Al Raha Cats: The volunteers keeping Abu Dhabi's strays fed and healthy
Abu Dhabi: When Gianluca Santangelo laces up his running shoes and heads out along the canals of Al Raha, he isn't just logging kilometers. He's counting cats. It's a habit that started when Gianluca moved to Abu Dhabi from Italy in 2018 for work, and like many newcomers, he found his rhythm in the new city, including a run along the water canals of the Al Raha district. But what he noticed on…
In Abu Dhabi's Al Raha district, a group of volunteers are dedicated to caring for the stray cats living in the area. Gianluca Santangelo, an Italian expat, noticed the stray cats while jogging along the canals in 2018. Moved by their plight, he started feeding them and eventually gained the trust of one cat named Wasabi, who became the community's mascot before sadly passing away.
The initiative was formalized in 2022, with the creation of the Instagram account 'alraha_cats' and a WhatsApp group to coordinate volunteers. The group is divided into zones, with each zone covered by a team of volunteers who take turns feeding the cats on different days. The core mission of the group is trap-neuter-return (TNR), which involves trapping stray cats, sterilizing them by a vet, vaccinating them, microchipping them, and returning them to their original area.
This method helps control the population, reduce territorial behavior, and improve the health and welfare of the cats. So far, the group has sterilized, vaccinated, and microchipped over 120 cats in Al Raha. The initiative also maintains a database of all the cats they help to monitor their progress. The group is careful to stay within Abu Dhabi's regulations, which allow feeding community cats as long as the environment is kept clean.
The Abu Dhabi law supports the initiative, and the group works closely with veterinary clinics and animal welfare groups to promote responsible pet ownership and coordinate trap-neuter-return programs.
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