Animal lovers in Dhahran saving stray local cats

With the population rising, word quickly spread in the neighborhood that the compound’s residents would take in and care for these strays. This resulted in many residents of the nearby neighborhoods dropping off unwanted kittens near the main gate and driving away. (Photos/Supplied)
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Updated 17 December 2022
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Animal lovers in Dhahran saving stray local cats

  • Feline whisperers neuter, vaccinate and release
  • Overpopulation saw compound residents take action

DHAHRAN: At the tucked away Al-Mutlaq compound, situated on the main highway at the center of Dammam, Alkhobar and Dhahran, is a community of cat whisperers saving as many felines as they can.

The compound’s residents are being seen by some local residents as the saviors of many unwanted cats in the area. The problem started in 2016 when it began to rain cats and, well, cats. The area was overrun by strays that had sauntered in, had shrieking, fur-flying fights, and seemingly terrorized any and all human night walkers they came across.

With the population rising, word quickly spread in the neighborhood that the compound’s residents would take in and care for these strays. This resulted in many residents of the nearby neighborhoods dropping off unwanted kittens near the main gate and driving away.

These kittens would wander through the gate, pass the friendly security guards and make themselves at home. A group of concerned residents noticed the overpopulation and decided to raise cash so that they could vaccinate and neuter these furry animal friends.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The ‘Trap, Neuter and Return’ group consists of Sally Brown, Jawahir ‘Juju’ Islam, Rekha Nair, Laura Masoni, and Sanaa Tarneem Mohammed. ‘We started this group’s TNR program in 2016 — this was when the problem was overwhelming. We always had cats in the compound, workers were feeding them, families would feed them, but over a period of time, we saw a sudden upsurge of cats,” Mohammed said.

• It costs about SR300 ($79) for each TNR process and so they turned to Sally Brown for help. She had lived in Riyadh and on the west coast and brought in a wealth of information as a doctor, and how to raise funds to help these cats.

• Laura Masoni is responsible for the ‘dirty work’ of trapping with her 10-year-old daughter. They lure the cat with a small plate of food at around 10 p.m. and check on the trap in the morning at 6:30. All those trapped are announced on the social media group and are then taken to the Advanced Pet Clinic. They have to wrap the animals with towels so that they do not claw at their arms.

The group of mostly expats are the unofficial keepers of the Al-Mutlaq community’s “Trap, Neuter and Return” group, known as TNR. For these strays, the TNR is the best option, according to Al-Mutlaq’s community members because it allows these cats to be neutered and returned to their outdoor “homes.” This helps to control the health of the overall population and prevent the spread of disease.

When a cat has a “tipped ear,” it is the universally accepted method to identify a spayed, neutered and vaccinated feral cat. It means that a professional vet removed a tiny bit of the ear tip to signal that the cat is healthy and has been checked.

The group consists of Sally Brown, Jawahir ‘Juju’ Islam, Rekha Nair, Laura Masoni, and Sanaa Tarneem Mohammed. “We started this group’s TNR program in 2016 — this was when the problem was overwhelming. We always had cats in the compound, workers were feeding them, families would feed them, but over a period of time, we saw a sudden upsurge of cats,” Mohammed told Arab News.

“And the breeding cycles are quite close so they have just four-and-a-half months and then … they go into heat, so we will see cats all over, producing and reproducing kittens back-to-back. We found that people were abandoning — literally at the gate of the compound — and so we would have all these abandoned dumped cats coming in, trying to mark their territory and encroaching on the cats that were already there. And that led to a lot of fights and friction.

We want them to be healthier. We want them to be able to survive in the wild because let’s face it, not all of us can allow cats to come in and stay with us. If you look after a few of their needs and necessities like vaccinate them, spay them and neuter them, they’re happier. They’re well fed. They live longer.

Sanaa Tarneem Mohammed

“My children didn’t get to sleep because of the noise. We decided the problem was pressing enough for us to take a look at it. Most of us are expats and we got together and decided now we need to take a look at this,” she said.

Prior to that, and sadly in many parts of the country, people would trap stray cats and kittens and dispose of them in the desert — just abandon them or poison their food.

“We decided no, we couldn’t stomach that. So we got together with the compound management, with the owners and the compound manager, and we signed an agreement, saying that (we would take the) ownership and the responsibility of starting a group that would take care of trapping, neutering or spaying cats and releasing them back in the same place where we found them, to stabilize the population,” Mohammed said.

