Abu Dhabi cat-man in debt

The Abu Dhabi cat-man, who feeds over 400 stray cats, has admitted to being in serious financial trouble.

He is refusing to stop feeding the felines. Sadiq, an Indian expatriate, feeds the animals every day. It takes him over five hours to deliver fish, chicken and dry cat food to three areas of the capital.

The animal lover said: "If I stop feeding these cats they will die."

But he admits his passion is costing him dearly, and even raising suspicions with his family back home in India.

He added: "I earn Dh7,000 salary and spend Dh5, 000 on cat food every month. When I started feeding cats in one area it was sustainable. Now I have all these places it is not possible anymore to keep up with it. My rent is Dh3, 000; so you can see the problem."

He admitted to having credit cards, a bank loan and owing money to the food factory.

He said he was unable to send money back home. "My wife asked me questions about my financial situation yesterday. She knows I feed cats, but she does not know how much I spend on this.  Nobody knows this and I don't want anybody to know. I might lose my job if my company finds out about the swelling debt."