Rescuing Cats In Saudi Arabia - Lauren's Story

Cat rescue can sometimes be life changing. Literally. 34-year-old Lauren Braithwaite was hit by the cat love bug while spending a year in a foreign country.

Her newfound passion for felines has kept her there for three additional years and beyond.

Having saved the lives of hundreds of feral and stray cats in Saudi Arabia, Lauren now refuses to leave the country without her feline charges.

We recently talked to Lauren, who was happy to share her special story with other cat lovers.

Originally from New Zealand, Lauren is a registered nurse who moved to Saudi Arabia in January 2014.

She was looking for new experiences, challenging herself to live in a completely different place.

Her plan was to stay for one year and work as a nurse in a cardiac hospital in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Helping Cats in Saudi Arabia

"The situation with cats in Saudi is very bad," Lauren told us. "You can not go down a single street without seeing stray cats around.

There are no animal shelters, and the government is not interested in solving the situation."

The Saudi authorities do not believe in TNR programs.

They deal with the plight of stray dogs and cats in horrific ways: shooting and mass poisoning of dogs; trapping cats and killing them in inhumane ways.

Pet dogs and cats are bred and sold in pet shops where they are kept in appalling conditions.

Unable to ignore the suffering, Lauren soon found herself involved in pet rescue.

"My fiancé and I went behind one pet shop we had heard about and rescued 3 cats," she told us about one memorable case.

"They were living in an old electrical room, amid cat corpses.

One of the cats had a collar stuck around his neck and front leg and was terrified and in pain, but I am happy to say he was rehabilitated and is now in foster care."

Taking in Alley Cats

As is the case with many rescuers, especially working in such dire conditions, the cats soon started making their way not only into Lauren's heart, but into her home as well.

"When I first arrived I lived in a small compound and there were a few wild strays around so I just started feeding them, as to me this is the right thing to do," she shares.

"One day a heavily pregnant cat turned up. As it was over 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), I took pity on her and brought her inside.

She ended up giving birth to 5 beautiful babies in my bedroom cupboard. Soon after another cat gave birth to 3 boys."

At that point, Lauren told us, she began to realise that this was soon going to become a huge problem.

She contacted Open Paws - a local cat charity run by New Zealand native Dr. Lana Dunn.

Together, the two women trapped and neutered all the cats in the compound. "It was so good to know that I wouldn’t have to deal with any more unwanted babies," says Lauren.

As is often the case with feral cats, the neutered cats stayed around and
Lauren soon became the caregiver for a colony of more than 30 cats, many of them friendly.

It has been stressful, and she has dealt with illness and death but says she wouldn’t change it for the world.

"I had nothing to do with cats before coming to Saudi and I am so happy to now say that I love them so much," she says. "I can understand them and I am protective of them, as so many people here just want them gone."

Leaving Saudi Arabia? Not Without her Cats!

Lauren's original plan had been to spend one year in the Middle East. What she hadn't taken into account was falling in love with cats.

She is now committed to the wellbeing of the cats and will not leave them behind to fend for themselves in the harsh environment.

A Growing Commitment

Entering her fourth year in Saudi Arabia, Lauren still works in the hospital while trying to arrange for all her cats to be transported out of the country with her.

We asked Lauren why wouldn't she find local homes for the cats. Surely that would save money and effort. "I have been unable to find homes locally for any of my cats here," she answered.

"There are just too many people trying to find homes for cats and not enough good people wanting them. Many expats leave their cats behind, and local people dump them on the street when they have had enough."

Australia: A Home for Some

Lauren is going back to Australia where she'd been living for a decade prior to coming to Saudi Arabia. She can't bring all of the cats with her to Australia though.

With strict quarantine regulations importing cats into the land down under is a long and very expensive process. Lauren decided to do that with only seven of her cats who will come and live with her on the Gold Coast in Australia.

Canadian Rescue to the Aid

What about the other cats? Fortunately, a Canadian cat welfare organization came to the rescue! They agreed to take in the rest of the cats, keep them in a shelter and gradually find homes for them.

The process of exporting pets to Canada is shorter and less complicated.

The cats don't need to be quarantined and will only have to endure the flights. "I do believe it is traumatic for them," Lauren says.

"Though, I really have no choice. I just wish I could tell them that I am doing everything I can to make sure they can have a happy life," she added.

We asked Lauren how she decided on which cats would be going to Canada and which she'd be keeping with her in Australia. She told us the decision had not been an easy one.

She chose to take the cats that were most attached to her, including one-eyed Patches and other cats who have been through emotional ordeals and she felt would benefit from staying with her.

Patches will be going to Australia to live with Lauren

What the future might hold

Lauren is hoping to be able to leave Saudi Arabia in the future - but only after sending all of her cats out of the country first. In order to do that, she needs more funds.

Exporting the cats out to safety - particularly to Australia - is time consuming and very expensive. Lauren has started a GoFundMe project asking people for donations.

"It literally is taking every cent I have to save these cats. It would really help me out a lot to get donations, even small ones from people, as it all adds up," she said.

