Helping strays in Qatar
What do I do if I see an injured animal?
Most strays in Qatar will have a bleak future. Many will be abused, injured, or get sick and have no one to care for them. In cases like this, we rely on kind animal-loving members of the community to step up and do their part to help take care of the nation’s strays.
If you find a sick or injured animal, you can take them to the Government Vet in Al Rayyan for free treatment. Otherwise, many private vet clinics in town will offer a reduced rate for strays, such as Royal Vet, Al Maha Clinic, and Vets4Pets.
After recovery, you can try and appeal for foster or adoption, but sadly in many cases, the animal will have to be returned to the street. You can continue to check in on the animal and leave food and water for them.
What do I do if I find an animal?
If injured, please follow the advice above. If they are a stray, please do not immediately remove them from where you found them as they may be familiar with their area and be looked out for. You can read more information on stray colonies here. If you want to try and help further and get them off the street, you can appeal for foster or adoption by using some of the groups on social media mentioned below, or tap into your own network of colleagues, family friends, etc.
If you find an animal and you think they are a lost pet, you can take them to any vet who can scan for a microchip and hopefully the owner can be contacted.
Sadly, not all lost and microchipped animals have caring owners, and sometimes their owners do not want them back. In cases like this, you can try and appeal for fostering or adoption through the community, such as neighbours, colleagues, or friends to see if it is possible to rehome the abandoned fur baby.
Where else can I get support?
As much as it breaks our hearts, we do not have the capacity or resources to bring every stray into our care. Thankfully there is a small number of animal advocates in Qatar who try their best to help, but again like ourselves are volunteers.
There are many groups on Facebook you can try, such as:
Individual Beings of Qatar animal welfare, awareness and rescue
Animal Volunteers Network in Doha
Cat Rescue Qatar
