Arab woman to be deported from UAE for mistreating 40 cats

Abu Dhabi - All the cats were in very poor health condition, with one found dead.

An Abu Dhabi court has ordered deportation of a woman who kept cats in a crammed room.
The woman, who was found with 40 cats in a room of her villa, all in poor health condition, was also ordered to pay a fine for mistreating the pets and denying them freedom.
Official documents stated that the Arab woman was gathering cats and kept them in her villa in Abu Dhabi. She would then sell them to people without having a commercial permit.
Residents in the area where the woman lived allegedly reported her to authorities after "a very bad smell coming out of her villa covered the place, with flies around the area".
A team from the Abu Dhabi Police went to the woman's villa and found 40 cats that were malnourished and in poor health condition. One of the cats was found dead. "The cats were found crammed in a small place and in a manner that would not allow them to move freely. The place was also dirty with cat faeces scattered everywhere," said authorities.
"A medical examination also showed that the cats suffered from fever, had worms in their intestines and skin rashes and all required urgent treatment."
The public prosecution had ordered that the woman is detained. Prosecutors also ordered that all the cats found in the woman's house be transferred to the Emirates Wildlife Centre for proper treatment and care.
Public prosecutors had charged the Arab woman with mistreating and harming animals, denying them healthcare and freedom of movement and selling the pets without a permit.
The woman had denied mistreating the cats and keeping them for commercial purposes stressing that it was her hobby and that she has been keeping pets for over 40 years.
She told the court that she loved pets and that she only gathered them so she could take good care of them and provide them with food.
The Abu Dhabi Appeal Court, however, found her guilty on all charges and was told to pay a fine. The judge also ordered that the woman be deported from the UAE.
Know the law: According to the UAE law on domestic animals, anyone who harms, mistreats pets, denies them food and healthcare or keeps them in a poor environment that can harm them or restrict their free movement and other related violations, faces a penalty including an imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year and/or a fine of not more than Dh200,000. ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi