Kitty SOS: Help Ruby & Yoshi fly to London

Hello everyone,

I'm adopting two rescue cats from UAE - Ruby and Yoshi - and trying to raise enough funds to fly them to the UK. Here are their rescue stories from their foster families in Dubai:

Ruby
I rescued Ruby and her babies on 22nd March 2019 when my friend called me and told me that the kitty he saw in front of his mum’s neighbour's door had delivered.  She was living there for quite few months as I was told.They were feeding her but that’s it. I couldn’t stand it when I saw the situation and even though not really in the position of rescuing (I was jobless at the time for a year and a half and having my own 5 cats was really really difficult for me), but I also couldn’t let the kittens die on the cold pavement with the people that threw her out and others just passing by. Due to the stress of being homeless, Ruby had groomed herself on one side of her tummy till all the fur fell off. As her babies were born prematurely and her not really knowing what to do, one of them died within 24 hours. Ruby showed how much human attention meant to her the first time I held her and I pet her. She was always licking my hand!! Whilst she stayed with me, she also suffered with bronchitis and upper respiratory infection twice.

 Yoshi (formerly Leon)
Leon was found in a park in Abu Dhabi. It was obvious he was a dumped cat and he had been spending quite some time outside as he had a very matted fur. He was dehydrated and very weak. He was then taken to the vet where he stayed for a week to get stronger. Then he was moved to a very crowded foster home where he was living with 40 other cats. He then found a foster but it didn't last long as the foster mum's cat was aggressive to poor Leon. He then moved to another foster home, but this one was also not very successful as the lady who was supposed to take care of him, had left him locked in a tiny room and had gone on a trip asking her friend to feed him once a day. The room didn't even have a window, so he had to return to his initial foster home. He had a very hard life but none of this has affected his sweet, trusting nature. He is such a cuddly boy who wants nothing but be close to humans.

I'm so far contributing £400 to their relocation and trying to help raise another £800 to secure their onward travel. I chose to adopt overseas rescue cats because I believe that kindness and geography knows no bounds. Every Cat Matters (ECM)  was created with the desire and intent to help any cat in need, no matter where they are in the world. Sadly the culture towards pets and strays in the UAE leaves a lot to be desired. There are high rates of euthanasia, poisoning, torture, being thrown in front of cars for games, being fed to snakes, stoning, having boiling water thrown at them and being left to die in the burning sun in the scorching desert. Unfortunately all the above is seen DAILY in these regions. In some of the countries where ECM assists, fundraising and donating is actually illegal. The only shelters that exist are kill shelters. There is no education, no animal rights and transient societies that do not take responsibility for the welfare of those without a voice.

A cat is a cat, no matter where it is. A life is worth saving, no matter where it is. And if some of these cats are lucky enough to be rescued from a terrible fate, be healthy enough for travel - even with missing limbs, eyes or ears - then they are worth it. EVERY cat matters. And we may not be able to change the world for all cats, but we can change the world for one cat (or in this case, two!). This is why ECM exists. 100% of funds raised goes towards Emirates' fee, customs, DEFRA etc. which includes flight ticket, freight, handling fees etc.

I really hope I can bring Ruby and Yoshi over to the UK in time for Christmas this December. If you're able to spare any pennies to help me, I'd be so grateful.

Thank you! Andy x