Dubai: Obama has just got a new home in Dubai.
“He definitely has a personality you can’t ignore,” said Emily Ann Herbert, a 30-year-old Australian who signed him in on Monday night. “He commands attention and knows exactly what he wants.”
But no, she’s not talking about the US President here. Obama is her new pet, an abandoned Persian cat she has rehomed.
Put up for adoption by Dubai-based animal group Friends of Animals, Obama was high-strung and temperamental, but he had little difficulty finding a new home, thanks to his illustrious name.
“Yes, I took him in because of his name. There was something about his face too,” said Emily.
Montserrat Martin of Friends of Animals, who christened the cat, said with everyone talking about the US elections, Obama was the first name that came to her mind. “There are thousands of cats looking for homes and we need to constantly reinvent with their names to get them noticed,” she said. As it emerges, the one-year-old cat was found abandoned in Jumeirah. “We’re not sure from where he came. But he is castrated, has a microchip and is fully vaccinated,” said Montserrat who brought him home and posted an adoption ad on a community website.
She made it a point to say that the cat was friendly, but could also get easily irritated. He was temperamental and did not like to be around other cats or even children.
“I was candid because I wanted him to get the right home. He was strong and loving but did not like to mix with other cats or even children. So we had to be careful,” she said.
Emily suspects that Obama was mistreated before being abandoned. “I have had cats all my life and can tell their behaviour. Within a couple of hours that I brought him home, he was sitting on my lap and purring.”
But does she have other cats in her 24th floor Tecom apartment?
“No, Obama wouldn’t allow that. He definitely proved to be the king of the castle the minute he came in,” said Emily.
