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Stories of, and about, Maus and their People
(Continued from "Amsterdam, The Netherlands Cat News" in EMRO's #3 Winter Mewsletter.)
The Tale of Sinbad, the Female Sailor Cat
This is the tale of Sinbad, the female KSA Mau who became a "sailor" and was adopted by a crew of deep-sea divers. This story was submitted by Pete Hughes, a British deep-sea diver working off the East Coast of Saudi Arabia. He discovered Sinbad onboard his diving support vessel after it had left Dammam and was hundreds of miles away from the original port. Mr. Hughes took pity on this sad, little cat, fed her and took care of her. What follows is an amazing story of how a little Mau captured the hearts of Peter and his fellow divers all described as "all big rough-tough deep sea divers". The entire narrative is in Mr. Hughes' own words, has not been changed in any way, and is a true, heart-warming story you will remember for a long time.
"Hi Donna,
I came across your article whilst doing a Google search to try to find a solution for a homeless cat that I adopted but am unable to keep, at least at present. Firstly, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Pete. I'm a British deep-sea diver working in the oilfields off the East Coast of Saudi. A few weeks ago as we set sail on our diving support vessel from Dammam to head way up north I heard, to my surprise, a pitiful miaowing from the darkness of the deck. It seemed a little cat had inadvertently strayed on board and was being taken hundreds of miles away from whatever it had previously regarded as home. I gave her some food and water and decided to look after her. The captain however had other ideas.
I noticed from your article that the prevalence of feral cats is quite a problem in Saudi Arabia. Mostly when we come alongside the docks we see whole colonies of undoubtedly feral cats. I have some sympathy for them and I see you do too but they are generally seen as unwelcome on board ships because of the hygiene problem they present, ironically through no fault of their own. Mostly these cats are afraid of humans anyway and run a mile - this is how you know they are feral.
This cat however was instantly loving and affectionate and very comfortable around people. Since it didn't seem to know how to extract food from a garbage bin and simply came crying to me when she wanted food I realised very quickly that it was domesticated and that it was almost certainly somebody's pet that had become lost on one of its night outings. I cared for the cat for a week and was rather upset that the captain, presuming wrongly that it was a feral dockside cat, threw her heartlessly on the quayside when we came in to a place called Tanajib. I found out subsequently that most of the boys, all big rough-tough deep sea divers were equally upset as we didn't think the cat would be able to survive on its own on the quayside.
About a week later we came back in to the same harbour and found the cat waiting for us on the very same spot - thin, dirty, lame, emaciated and malnourished. Evidently she had had a hard time trying to survive and figured our ship was the best bet she had of finding food and shelter. So we smuggled her back on board. Fortunately the captain realised after all that this was actually a beautiful cat and he relented and allowed us to keep her on board. He would have had a problem on his hands if he hadn't relented, to be honest. So she became "my cat" for the remainder of the time I had on that contract. I passed her on to some other guys who continued to feed her when I returned to Europe for my leave.
But this is not an ideal solution. There is a high turnover of personnel on such vessels and, inevitably, this poor cat will I'm sure end up abandoned to die on some wretched desolate quayside again. Not everybody likes cats as I'm sure you're aware. So, I'm trying to find a permanent, safe home for this very special animal. At present I've made some enquiries about having her quarantined and transported to Europe and I've also asked my ex-girlfriend in Dubai to take her and keep her if I pay the transportation and license costs. The only way I've found to do this so far is by using a vet in Doha who will make the arrangements. It's very expensive, but my lack of local knowledge in Saudi Arabia (I spend all my time offshore) makes it difficult to investigate better options.
But now the plot has thickened. Today I had some communication with one of the guys on board who is currently feeding her. It seems that she is now pregnant and is due to have kittens imminently. She's living in a (reasonably comfortable) box under a winch on the stern of an oilfield ship and she's very well fed but this is no place to have kittens. The wind gets so strong sometimes offshore that it would surely blow young kittens overboard. Not only that but they simply couldn't keep a family of cats on board safely. The guy in charge just now, Dave, is another Englishman and a compassionate, caring animal lover but he has a dilemma how he will deal with the arrival of several kittens on board a congested diving vessel. His options are few to be honest. One cat on board can be kept discreetly even if it does break the company rules but not a family of kittens.
Can you help? This is a matter of some urgency. If we cannot find somewhere safe onshore for this cat (who I named Sinbad, by the way, as in the sailor) then the kittens will inevitably be put down I think. The ship is presently far offshore but comes in every few days to an oil port called Tanajib. Do you know anybody there? Could somebody liaise with Dave and drive down from Riyadh and take the cat home, even just temporarily, whilst it was giving birth? Working offshore, on seamen's visas, means that we have very little freedom of movement in Saudi Arabia and it is difficult to make logistic arrangements of this sort. On the other hand, I'm aware that it costs petrol money to make a car journey, if by any chance somebody were willing to do it, and I would be more than willing to cover incidental expenses like that, and indeed contribute towards the cost of feeding the animals should it be an issue.
