Amman, the capital city of Jordan, has been facing a stray cat problem for many years. The issue is particularly prevalent in the older, more densely populated areas of the city where stray cats can be seen wandering the streets in search of food and shelter. While the exact number of stray cats in Amman is unknown, it is estimated to be in the thousands.
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The stray cat population has become a major concern for public health and safety, as these animals can transmit diseases and pose a threat to public safety by causing car accidents or other hazards. More importantly, they are often the subject of animal cruelty, with many people resorting to poisoning, shooting or other inhumane methods to control the population.
To address this issue, various animal welfare organisations and volunteers have been working to sterilise, vaccinate and provide medical care to stray cats. They also work to raise awareness of the issue and encourage responsible cat ownership, including spaying and neutering pets and providing them with proper care and shelter.
Bayt Sara: Raising awareness of Jordan’s animal cruelty
Cat lovers, you’re going to love this lady! When half-Palestinian, half-Romanian Sara first brought her new restaurant (Bayt Sara) to Amman, Jordan, she was horrified to find local children torturing the nearby strays – she even caught some using kitchen scissors to hack away at a dog’s ears!
Since then, she’s made it her mission to educate the local people on animal sentience, and her love for cats brings (literally) hundreds of homeless kitties to her restaurant doors for their daily dinner.
Her relaxed vegan restaurant (which was the first of Jordan’s kind) feels like a home away from home for animal lovers, and every day she puts a percentage of her restaurant proceeds into the spaying, feeding and vet bills of injured and sick strays. It’s impossible to pay her restaurant a visit without catching a glimpse of their four-legged regulars. Sara’s work also extends past Amman and into the south of Jordan where she is battling to raise awareness of cruel horse and donkey riding practices in Petra.
Help Sara continue her animal welfare work in Jordan
Despite the success of Bayt Sara, Sara is starting to struggle as more strays arrive at her door. The cat featured at the top of this blog is just one fo the many injured animals she has had to take to the vet for expensive treatment. She told me,
“I need help with the spaying. We are seeing the arrival of so many babies now, and covering the bills of the injured, sick, and hungry cats is getting harder. Even 1 dollar can make a difference for them! My dream is still to open a shelter.”
Find more photos and information and DONATE to Sara’s animal welfare efforts on her Go Fund Me Page
