How Three Missing Cats Helped Spark an Abu Dhabi Adoption Day That Changed 8 Lives
An Abu Dhabi cat adoption event found homes for eight rescues and grew from one couple’s search for their own missing pets.
An adoption event in Abu Dhabi gave eight rescued cats new homes on Sunday, with four more possible adoptions still being finalized. The gathering was also a window into a bigger mission: helping lost pets get back to their families and urging residents to see cat care as a long-term responsibility, not a quick decision.
A busy day for 56 cats, adopters and volunteers
The event, hosted by Microchipped.ae and the Rosewood Abu Dhabi hotel, brought together rescuers, families and people considering adoption. In total, 56 cats were available for adoption.
By the end of the day, eight cats had been adopted and another four adoptions were still pending. The event was designed not only to place cats in homes, but also to encourage people to think carefully about what adopting a pet really means.
Organizers also saw strong volunteer interest. All 80 volunteer spots listed through Volunteers.ae were taken, and additional people joined a reserve list. That turnout reflected the level of public support around the event and the wider issue of animal welfare.
The story behind Microchipped.ae started with three missing cats
The organization behind the event grew out of a personal search. In late 2022, Dave Appleby and his wife, Jacqueline, were trying to find their three missing cats in Khalifa City: Monty, Blacky and Winnie.
One of them, Monty, made it home after 100 days away, when a resident recognized him from a photo that had been shared online. That experience pushed Appleby to build Microchipped.ae, a free online platform where owners can compare their pets’ microchip numbers with animals that have been found or taken to veterinary clinics and shelters.
Appleby has said that the experience of not knowing where a pet is remains central to the project’s purpose. The adoption event extended that same idea beyond reunions, using the platform’s visibility to help rescued cats move into permanent homes.
Why the event was about more than adoptions
Alongside the adoption drive, the event put attention on responsible pet ownership and on trap-neuter-return programs as a way to manage stray cat populations. It also pushed a simple message: adopt rather than buy.
Appleby said he hoped visitors would leave with a different attitude toward the stray and community cats they pass every day. In his view, even small acts matter. He pointed to practical steps such as microchipping pets, keeping a pet passport, and taking a moment to have a lost cat scanned.
He also stressed that adoption should not be treated like a purchase. His message was that taking in a cat is a lifelong commitment, and that every cat deserves to be noticed as an individual, with its own story.
For people who come across a cat that may be lost, he has outlined a simple process: take a photo, have the animal checked for a microchip at a veterinary clinic, and share the information through the Microchipped website. A single post, he said, can be what reconnects a family with its pet.
A reminder that rescue work needs everyday support
One of the clearest themes of the event was that public adoption days are only one part of the work. Behind them are rescuers handling the routine labor of care, transport, veterinary visits and foster arrangements.
Appleby’s advice to residents who want to help but do not know where to start is to keep it manageable and local. He has encouraged people to foster for a week, offer a ride to a vet appointment, learn how to scan a microchip, or share a real adoption post instead of scrolling past it.
He has also urged people to support rescuers even if they cannot adopt themselves. According to him, those rescuers form the backbone of animal welfare in the UAE, yet often face burnout because they are carrying the work on their own.
That is part of what made Sunday’s turnout meaningful. For Appleby, seeing rescuers, adopters, families and volunteers in one place felt like a sign that the effort had grown into something larger than a database or a single missing-pet search. It became a community event where lost-pet awareness, adoption and practical support for rescuers all met in the same room.
