Rescue cat's kitten granted audience with President and Dubai ruler

The animal was an unexpected guest at a meeting between President Sheikh Mohamed and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid

President Sheikh Mohamed with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid at Al Marmoom Majlis in Dubai. Pictured in the middle is a special guest. Photo: Wam

The cat's mother was famously caught in a sheet after a fall from a residential building in Bur Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid placed the cat in the Marmoom desert reserve - and gave its rescuers handsome rewards. Photo: Wam

This is the moment when the cat, who had jumped over an apartment balcony guard, struggled to cling on. Courtesy: Rashid Mohammed

RTA bus driver Naseer Muhammed rushed out of his home to hold out a bedsheet to help save the cat, which fell from the second storey balcony. Here, he poses in front of the building from which the cat fell. Antonie Robertson / The National

Naseer Muhammed (L), from Kerala in India and Pakistani salesman Atif Mehmood helped to rescue the cat. Antonie Robertson / The National

The video of the rescue has gone viral after Rashid Mohammed (R), 25, an Indian owner of a nearby grocery store, filmed the event. He is pictured here with rescuer Naseer Muhammed. Antonie Robertson / The National

The cat fell from the balcony but was safely caught by Naseer Muhammed with a blanket. Courtesy: Rashid Mohammed

The cat was unharmed in the incident. Courtesy: Rashid Mohammed

A very special guest was within earshot of key discussions as President Sheikh Mohamed met Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Saturday.

The diminutive member of the delegation at Al Marmoom Rest House was not a crown prince nor even a cabinet member, but a cat with a miraculous tale of its own.

The animal is seen making itself at home, nestled between Sheikh Mohamed and the Ruler of Dubai, in a video of the meeting shared by Wam.

It was one of a litter of kittens born to a pregnant cat saved by three men as it slipped from a balcony in the Al Marar area in Deira, Dubai in August 2021.

The men caught the animal on an outstretched bedsheet, saving more than one life in the process.

Their act of kindness was captured on video by a nearby shopkeeper and the posted footage went viral.

It was shared by Sheikh Mohammed and was liked tens of thousands of times.

The three men and the shopkeeper were each awarded Dh50,000 by the Ruler of Dubai for their actions.

One of the cat's kittens, which has been cared for at Sheikh Mohammed's Al Marmoum farm outside the city, was happy to ensure the feline family grabbed the headlines once more.