we could help the rest,” explained Redfern.
Another issue that’s troubling Redfern is also the fate of some of the animals at the shelter. Although, the 2nd Chance Rescue Qatar is a no-kill shelter, Redfern is concerned about some of the cats they are left with as they have been at the shelter for quite some time.
“We are concerned that those which have been left for 2-3 years may not find a home because they are not what people classify as ‘Fluffy Persian’ but their personalities are more beautiful and that’s a real shame. People tend to look for further aesthetic than they do to personalities,” she said.
Previously, the shelter was also focused on responding to calls on abandoned or abused animals. Due to the overload at the shelter, they are unable to go out and look for animals to help as they are often brought to them.
“At one point in the past when we had space, we were very responsive. The issue now is that many people expect us to continue with that effort and that’s a very sad thing because we can’t. We get daily calls. Until we reduce our number of dogs and cats, and improve our own struggle, we have to look at what we already have at hand,” she said.
The monthly running cost of the shelter is about QR45,000, including the rental space at the farm.
Redfern added that people recognised the shelter’s struggles by donating food, toys and other items.
“By focusing on food means that we can’t focus on shelter maintenance. So when the public takes care of the food, we can redirect our focus into actual maintenance. The farm needs painting, cages to be rebuilt and more sturdy roofs. It will be nice in the long run to have some sort of cooling system for the dogs because they are outdoors. Some of our volunteers have even suggested solar powered fans,” said Redfern.
In the last few weeks, the public has come forward through a small campaign on the shelter’s Facebook page where they managed to raise 1000kg of food in just the first seven days. Despite the fact that it is summer, many people have traveled to the farm to offer contributions.
In the long run, the shelter aims to give back to the community through public awareness, education and outreach projects to schools, nurseries and other groups.
“Eventually it’s about public awareness. We sought to get in touch with major schools in the area and give talks on animals care, what it means to own one and how to look after a dog or a cat, animal welfare for both young and older children,” she said.
Redfern explained that there were no animal welfare laws in Qatar that covered cases like animal abuse or punished those abused or mistreated animals.
“The only laws that exist on the subject of animals are basically those about working or hunting dogs, but that obviously doesn’t cover what to do when you find an abuse case and how can a shelter take an abuse case from an owner.
“At the moment, all we can do is go and talk to the owners, ask them if they consider giving the animal to us. The issue stands when we find somebody who refuses to do so. However, most people are happy to give up the animal if we offer that we will take care of the expense. But there is no power to just go in and take them,” she said.
The 2nd Chance Rescue Qatar welcomes any form of donation from the public for the betterment of its shelter. They can be reached at [email protected].