After going missing for 100 days, the owners of Monty the wandering cat feared they would never see their beloved pet again.
But thanks to the use of technology and weeks of painstaking searches of desert wasteland across Abu Dhabi, the four-year-old rescue cat has finally been reunited with the Appleby family in Khalifa City.
Monty was one of three cats to go missing more than three months ago after they were mistaken for strays and rounded up by pest controllers.
An online appeal by Jacqueline and David Appleby encouraged other animal lovers from across Abu Dhabi to join the search via their blog — the lost boys of Khalifa City.
It was a huge relief, I had forgotten how miserable I had become over losing him
Jacqueline Appleby
The blog has been read more than 1,000 times, while a Facebook group has attracted hundreds of followers.
A breakthrough came when Abu Dhabi waste management contractor Tadweer shared GPS tracking data of pest control vehicles at the time the animals vanished.
It enabled a search party to pinpoint where Monty had been picked up.
When a woman in the group recognised Monty from a photo shared on the blog, she called the Applebys to pass on the good news.
“We had been communicating with Tadweer and they showed us GPS movements of the truck used on the morning that Monty disappeared,” said Ms Appleby.
“It stopped at the villa next door. That is when we assume Monty was picked up. He was driven 6km and dumped on a desert landscape area.
“He then covered 2.3km and walked towards an Emirati family who began feeding him in their garden.
“We found him exactly 100 days after he went missing.
“It was a huge relief, I had forgotten how miserable I had become over losing him.”
After his three-month sabbatical, a nervous Monty is readjusting to his surroundings back home.
The couple is now scouring similar GPS tracking information to locate their other two missing cats, Blacky, 10, and Winnie, three.
“It looks like Winnie was collected from Falcon Hospital and dumped at the waste ground a 10-minute drive away,” said Ms Appleby.
“We have lots of people in Shamkhah looking out for her, and we have put some flyers around with photos.
“If we had this information three months ago, none of this would have happened.
“The support we have had on social media has been phenomenal.
“With Monty coming back we have had a huge boost, our blog has really taken off and struck a chord with people.”
The experience has prompted Mr Appleby, a former soldier, to start a website to help people track lost pets.
Owners can enter the microchip numbers to check against those of lost animals handed in to vets or animal shelters across the country.
After weeks of testing, the microchipped.ae website is due to go live on Thursday and will be free to use.
“We decided to do this when we realised we couldn’t get any data from any other vets that had microchip information, as the databases were not that effective,” said Mr Appleby.
“We sent emails out to pretty much all vets in the country to get microchip numbers on our cats in the hope that someone had found one of them or taken them to a vet, without any luck.
“This website is open to any pet — cats, dogs or rabbits for example.
“Should they get lost and the animal is found, its information can be put into the website to find a match and reunite it with its owner.
“We don’t want others to go through what we have experienced.”
Company%20Profile
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
SPECS
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Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
In numbers
Number of Chinese tourists coming to UAE in 2017 was... 1.3m
Alibaba’s new ‘Tech Town’ in Dubai is worth... $600m
China’s investment in the MIddle East in 2016 was... $29.5bn
The world’s most valuable start-up in 2018, TikTok, is valued at... $75bn
Boost to the UAE economy of 5G connectivity will be... $269bn
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Mobile phone packages comparison
Company%20profile
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DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Match info
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Liverpool v Porto, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