“So we did that. And then we got together again and raised funds as a community. Of course, some of us were not on board with the neutering and spaying part because they believe it’s un-Islamic and we are in a Muslim country. But I’ve been doing my own personal research about it. The Hadith I’ve read is that if it is (for) the betterment of the cat’s health, then neutering and spaying is okay, right? Because, ultimately, we’re not removing … parenthood from them, we want them to live a better life.

“We want them to be healthier. We want them to be able to survive in the wild because let’s face it, not all of us can allow cats to come in and stay with us. If you look after a few of their needs and necessities like vaccinate them, spay them and neuter them, they’re happier. They’re well fed. They live longer,” Mohammed said.

It costs about SR300 ($79) for each TNR process and so they turned to Sally Brown for help. She had lived in Riyadh and on the west coast and brought in a wealth of information as a doctor, and how to raise funds to help these cats.

“I’ve lived in the Kingdom for about 20 years, lived in this compound for 11 years. I first became involved with TNR cats in Riyadh at the National Guard Medical City due to (it) being overrun by cats. That was not too difficult (an) operation to pull off because you had thousands of people living there. So we could work in groups.

Brown said that in Jeddah, in Rabigh, it was also not difficult to do this because there was a large group of people able to help. The Al-Mutlaq compound, in contrast, is small.

“Then along with my friends, we started this group, we became aware of the fact we were being overrun during the kitten season. It wasn’t uncommon to find a cat lying out on the green as a day-old, they would have to be taken in and cleaned up or they would die.

“The mothers would leave them because they couldn’t deal with them. So we got together and we thought we’ll put together a group. The first thing I did when we set it up was contact the Advanced Pet Clinic that just opened here in Alkhobar.”

She contacted the APC’s owner, who agreed to offer them a 50 percent discount on all purchases. The resources have been used for sick and injured cats. However, Brown admitted that fundraising has been difficult, and compound residents have been asked to “sponsor a cat” with cash. Other fundraising efforts have included holding events, such as selling crafted and baked goods, with children and spouses pitching in to help.

“How we raise money is something of a continual battle, but we always get there somehow. What’s the most important thing also is, over the years, we have really stabilized the population here. The place was swarming at night with feral cats,” Brown said.

Rekha Nair, who became part of the TNR group two years ago, said a WhatsApp group has been set up to share information and concerns. “I go around the compound taking pictures of cats and then we do name them. So whenever we take a picture of a cat we know is tipped, that cat is already fixed, so we don’t have to worry about that one or take it to the vet. We share the photo in the WhatsApp group, that way we know where they’re hanging out and so we can put the trap there,” Nair told Arab News.

Laura Masoni is responsible for the “dirty work” of trapping with her 10-year-old daughter. They lure the cat with a small plate of food at around 10 p.m. and check on the trap in the morning at 6:30. All those trapped are announced on the social media group and are then taken to the APC. They have to wrap the animals with towels so that they do not claw at their arms.

“We have three traps, one cat at a time. They’re like big cages, we put some food inside. I do it almost every night because I used to work around the compound to feed the cats and if there are some new cats that need to be fixed, we share the picture with their location and say ‘yeah, so he needs to be done.’

“And that’s how, so far, we have been able to fix more than 50 cats since 2016. This year, we did around 20. When Juju (Jawahir Islam) was here, she used to set two or three cat traps every night around the compound. So we were able to catch three cats at once. And she (had) her driver … take them to the APC, which was useful,” Masoni told Arab News.

“People can donate directly to the APC, if they wish or they can donate to one of our houses. We tally it all up. Keep a record of all the money, that’s how it works,” Brown said.

 


Canadian expert praises Saudi Arabia’s rapid AI, social progress

Janice Stein, founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. (AN photos
Updated 6 sec ago
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Canadian expert praises Saudi Arabia’s rapid AI, social progress

  • ‘I think Canada can learn a lot,’ says Janice Stein in call for partnership, shared learning

RIYADH: Janice Stein, founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto, has praised the Kingdom’s ongoing transformation and its growing role in artificial intelligence and education.

During a two-day visit, Stein met officials from government, academia, and the private sector, and highlighted Saudi Arabia’s regional role while noting that much can be learned from Saudi Data and AI Authority’s initiatives.

