Introducing... The Cats of the Corniche!

First of all, this isn't an easy thing to tell you, but...

John’s been cheating!

Meet Crinkle....

Crinkle.

He’s one of the beautiful kitties who live along the Corniche, Abu Dhabi’s famed waterfront promenade and public park area.

Crinkle was named by a Kiwi couple who feed the kitties on the Corniche for his distinctive broken tail…(you can see the 'hook' in the photo above).

But when John first met him… and sent me photos of this singular cat… I called him

L’ORANGE OF ARABIA!

L'Orange

That’s because L’Orange bears an uncanny resemblance to our own orange fella, MIDO, our kitty that John has a very special bond with.

Mido

Seriously, don’t these two look like they were separated at birth?

 

Mido

L'Orange

The similarities don’t end there. They are also both quite territorial.

When John arrived in Abu Dhabi and was living in the Sofitel, he would regularly take walks and run along the Corniche. During his visits he spotted the cats… and then he spotted people feeding them. So, naturally, as a crazy cat lady himself, he joined in. :)

The walks and feeding became a bit of a ritual, but John really had a special bond with L’Orange. Every time John went to visit, it was like L’Orange was waiting for him... but he also got upset from time to time when other cats came near John...

L'Orange drinks from a fountain on the Corniche... reminds me of Life of Pi.

Now that Mido, Tessa and I have arrived, we’re trying our best to continue the tradition, and take walks along the Corniche and visit L’Orange when we can.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t been as often as we’d like. :(

We suspect that L’Orange was someone’s house cat. He’s very friendly. He jumps up in John’s lap, and purrrrrrrrrrs like crazy.

We would take him in ourselves (really, we'd scoop him up in a heartbeat!) and think that L'Orange was most definitely someone's house pet who wasn't able to make the flight home when the Expats left, but we fear that Mido and L’Orange, because they are so similar in temperament and so smitten with their Cat Bro John... well, it could lead to lots of fights and just end badly. 

This makes us very sad. Though we know we can’t claim to know what’s best or right for L’Orange, we do have an offer on the table for anyone who reads this and is taken by this little fella...

If you are SERIOUSLY interested in adopting L’Orange, we will take care of the first vet visit fees. This means a check-up and neutering (if he hasn’t had that done yet…I haven’t looked too closely to be honest) and say, any other medical expenses up to... a reasonable amount.  

We think L’Orange would not only thrive as an only kitty in a household, but would also do well in a home with other cats where John isn’t! ;-) 

He needs a new slate of people to love... 

L'Orange is a cuddle-bunny. Gets ear rubs from John.

We’ve also seen him around children and he’s been extremely well-behaved and tolerant to children who have not had any exposure to house pets in the past.

Any takers? Purrrr-ty please….

***

I’m just learning more about all the animal welfare groups here in Abu Dhabi and will likely volunteer with one or another in coming weeks (should employment not be obtained as quickly as I’d like).  

Cats dining along the Corniche

Feline Friends is a very active group and well-regarded. They have a Facebook page and website here. Other organizations with Facebook groups are Animal Action – Abu Dhabi and in Dubai, the Bin Kitty Collective and Al Rahma Animal Welfare Society.

Also, it should be noted that the Abu Dhabi Emirate has a no-kill policy, and a Trap-Neuter-Return program is in place. The program is run through the Center for Waste Management (a rather unfortunate name for the good work they do in humanely helping to maintain the animal population) For more info, call 800-1122.