From your webpage it's obvious to me that you are a kind person that shares our compassion for vulnerable animals. Also, and equally as importantly, you seem to have developed a network of contacts for precisely this kind of thing. Could you help Sinbad? I must admit I'm sorely tempted to fly her to Europe and keep her. But we still need to find homes for the kittens she is about to give birth to. I've asked the few local Saudi people I know and will probably accept the first positive reply I receive, although my hopes are not high. Even if I do keep her myself there is a period of 4 months between rabies vaccinations being given and the cat being authorised to travel. The Doha vet is charging a fortune for boarding for this period. If I could find a cheaper alternative for a temporary period it would make the whole venture more financially practical. Of course, if a loving home could be found for her on a permanent basis it might suit the cat better to stay in its accustomed warmth of Arabia than to be transported to the cold of Northern Europe.
At this stage I'm simply exploring possibilities. But I feel I could do with some help and some more knowledge.
This cat is one of the most loving, affectionate animals I've ever met. It would be a tragedy if she were to be let down by the very humans she had come to trust.
Can you help?"
Pete Hughes
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Post Script by Gloria Lauris
Good news about Sinbad the seafaring cat! After many false leads and loss of hope, a collective effort managed to locate the cat on a remote pier in the East Gulf, where she was captured by a local worker, as well as the driver of a PAWS member in Aramco, who was paid to drive up and secure her! Sinbad spent the night in Brigitte Burridge's garage in Aramco in Dammam, I then brought her back with us to Riyadh at the end of March. She spent 2 weeks with us getting vaccinated at the Riyadh Vet clinic, and was checked over and treated for earmites and third eyelid issues. She also receive a couple dewormings plus regular feedings which helped her coat become soft and silky.
Pete Hughes, the diver who brought her to our attention, has agreed to adopt her and I'm working with him to ensure that she is ready to travel. In mid-April, Sinbad went back to Dammam area via complimentary pet escorting by Philippe Gulbourt, a French business man who travels back and forth from Riyadh to the East Gulf, as well as a colleague of Brigitte's. Sinbad spent the night again in Bridgette's garage and was picked up the next day by her neighbour Kimberly Pierson, who agreed to foster Sinbad until she travels. Sinbad will be flown in cargo from KSA to Amsterdam in about four months (August), and Pete has generously offered a generous donation (in addition to paying the costs for Sinbad's preparation) to EMRO and PAWS for the help and assistance we gave to his cat. An update will be provided later as it arrives.
Finally, the last bit of news on Sinbad is that she appears to have become pregnant. Her first litter was drowned by an official of the ship (in Pete's absence), and it appears that in the two to four weeks from that moment to her capture, Sinbad has managed to become pregnant again. The foster caretakers are awaiting the arrival of her litter and wish to share the wonder of birth with their daughters. Sinbad may become a rare Arabian Mau breeding cat in Amsterdam or the U.K. in the very near future!
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Hello to all the Sinbad fans,
Sinbad is back in Dhahran at our home on Aramco and has settled in very nicely. She has been very busy checking out every inch of our
home. We let her touch noses with our two older cats and there was
some hissing but no major problem. I am however keeping them separate
for some time just to avoid any problems. My male cat broke his leg
last week and is hobbling around with a case on his leg so he is not
in any mood to deal with a young chick trying to take over his house
but we are showing him extra love and attention and giving him extra
treats so that he knows that he is still the king.
I am attaching a picture that I took this morning of the Queen in her
new digs. My girls were having so much fun making a special bed for her to sleep in and Sinbad got right in a fell asleep. She is such a girly girl!! I am sure by the end of today she will feel very
comfortable here. I know that we are sure happy to have her and show
her all the love she deserves.
Many thanks to all of those that have kept Sinbad in there thoughts.
She is truly an amazing little girl!
Having fun with the Queen
Kimberly Pierson and Family (current foster family)
Sinbad, resting in her foster home.
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Sinbad - Addendum:
Sinbad has become a new Mommy! (May 2010)
Sinbad and her new litter of kittens.
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Tuesday, May 11, 2010 7:11 PM
Hello Everyone,
What a wonderful surprise to wake up this morning to 3 little babies nursing from their wonderful purring mommy Sinbad. She must have had the babies around 4 a.m. because they were still very wet when I checked in on her at 5:30 this morning. She has been purring every since and is such a good little mommy. All three kittens look very much alike with gray tabby markings with white patches on their backs and tummies and legs. 3 little triplets! I took a few pictures first thing this morning and will take more as they progress but just wanted to let everyone know that our little famous kitty is a new mommy of 3 and doing wonderfully!!
Take Care Everyone and I will stay in touch.
Kimberly Pierson (Sinbad's temporary mommy and now new grandma!)
Top Left: Four new arrivals; Top Right: Hungry Momma Sinbad eating for five; Bottom Left: Time to feed the tiny ones; Bottom Right: Nap time for Momma Sinbad and babies!
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Friday, October 1, 2010 2:29 AM
Just In Time
Hi,
Looks like we were just in time. She gave birth to four kittens last night, including one full-breed Mau by the looks of it. Just as well it didn't happen a week ago, or Clemens might have had kittens too!!
That's one very contented animal.
Regards,
Pete. (in Amsterdam)
EDITOR'S NOTE - May 29, 2011: At this time, Pete has decided to keep Sinbad and the four babies so he has a full house! He has to find a new place to live and is busy trying to relocate in Amsterdam with his new "family". Stay tuned!
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