Car owners in the UAE are being urged to check their vehicles before they drive off to ensure that cats or other animals are not hiding under the bonnet.
Animal rescuers are regularly called out to incidents in which cats suffered horrific injuries after finding a place to rest around the engine.
The calls for vigilance from rescuers and pet owners came after a Dubai resident shared pictures of her vehicle after a cat crawled into the engine bay.
The pictures were shared on Facebook last month by Dubai resident Sabrina Sandolo, who took them after she spotted a ginger cat, unaware of the danger it faced, lying down behind the front grille of her Ford.
Bang on the bonnet before you even start the car. I have been told by garages that they have found dead animals underneath the bonnet
Had Ms Sandolo, who had parked her vehicle in Al Badaa area of Dubai, not checked the vehicle before driving off, the cat could have been seriously hurt, she said.
“I’m used to checking my vehicle, as cats like to hide, but it usually happens during the night or early morning,” she said.
"I was surprised to notice a cat hiding during the hottest part of the day and it took some convincing to get her out. If I hadn't noticed her, she would have been injured, no doubt about it."
She said checking a vehicle took a few seconds and could save an animal's life and prevent damage to the car or van.
Fawaz Kanaan, a Syrian events organiser who lives in Dubai and has been rescuing cats in the UAE for more than a decade, said it was common for animals to get hurt after taking refuge in engines.
He has rescued cats that suffered serious injuries after crawling into vehicle engine bays, including badly damaged limbs or lacerations that cover much of the body.
“It happens all the time,” he said.
"Cats are always trying to find a quiet place to sleep, especially when cars have been parked for a while, then suddenly [the driver] starts the engine."
It happens more with larger vehicles such as SUVs, he said, because they have more space in the engine bay where cats or other animals, such as birds, may hide.
There are risks year round, because cats escape colder weather during the winter and seek shade in the summer. Pregnant females sometimes even have litters in engine bays.
“Most of them, they get injured and they get a really deep cut,” Mr Kanaan said.
“The last one was two or three months ago. We had to take the cat to the vet and the doctor had to amputate the leg.”
Car owners should bang on the front of their vehicle to scare away cats before they drive off and open the bonnet to double check there are no animals, he said.
If the cat refuses to move, he advises throwing water at it. This scares the animal off without causing it harm.
Among the pet owners who know the dangers well is British resident Tanya-Jane Carter, whose cat Samuel suffered tail injuries and several burns after he climbed into the engine bay of a neighbour's car about two years ago.
Samuel is a black-and-white Arabian Mau and was 10 when he was hurt.
The cat was discovered only when the neighbour returned home after a 30-minute drive.
“She knew something was wrong,” said Ms Carter, who has lived in Dubai for 18 years.
"They opened up the car and found our cat. Fortunately, they were cat owners themselves and they took him to the vet."
Samuel, who was traced back to his owner using his microchip, was in "a very bad state" and his tail had to be partly amputated because it was severely injured.
The bill ran to thousands of dirhams.
For weeks after his ordeal, Samuel, who now shares Ms Carter's home with three female cats, appeared traumatised and hid himself away because he was scared.
“Bang on the bonnet before you even start the car,” Ms Carter said.
“I have been told by garages that they have found dead animals underneath the bonnet.”
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
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Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ASHES SCHEDULE
First Test
November 23-27 (The Gabba, Brisbane)
Second Test
December 2-6 (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide)
Third Test
December 14-18 (Waca Ground, Perth)
Fourth Test
December 26-30 (Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne)
Fifth Test
January 4-8, 2018 (Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney)
TICKETS
For tickets for the two-day Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) event, entitled Dubai Invasion 2019, on September 27 and 28 go to www.meraticket.com.
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Company profile
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Launch year: 2017
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Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
The biog
Family: Parents and four sisters
Education: Bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing at American University of Sharjah
A self-confessed foodie, she enjoys trying out new cuisines, her current favourite is the poke superfood bowls
Likes reading: autobiographies and fiction
Favourite holiday destination: Italy
Posts information about challenges, events, runs in other emirates on the group's Instagram account @Anagowrunning
Has created a database of Emirati and GCC sportspeople on Instagram @abeermk, highlight: Athletes
Apart from training, also talks to women about nutrition, healthy lifestyle, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure
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THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