“We went to universities, think tanks, and government ministries that work in education and artificial intelligence,” said Stein, Belzberg professor of conflict management. She added: “I think Canada can learn a lot.”

Stein noted that officials at the SDAIA had explained that the Kingdom will have a K-12 AI education strategy “in which students from grade three onward will start to learn about artificial intelligence and engage with it.”

She told Arab News: “Well, we are not there in Canada, and depending on how SDAIA measures and tracks its results, I think Canada can learn from the experiment SDAIA is running.”

Stein added that the future project led by SDAIA had not yet been implemented in Saudi Arabia, but much could be learned from its research and rollout.

“There is a sense that things are moving quickly and that will be foundational to the role Saudi Arabia will play in the future,” she said.

Stein also discussed the traditional educational cooperation model between Saudi Arabia and Canada, which has mainly involved Saudi students going abroad to study.

She said: “I think that will remain, but that is the old model.”

Looking to the present, Stein said she was interested in sharing and learning from the “very large experiment that Saudi society is now running.”

She stressed that the goal was in partnership and not encouraging Saudis to leave the Kingdom, adding: “Saudi Arabia is playing a leading role in the Gulf; I think all Saudis know that.”

She said that Saudi Arabia had the weight and urgency to lead, and that what it needed was a clear focus and annual measurement to benchmark the country’s progress against others.

“As a long-time student of the Middle East, my strong sense is that the Gulf is growing in strategic importance, things are moving, and the pace of change is accelerating,” she said.

“I thought, what a wonderful time to find an institutional partner here.”

Stein stressed how impressed she was by the “sense of urgency” in Saudi Arabia’s developmental efforts.

She said that in her conversations she had been struck by the strong focus on results and the awareness that time is limited, describing the urgency as “really, really impressive.”

Stein also noted the clear changes that women are undergoing, saying that it was encouraging to see women working at the airport on her arrival.

She underlined that as women’s roles start to change in society, that society itself begins to change.

Stein said that Saudi people understood the “rapid pace of global change and the need to act quickly — something often missing in more established societies.”

She added: “I think we all need that sense of urgency.”


Saudi, Turkish foreign ministers reaffirm cooperation during meeting in Riyadh

Updated 12 min 32 sec ago
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Saudi, Turkish foreign ministers reaffirm cooperation during meeting in Riyadh

  • Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies, Turkiye’s Diplomacy Academy to work together, share knowledge
  • Hakan Fidan praises increasing momentum of Turkiye-Saudi relations

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has met his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Riyadh to discuss recent regional developments.

The ministers co-chaired the second meeting of the Saudi-Turkish Coordination Council on Sunday, a key diplomatic forum aimed at strengthening political, economic, and strategic exchanges between Ankara and Riyadh.

Officials discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and coordination on issues of mutual interest, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji and his Turkish counterpart Nuh Yilmaz signed a memorandum of understanding between diplomatic centers affiliated with their respective ministries.

Prince Saud Al-Faisal Institute for Diplomatic Studies, and Turkiye’s Diplomacy Academy are to work together to improve collaboration and share knowledge, a statement said.

Fidan praised the increasing momentum of Turkish-Saudi relations, attributing it to the “vision put forward by our leaders,” reported the Anadolu Agency.

He added: “Turkish-Saudi relations, shaped by historical and human ties, have proven their strength and resilience in the face of challenges and difficulties.”

The first meeting of the Saudi-Turkish Coordination Council, which was established during the visit of King Salman to Turkiye in 2016, took place in Ankara in February 2017.

Several senior Saudi and Turkish officials attended Sunday’s meeting, including the Saudi Ambassador to Turkiye Fahd bin Asaad Abu Al-Nasr.


Asaan museum breaks ground in Diriyah ceremony

The groundbreaking ceremony took place at Diriyah Sales Center.
Updated 16 min 16 sec ago
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Asaan museum breaks ground in Diriyah ceremony

  • New 40,000 sq. meter cultural landmark is backed by Misk Foundation

RIYADH: Construction on Asaan, the Misk Heritage Museum, officially began in Diriyah on Sunday, marking a key milestone in Saudi Arabia’s cultural development and coinciding with the celebration of International Museum Day.

The groundbreaking ceremony at Diriyah Sales Center was attended by senior representatives from the Mohammed bin Salman Foundation (Misk), Diriyah Company, and design partners Zaha Hadid Architects.

