Q. Where do the animals come from?
A. There are a variety of reasons, some of which are very avoidable. If an animal comes to us and is 'surrendered' (meaning that the owner or caregiver hands the animal over to us in person) we will know the circumstances of where the animal came from and why it is being surrendered to us. If the animal is abandoned at QAWS in a box or tied to a gate or found as a stray at QAWS or elsewhere, then we don't know if the animals is a stray or if is has been abandoned. Some of the most common reasons for the animals coming to QAWS are that the owners have not realised the time or commitment (financially, emotionally etc) a pet requires and now don't want it, they might be moving to a new house and are unable to keep their pet or they might be leaving Qatar and don't want or cannot afford to take their pet with them. We also have cases of owners no longer wanting an animal now that it has grown up and is no longer a cute little puppy or kitten or that the animal is sick and the owner doesn't want to pay for treatment. We also have a lot of people who will rescue a stray cat, dog, kitten or puppy from the street and want to find it a new home. This may be a single kitten, a pregnant dog or cat about to give birth or a whole litter of kittens and puppies.

Q. Where does the money come from?
A. You! We don't receive any funding and the shelter is run purely on donations from kind people like you.

Q. What animals do we take in?
A. We will take in any animal that needs us as long as we have the space and the knowledge to look after them. If we can't take them because they are wild animals - we will help find them a suitable place to go.

Q. What happens if someone wants a pet?
A. First they would need to come down to the shelter and talk to one of the members of staff. We would speak with the prospective adopter about their living circumstances (who they live with, what type of the accommodation they live in, do they have any other pets), their lifestyle (are they an active or quiet household, are they home most of the time or spend long periods of time out of the house) and then we would recommend animals to suit them. If it important to consider all these factors to ensure not only the well being and happiness of the animal being adopted but the people who are adopting the animal.

Q. Are the animals free to take?
A. No. None of our animals are free. Because we don't get any funding, we ask that anyone adopting a pet makes a donation to QAWS so that we have the money to help the next animal that needs comes in to the
shelter. There may be certain circumstances where we would also ask a
person who is adopting an animal to make a contribution to their vets bill if they have required specific treatment.

Q. Why are the animals neutered?
A. There are huge number of stray and unwanted animals already both in Qatar and around the world and by neutering our animals, we are trying to avoid contributing to this problem. You might love your dog or cat but do you want 10 of them if you can't find the puppies or kittens new homes? There are also many health and behavioral advantages for neutering your animal.