Gentle and affectionate animals make great pets for both adults and children. It is a common choice for parents to have a pet as a childhood companion at home, as it helps in teaching compassion and taking responsibility towards the animal. This also helps in preventing selfishness and improving one’s character. Moreover, spending time with pets can be a source of joy and enjoyment through play and bonding.
The topic at hand pertains to the treatment of stray cats, and how individuals should approach these animals. While domestic cats receive organized medical care and vaccinations, the same cannot be said for feral cats that roam the streets. People have different opinions on how to deal with these animals. Some may choose to feed them out of compassion, while others may avoid contact due to fear of disease. It is essential to govern oneself with mercy, benefit, and safety when dealing with these creatures.
Suha Siddiq, a housewife, has a sympathetic approach towards stray cats. She has always had cats in her home since childhood and feels sorry for helpless street cats who are hungry and thirsty. As a responsible citizen, she provides them with food and water to alleviate their suffering. However, she makes sure that her children do not play with them as they may carry diseases that could harm her kids’ health.
Salma Mahmoud, an employee, has a different perspective on the matter. She is annoyed by the behavior of some people who feed cats in front of buildings permanently. This leads to pollution and attracts insects and flies around the leftover food. Additionally, this increases the number of cats in the area, and some of them hide in garbage containers. This can be a nuisance and pose a safety risk to individuals. Salma has written notices to her neighbors to stop feeding these cats to prevent any inconvenience or harm caused by them.
In conclusion, it is crucial to approach stray cats with compassion, benefit, and safety in mind. While feeding them may help alleviate their suffering, it is essential to maintain hygiene and avoid close contact to prevent the spread of disease. Individuals must take responsibility for their actions and ensure that their behavior does not cause harm or inconvenience to others.
According to Kholoud Haswani, a college student, street cats are not usually present in the area where she lives in Sharjah. She only encounters them in public gardens or open spaces where they congregate around the scent of food. During family barbecues, she sometimes feeds them leftovers as she feels pity for them and it does not inconvenience anyone. However, in other areas, such as open restaurants, she is annoyed by their presence and requests for staff to remove them. In her university, she reports their presence in open spaces to have them sent to pet shelters for protection and care. On the other hand, Dr. Muhammad Hussein, a veterinarian, warns against interacting with street cats due to the potential risks of infections and diseases, including ringworm, a skin disease that causes itching, red rashes, hair shedding, and other symptoms.
According to him, a bacterial infection can occur even from a minor scratch by an infected cat. This infection leads to symptoms like swelling or sores at the site of the scratch, fever, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, and swollen lymph nodes. Besides this, there is a risk of contracting the parasite toxoplasmosis, and a thin Treponema-like pathogen that causes flu symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. These diseases are hazardous and can be transmitted to humans, particularly children, when they come in contact with street cats. Therefore, it is advisable to avoid touching them, especially young children since stray cats can be ferocious.
Street cats are felines that roam the streets and have never been domesticated. Even if they were once pets, they may have lost their way and become wild over time. These feral cats tend to exhibit aggressive behavior and avoid contact with humans. They typically spend their entire lives outdoors without any socialization.
For those looking to help stray animals, the “Sharjah Shelter for Cats and Dogs” is an excellent option. The shelter offers medical care, nutrition, and a safe environment for these animals, as well as opportunities for adoption. In addition, the shelter has a collection and return program that responds to reports of stray cats in the area. This program is a humane and effective way to control the population of stray cats on the streets.