Syed Shayaan Bakht, Staff Reporter
A cat named Al Marmoom drew a lot of attention after it appeared sitting comfortably and calmly between His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during a in a meeting at Al Marmoom Majlis in Dubai.
Al Marmoom is one of the kittens of a cat that went viral after a video clip taken by a passerby showed her trapped in a building balcony in the Deira area of Dubai in August 2021.
A number of people gathered under the building and grabbed a bedsheet until the cat fell on it safely.
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid praised this gesture, and expressed his pride and happiness with every expression of mercy.
After the rescue operation went viral, Sheikh Mohammed tweeted, “Proud and happy to see such acts of kindness in our beautiful city. Whoever identifies these unsung heroes, please help us thank them.”
Sheikh Mohammed later presented a financial reward of Dhs50,000 for each person who participated in the rescue operation at the time, namely: Ashraf Blanza, Atif Mahmoud Nawazkhan, Abdul Rashid Kotot, Naseer Arakal Muhammad.
The story
In August 2021, four Dubai residents received a generous amount of cash from Sheikh Mohammed for rescuing a cat stuck on the ledge of a balcony on the second floor of an apartment building in Deira.
The video showed that the cat was unable to climb its way back to the floor due to lack of grip on the glass fence of the balcony.
Ashraf Blanza, Atif Mahmoud Nawazkhan, Abdul Rashid Kotot, Naseer Arakal Muhammad.
After several attempts, the feline gave up. People in the neighbourhood noticed the distressed cat.
One quick thinking resident brought a bedsheet to rescue the cat.
A handful of residents gathered on site and spread the bedsheet.
The cat realised that the people had gathered for the rescue operation.
The cat jumped and people caught it.
It was inspected by residents and later given water to cool down.
Netizens have been praising the efforts. The video was first uploaded on social media platform TikTok.
The authorities have urged everyone to contact the emergency services when they witness such situations.
All lives matter!
On the other hand, during the meeting, President Sheikh Mohamed and Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid discussed a number of issues related to the UAE and its citizens, especially efforts to drive the country's development and renaissance to achieve the aspirations of the UAE people for a brighter and more prosperous future.
They also wished further security and stability for the UAE to continue its progress and development at a confident and accelerated pace at all levels.