Mosul vet launches largest campaign yet to feed and protect street animals

A young Mosul veterinarian has launched his largest animal welfare campaign to date, distributing 1,000 small meals for street cats and posting awareness messages urging kindness toward animals.

“This initiative or campaign is the largest in Mosul, and we walked among young people and families distributing cat meals and awareness stickers to them,” said veterinarian Ibrahim Suleiman. Public reaction was positive, he added. “Cat ownership has spread in Mosul in recent years more than it was in 2014, and the number of veterinary clinics has increased.”

The effort, organized with the Purposeful Content Association, formed by the Iraqi Journalists Syndicate, included installing the city’s first public cat feeder at the Mosul Heritage Foundation and its first bird feeder at Al-Nabi Jarjees Mosque. Meals were also placed along the Old Mosul Bridge corniche, in Al-Farouq neighborhood, and in Al-Shuhada Park. Colleagues Abdullah Al-Mallah, Omar Khaldoun, and Pet Care Clinic donated the food.

Suleiman began his first campaign last Ramadan by placing a public feeder for cats at the Mosul Heritage Foundation. “I used to watch videos on YouTube showing animals being abused by people, so I thought about raising awareness on this issue,” he said. A 2022 veterinary school graduate still seeking work, he has focused on creating animal welfare content. He is working on a book about compassion for animals and caring for cats, and may produce a short awareness film.

Mosul resident Rand Duraid praised the campaign. “The initiative is nice, and it is our duty to provide food and drink for pets. Harming animals is unacceptable, and society must be taught not to harm them, and this awareness should start with children,” she said. Duraid added that she hoped Iraqis would treat cats and dogs as she saw people do when she lived in Turkey.