Lauren dreams of finding suitable land in Australia where her fiancé and she will be able to build a boarding Cattery and run their own business.

They will also have a home for cats in need as well as farm animals. Until that happens, she is going to continue working as a nurse to pay the bills!

This beautiful Cat near a Cornish Coast in Alkhobar Saudi Arabia grabbed my attention for sure

"Now that I am passionate about cats I want to look into joining the fight against the apparent new law of culling cats in Australia," Lauren said. "It's not the solution and it's downright cruel."

Rescuing cats has truly changed Lauren's life.

The cats that have entered her life in Saudi Arabia have turned her not only into an avid cat lover but also into an activist who plans on continuing the fight for the benefit of animals - and cats specifically - in her homeland.

Al Madinah, Saudi Arabia - In Mosque Nabawi you will meet many cute cats, they are very humble.

Would you like to help Lauren get all of her cats safely out of Saudi Arabia? Click here to visit her GoFundMe page. Even if you can't make a donation right now, please make sure to share this page with your friends.

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19 comments on “Rescuing Cats In Saudi Arabia – Lauren’s Story”

Nadia Katz July 9, 2022

Hello I need your help A compound cat has just given birth in my home to 6 beautiful kittens I won’t be able to look after them all and I’ve only been living in Saudi for 6 months Is there a place that can sterilise her and take in some of the cats ? Any advise would do

Olive17 June 30, 2022

Hi Ms Lauren I am on similar situation also I have 32 rescued cats and 1 dog I am in desperate need since I want to go home now by 2024 can I ask help how I can raise a gofund page to help me sent home my cats in the Philippines thank you in advance.

Expat January 2, 2022

This is exactly my situation before I left in 2019. The only difference that I didn’t have Dr. Lana to help me. She refused to do anything with our compound (Al Bustan) because the management wasn’t on board with doing the TNR program. She said, there is no point, if they will trap the cats afterwards. Of course, she was right. So I had to do it on my own. I was there for 8 years, I TNRed hundreds, also rescued and found homes for others locally, and the ones that I couldn’t find homes for I paid for their flights to Washington D.C. and Canada, and of course, took my own cats home with me. Just before I left a wonderful Dutch lady with the help of another lady from South Africa took over and they were able to win the battle with the management and the TNR program was implemented. Dr. Lana (a true animal angel) came on board and they started a very successful TNR program that is run successfully to today, even though those ladies, or Dr. Lana are no longer there. Cannot thank you enough for what you did for those cats, Lauren.

Tabitha August 1, 2020

we may have adopted one of the cats that Lauren saved and sent to Canada! He is a doll face Persian and a total sweetheart! He is about 2 or 2.5 years old! His shelter name in Canada was Gilly but we changed it to Gilbert because our female cats name is Gilly! We adopted him September 28 2019 and he came info Canada on September 12 or 13th 2019.

Furballsmom November 28, 2020

Tabitha, this is wonderful to hear! If you come back to the site, please consider registering with us, we would love to hear more :)

Gillyfluffball January 21, 2022

How would i register for this site? I would love to connect with the rescue who sent us Gilbert, and share his before and after pictures so you can see how much he is thriving.

Lauren4883 June 3, 2021

Hi Tabitha, it wasn’t one of mine as mine were all adopted 2018, but I possibly would know the original rescuer as there are only a handful of people who manage to get rescues out of the country. I’m glad he has obviously found a wonderful home 💕

Thank you for everything you did Lauren. I would love to connect with the rescuer so I can send them before / after photos and let them know how he is doing. He is very spoiled and runs the house.

Kaele Lombard January 26, 2020

I have a baby kitten I rescued last night and really need someone to take in this little girl, she is only 3 weeks old and in bad shape, I cannot keep her and live in a hotel. Please can someone reach out and tell me where to go? Thank you

Anne January 26, 2020

Kaele, thank you for rescuing this little baby. She needs a lot of care quickly so you need to find a local rescue organization asap. We can't help you more than that here in the comments section. Please start a thread about this in the Rescue forum if you need more help.

Mary Gundy December 8, 2019

I lived in Saudi in the 80's and fostered a feral cat and her kittens, I absolutely know how you feel. My feral cat, Meow Mix (named that because she was a constant meower and we named all the feral cats on the compound), adopted me and my house to have her litter. I could not touch her, hold her or pet her, but she had the smarts to have her kittens with me. I found homes for all the kittens and had her spayed so at least she would not be going through the pattern of endless litters. Before we left, I decided I had to bring her home even though I wasn't sure she would ever be "tame". Within 4 months of coming home with us, she became a wonderful companion. She was the smartest and most affectionate cat I have ever lived with. Sadly she died of kidney failure, we think caused by licking leaves with insecticide sprayed on them while she was wild in Saudi. One of my friends there created the first humane society in the Al Khobar area - she left with 11 cats and two dogs. They spent a few years in Bahrain and then to Australia and then to US. I think 9 cats and the Saudi desert dog made it to the US. These animals are special. They are extremely smart. I miss Meow Mix every day even though I have raised a litter of kittens here and kept two. They passed at 18.5 and 20.5 years. Adopted another cat from the streets in Cambridge, MA who passed at 18 years. I now have two rescues. I applaud your work and efforts.

