A police complaint has been filed after 15 fluffy Persian cats were found dumped in Arad, sparking concern among animal rescuers and residents. The case (3889) was lodged at Hidd Police Station by South African expatriate Tracy Ross, who discovered the kittens during an evening walk.
“While strolling through my affluent neighbourhood of Arad, where I have lived for 21 years, I found something I never imagined I’d see here,” she told the GDN. “It was a mass dumping of 15 Persian cats – newborn kittens and their mothers – all clearly from the same home. I was shocked.”
Although stray animals and abandonment are not uncommon in Bahrain, Ms Ross said she had never encountered such a large number at once and felt compelled to step in and help.
“They were not strays and would unlikely have lasted long in the wild. They looked well cared for before being left,” she said, adding that she could not understand how anyone could do this to innocent kittens.
Ms Ross, who works as a planning and design head at a travel company, rescued as many as she could on the spot and immediately contacted volunteers from Bahrain Animal Rescue Centre (BARC) to help locate the others. She has taken in five of the cats and a friend has stepped in too to offer a temporary shelter.
Lucie Belgrave, one of the group volunteers who arrived at the scene, said: “We had searched everywhere and were moments from giving up, having exhausted every possible hiding spot, when we decided to check an old, broken storage unit nearby,” she said. “That’s when we heard the faint cry of a newborn kitten. Inside, we found the litter with their mother. She had tucked herself away for their safety.”
Ms Belgrave said the case reflects a growing trend of purebred cats being abandoned by irresponsible breeders and owners. “These cases are adding immense pressure to an already overwhelming stray cat and dog population in Bahrain, making it extremely difficult for rescue centres to cope,” she admitted.
Ms Ross filed the police report in Hidd and officers have asked to collect a child’s ‘Emirates Fly Better’ T-shirt that had been found in a box in which some of the cats were dumped, as potential evidence.
“We’re working carefully to screen prospective adopters to ensure all cats go to stable, loving homes,” she said, adding that some of the queens were still nursing their tiny kittens. “One kitten was ready to be homed but was returned because it did not get along with another pet in the property.
“Pets need time to adjust and owners must be patient,” she urged.
The youngest kittens are expected to be rehomed from late December into early January, with plans to have them spayed beforehand.
Ms Ross said the incident reflects a growing animal welfare problem in Bahrain. “Rescue centres are full and government support is limited,” she said, stressing that the animal-loving community is left to handle these kinds of situations.
To address the issue, she believes pet ownership licences should be introduced as soon as possible. “Something needs to be done to stop the constant dumping of animals,” she added.
The GDN previously reported that Hidd Police Station head Colonel Dr Osama Bahar used a recent Al Aman show to urge families to think carefully before bringing a pet into their lives, stressing that anyone who chooses to welcome an animal into their home must do so with care and responsibility.
He emphasised the need for pets to be treated with compassion, warned against abandoning furry friends, no matter what the reason, and to be sure anyone planning to bring a pet home to think closely before they even decide to add a new member to their family.
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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