DUBAI // A five-month-old cat has been found with its ears and tail cut off in what many people on social media are calling one of the worst cases of animal abuse in the UAE.

The cat, now named Bob, was found in a pool of blood by a woman after she heard the animal crying in pain in the early hours of the morning.

Alice Lorenzon, marketing manager at The City Vet Clinic, said the woman who brought it in to the Al Wasl branch last Thursday was shocked by the extent of the cat’s injuries.

“The cat’s ears and tail were cut off clean with what looks like a surgical tool. The cuts are very sharp,” she said. “We have never seen an animal abuse case as bad as this one.”

Ms Lorenzon said that Bob was in stable condition and that people should protect animals, not harm them.

“He has a long way to recovery but he will get better, hopefully,” she said.

Social media users expressed their frustration at such cruelty, saying those responsible should face prosecution.

A Facebook post by The City Vet Clinic said: “We are firmly convinced that who did this is a dangerous person who might harm humans too. Animal abuse is not normal. And the person who did this must pay for what (s)he’s done!”

Fawaz Kanaan, an animal welfare volunteer, said he will be reporting the incident to the authorities, including Dubai Municipality and the Emirates Animal Welfare Society.

“In the past two to three months, we have seen lots of animal abuse cases,” he said. “I’m not even surprised anymore because it has reached a point that there are cases of animals being shot in the face.

“The problem also is that many of these cases are happening in the middle of night and the cats are being thrown on the street, no one is seeing who is behind them, there’s no proof.”

Mr Kanaan said that in the past three months there have been many cases, including 12 cats poisoned in Jumeirah, one shot in the face, an Ajman teenager who was caught on camera throwing a cat at a wall and, in one of the more recent cases, a cat being thrown out of the window of a moving vehicle.

dmoukhallati@thenational.ae