Thank you 🙏 they definitely are special, I know someone in that region now who has saved countless dogs and cats she’s amazing 💕 I’ve been back in Australia 3 years now and ended up bringing 8 back, it was worth every cent, sometimes I look at them and just think how lucky they are that they were saved when it could have been so different for them 😢

Lauren4883 August 10, 2018

FunnyFaceFamily said:
Great work Lauren! I am in a similar situation to you. I adopted a pregnant compound stray in Saudi and she gave birth to 5 kittens. 4 girls and 1 boy. They are now 8 months old! It has taken every can't we have to vaccinate and spay them and vets visits etc and we will be leaving in a few months and are desperate to take our new fur family with us as there just isn't anyone else here to take them for us.

Hi sorry I just saw this are you still in saudi? What country are you from? Maybe I can give u some advice on taking them with you, depending on where you are from but there are a few Facebook groups made for helping people bring their pets home to whatever country you are from which has lots on info on them

FunnyFaceFamily February 25, 2018

Great work Lauren! I am in a similar situation to you. I adopted a pregnant compound stray in Saudi and she gave birth to 5 kittens. 4 girls and 1 boy. They are now 8 months old! It has taken every can't we have to vaccinate and spay them and vets visits etc and we will be leaving in a few months and are desperate to take our new fur family with us as there just isn't anyone else here to take them for us.

Lauren4883 December 8, 2017

Norachan said:
How inspiring! It's wonderful to hear that some of these cats will have a good life because of you, Lauren. I live in a country where there are lots of feral and abandoned cats too. The situation is changing slowly, but it's usually left up to kind hearted people like yourself to do most of the work. I hope you're going to keep us updated on how things go with the cats you take back to Australia. I'd love to hear more about Patches and Co.

Thank you I will! I just had 7 cats arrive in Canada 10hrs ago so now they have a few days peace before going up for adoption. Yes it seems in too many places it’s left to people like us to do all the hard work which is so difficult without government support and funding. We do the best we can but it could be so much better with the right support. Patches is running round crazy as I write this ❤️ She’s 1 but still thinks she’s a kitten lol. I like it though she’s my little baby

Norachan December 8, 2017

How inspiring! It's wonderful to hear that some of these cats will have a good life because of you, Lauren. I live in a country where there are lots of feral and abandoned cats too. The situation is changing slowly, but it's usually left up to kind hearted people like yourself to do most of the work. I hope you're going to keep us updated on how things go with the cats you take back to Australia. I'd love to hear more about Patches and Co.

Lauren4883 December 7, 2017

tarasgirl06 said:
Yes, Australia's policy concerning free-roaming cats is absolutely diabolical. We in the cat advocacy community have been fighting this since its inception, and the CEO of Alley Cat Allies, Becky Robinson, even flew down there to meet with government officials to convince them of the error of their ways. She was armed with the facts, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Australia is not a kind society for animals, especially cats. As for Saudi Arabia, the tradition in Islam is to kindness and compassion for cats, and though some may have forgotten or become disconnected from this truth, it can be revived, I truly believe.

I have never heard of Alley Cat Allies I will have to look them up thanks yes In islam you should be kind to animals but here it is certainly not the case. Of course not everybody is unkind but all to many turn a blind eye, and there is a lot of abuse and neglect. Expats and locals. It’s horrible and without government support like Australia we can’t fix the problem. And it is so much worse here. In my city alone they estimate 2 million stray cats. They are literally everywhere it’s heart breaking

tarasgirl06 December 7, 2017

Yes, Australia's policy concerning free-roaming cats is absolutely diabolical. We in the cat advocacy community have been fighting this since its inception, and the CEO of Alley Cat Allies, Becky Robinson, even flew down there to meet with government officials to convince them of the error of their ways. She was armed with the facts, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. Australia is not a kind society for animals, especially cats. As for Saudi Arabia, the tradition in Islam is to kindness and compassion for cats, and though some may have forgotten or become disconnected from this truth, it can be revived, I truly believe.

Farhat March 21, 2022

Hello, I am in Riyadh these days on tourist visa, my husband works here, he is in business visa . I was so appalled/ disheartened to see so many cats on the streets from normal cats to exotic cats , and the way they are treated here, when clearly our religion tells to be kind/ compassion to all the animals especially to cats because our beloved prophet Muhammad ( peace and blessings upon him) was extremely kind to cats. No one gives them food, water or a nice cool place to sleep. There’s absolutely no awareness on how to treat these poor animals. They adopt these animals without getting them spayed or neutered and when they get bored taking care of these cats , they simply abandon them; ( I have seen so many cats on some remote gas stations on the highway) . They have no fear of Allah. It’s unbelievable and very sad. I try to feed random cats almost on a daily basis but I have to go back to Canada soon. I pray that these rich Arabs do something, take some actions; bring awareness etc.

Rescuing Cats In Saudi Arabia – Lauren’s Story

Helping Cats in Saudi Arabia

Taking in Alley Cats