Cultural institutions were also present in a show of support for the museum’s mission.

Spanning 40,000 sq. meters, the museum is envisioned as a living institution that reflects Saudi identity through immersive exhibitions and cultural experiences.

It will highlight traditional arts, crafts, oral histories, and social customs in a space designed to bring Saudi heritage to life.

In a statement to Arab News, Khaled Al-Saqer, CEO of Asaan, said the architectural vision for the project was rooted in a deep cultural responsibility.

“The vision was to preserve and pass on Saudi heritage from generation to generation,” Al-Saqer said. “With the rapid advancements in technology, we wanted to make sure there is no gap between current and future generations and their connection to their historical roots.

“At Asaan, we are developing heritage in a new way — one that bridges this gap and ensures our cultural legacy is protected and passed forward.”

He emphasized that Asaan is not just about preserving artifacts, but about inspiring deeper engagement with Saudi heritage.

Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the museum draws inspiration from traditional Najdi design, combining organic forms with modern lines to reflect the authenticity and evolution of Saudi architecture.

The structure itself is intended to be a cultural statement, rooted in local tradition yet open to global dialogue.

The museum will feature a conservation lab to support the restoration and preservation of heritage artifacts.

It will serve as a center for knowledge exchange and training, preparing future generations of Saudi museum professionals.

Asaan is part of the Misk Foundation’s broader mission to promote creativity, heritage appreciation, and knowledge sharing through platforms that empower Saudi youth and cultural institutions.


Saudi Arabia launches new production hub in Riyadh

The Saudi Film Commission has unveiled Jax Film Studios, a new production complex in Riyadh. (SPA)
Updated 18 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia launches new production hub in Riyadh

  • Scheduled for completion later this year, the studio spans more than 7,000 sq. meters
  • The complex also includes a private cinema, meeting rooms, production prep areas, dining spaces, and a VIP lounge

RIYADH: The Saudi Film Commission has unveiled Jax Film Studios, a new production complex in Riyadh, marking a step forward in the Kingdom’s efforts to develop a connected and competitive film and media industry.

Scheduled for completion later this year, the studio spans more than 7,000 sq. meters and features two soundstages of 1,500 sq. meters, along with a virtual production stage using Sony’s latest screen technology.

The complex also includes a private cinema, meeting rooms, production prep areas, dining spaces, and a VIP lounge — designed to accommodate a range of needs, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The facility provides convenient access to hotels, the international airport, restaurants, and a growing network of creative and technical professionals.

Filmmakers can find local crews, equipment, and post-production services to support their projects, all within a 20-minute radius.

Saudi Film Commission’s CEO Abdullah Al-Qahtani said: “Jax Film Studios represents a cornerstone of our strategy to develop a world-class film infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.

“As we become one of the region’s premier production hubs, this facility is built to meet the highest international standards — empowering local creatives while attracting global talent.”

Abduljalil Alnasser, the commission’s general manager of sector development and investment attraction, said: “With Jax Film Studios we are introducing one of the world’s most advanced and largest virtual production stages, powered by Sony’s latest innovations, unlocking limitless creative possibilities.”


Saudi Arabia showcases digital progress at Osaka expo 

Updated 18 May 2025
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Saudi Arabia showcases digital progress at Osaka expo 

RIYADH: The Saudi Data and AI Authority revealed the Kingdom’s progress in digital transformation and smart city development during its participation in Saudi events at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan.

The authority outlined national efforts to adopt data and artificial intelligence technologies to improve service efficiency and support sustainable development, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Mishari Almishari, deputy director of the authority’s National Information Center, said that Saudi Arabia was steadily moving toward a more integrated digital society under Vision 2030, which identified digital transformation as a key development goal.

He noted that the authority’s establishment in 2019 marked a significant step, coordinating efforts through three main entities: the National Information Center, the National Center for Artificial Intelligence, and the National Data Management Office.

The authority plays a central role in data and AI regulation and development, according to Almishari, contributing to the Kingdom’s growing position in data and AI-based innovation.

He also highlighted support for smart city systems through projects like the National Smart C Platform, the Smart Riyadh Operations Center, and initiatives promoting innovation, such as training camps, incubators, accelerators, and national hackathons.

The authority’s participation in Expo 2025 Osaka reflects Saudi Arabia’s aim to contribute to global AI development and build a more inclusive digital future.