'Tiger by the Tail' opens new base in Oman

Muscat: Animal welfare organisation “Tiger By The Tail” (TBTT) has set up a new volunteer group in Sohar, in a bid to rescue and re-home even more abandoned and homeless animals in Oman.
Having re-homed more than 90 cats since it first established operations on December 31, 2015, TBTT – which is entirely run by volunteers – began animal welfare work in Sohar about a month ago.
“They have vets in Sohar, but they are dedicated to farm animals,” said Jaison Mathai, founder of TBTT.
“We had many volunteers there who said they didn’t know what to do to help abandoned cats. On the first day itself, we had about eight or nine cats come in for neutering, and we have now devised a plan wherein we will travel to Sohar one month, and our volunteers will bring cats to Muscat the
next month.
“At whatever time we receive a call, we are ready to rescue abandoned animals, although we mainly rescue cats,” he added. “Our adoptions are only within Oman, and every six months, we go to homes and see how cats adopted by people are doing.”
An animal lover himself, Jaison, who has spent the last 22 years in Oman, follows the internationally recognised practice of Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) to reduce the number of feral cats in the Sultanate. Since its inception, TBTT has neutered more than 250 cats. A mass TNR drive has been planned for Sohar later this month.
“We now have a procedure wherein we will not allow cats to go up for adoption, unless they have been neutered and vaccinated,” he explained. “We don’t want animals to be abused, and we stand for animal welfare.
“We vaccinate our cats by providing them with a tri-cat injection, as well as an anti-rabies shot, so that this improves their immunity and also safeguards humans that interact with them,” elaborated Jaison. “If a normal TNR is OMR17, we pay OMR25 because of the vaccination.”
Raising funds to help so many animals in need, though, is far from easy, but TBTT has never backed down from helping animals due to a shortage of money.
“We have a strict policy where our core members – including me – have to donate every month,” noted Jaison. “It is a minimal amount, but we always have that. There is a significant portion of the Omani population that supports us as well. In the past 24 months, there were many times when I wondered how I would pay the bills for care, because I don’t like leaving outstanding bills unpaid.
“We settle our bills every three weeks,” he pointed out. “Somehow, the funds come, and I have to say this is a divine blessing, because we get money from so many unexpected quarters.”
Animal welfare becomes all the more important in an arid country like Oman, where water is at times scarce.
“In the summer, the heat is so bad that some animals haven’t even tasted water,” indicated Jaison. “Some cats and dogs don’t even survive beyond eight or nine months on average. Their kidneys shrink, and they really suffer. If you see some of the suffering they go through, you won’t be able to sleep at night. We took up the responsibility of going to three different locations where there is no water available, and where there are about 40 to 50 cats present. We provide them water 24x7 and feed them twice a day, after TNR.”
Jaison called upon others in the Sultanate to show compassion toward these abandoned animals as well.
“Last week, we had a case where a Persian cat was abandoned because it had a deep wound,” recalled Jaison. “The owner had taken it to a vet, who had provided an estimate of OMR 7. The owner didn’t want to pay so much, so he left the cat there. What loss does spending OMR 7 cause in the long-term? The surgeon got in touch with us, so we immediately asked our members to rescue the cat first.
“Do not shop for pets, adopt instead,” he advised. “Secondly, look at an animal as a living thing. God has made us a superior being capable of thought and action, but with that comes a responsibility to protect the environment, protect Mother Earth and protect the animals.”