A campaign launched earlier this week against the mass poisoning of cats at the Gezira club has attracted over two thousand supporters.
A protest will take place on Tuesday at 6pm in front of the upscale sports club in Zamalek, Cairo.
Pictures from the club of dead cats with blood coming out their mouths have circulated on social media.
The graphic photos triggered a backlash from animal lovers who vowed the incident would not be brushed under the carpet.
“This time we will not be silent... Every time they poison cats we comment in sympathy but then remain silent... This time we will not be silent,” the statement calling for the protest said.
“I'm just an animal lover and rescuer and don’t belong to any group… The cats were poisoned and beaten with a wooden stick then carried out of the club in bags,” Hoda Mahmoud, one of the protest organisers, told Ahram Online.
The Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals (ESMA) has filed a legal complaint against the club’s management, she added.
Stories of animal cruelty often circulate on social media, but this is the first to trigger action.
“Stop the Massacre,” the Facebook group created to condemn the incident, has also highlighted other examples of animal abuse.
“We also need to campaign for a law that holds accountable those who abuse and kill animals so that we do not see children blowing up cats with firecrackers or cars running over dogs and not stopping,” Mahmoud added.
The campaign has attracted the attention of several media outlets.
