Rehoming a lovely cat, or bringing him home from Dubai

[JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar]

What the thread title says, really.

It seems bringing him home could cost £4k

My friend needs to move back to the UK and is quite distraught at the prospect of leaving him. :(

Is there another way? Or does anyone know of anyone in Dubai who could give him a loving home?

Have also posted in the Litter Tray.

It would be amazing if the Power of Mumsnet could come up with a solution!

I think if you have an animal, you commit to it for life, not while it's convenient. My last cat lived in Poland, Austria, Nigeria, UK, Romania and Belgium. And on a Dubai salary, pretty sure she could afford the quarantine (tho it's not much fun for Pussy - mine went a bit more nuts). The alternative would be to find someone in the EU who would have it for six months, and get it jabbed up so that it could go back to UK. I think there are some mad cat women people who offer this service. She might look into it (I am assuming UAE is not in Pets Passport scheme).

Oh I know a pet is for life, MrsSchaden - this is last resort. She rescued the cat herself as a kitten, not expecting to have to head back to the UK.

The EU idea is a thought, though. Thank you :)

He's been vaccinated I think, but only v.recently.

Meant to add, her Dubai salary would've been enough, but she's been ill and her savings are rapidly disappearing.

are you sure it'd cost that much???? dh has got two cats and will bring them back once he stops working in Abu Dhabi. He's got them pet passports, so they've had all their jabs (inc rabies) so no need for quarantine when they get here

It takes 6 months from the date of the rabies injection before they're cleared to travel and then (I think, will have to double check) they need worming 48 hours before they travel

If she has to come back before the 6 months is up, maybe she could try Feline Friends or the Dubai equivalent (don't know if they're just an Abu Dhabi organisation), or ask her vet if they can help/know anyone

Thanks, General

I know, £4k seems crazy. I think quarantine this side must make up most of it.

I'll mention Feline Friends to her. I think people her end are putting word out so fingers crossed.

Quick Google and yes, there's a Feline Friends branch in Dubai. Have passed this on.

I don't even know where blinking Dubai is, really!

I do know however that cats are a PITA

We brought our cat back from Australia last year and it cost £1400. That was with a proper pet freight company. They picked him up and transported him back to Heathrow and you just pick them up from there. They provide the cat carrier box and everything else. You do need the pet passport and t does need to be 7 months after rabies vaccine if he hasn't had already before he can fly.
We used JETPETS and they were good.

Thanks, Lula :)

I moved our cat from Dubai to the UK and it cost a fortune! I think about 2k, possibly more. However We moved in a hurry as DH was transferred and he (the cat) had to stay in the cattery for a month due to vaccines etc. We used the company near the airport (Dubai Cattery maybe?) and they were great. It costs a lot for the vets fee's, a special 'airline safe' cat box etc. Plus, if you don't travel with your animal, they can only fly into Heathrow. It then cost us £200 or something to have him driven up tp Lancashire!!!

All in all an expensive job! He was also a Feline Friends rescue cat!

We've got two ex- JAV cats . We moved them to HK with us because DH's company paid, but it was expensive as they were quarantined for 16 weeks. They were seriously moody with us when they got out as well. I used to go and visit them in the slammer and they were not speaking to me.

I actually sympathise with your friend. Dubai has a huge stray animal problem for various reasons (not only because people abandon pets). When I was living there, there was a big debate amongst expats on the subject of the presumption of a "pet is for life". The cat charities really needed fosterers/adopters, and if they couldn't find any, the cats would probably get rounded up and PTS by the municipality. However, many expats were reluctant to commit because of the potential costs/ hassle of moving the cat if they moved to another country and rehoming was almost impossible at that time. Also, not everyone in Dubai is on mega bucks. In fact, many were really struggling when we were there 2008/9.

So the question was, is it better for the cat to be destroyed now, or for someone to adopt it, but recognising that they may not be able to afford to take it with them when they go, so may have to have it PTS a few years down the line?. The consensus (and i think it's right) is that it's better to let the animal have a few more good years and if you cant afford to take it with you, and cant rehome, call the vet and get it PTS. Dont just release it to perpetuate the stray cat problem.

Valhalla will now probably tack me down and kill me, but that's my tuppence worth

She needs to contact the crazy cat ladies on Expat Woman but be prepared for some robust opinions.

She needs to contact the crazy cat ladies on Expat Woman but be prepared for some robust opinions.

Yes, I guarantee at least one answer along the lines of " You are worse than Saddam Hussein and the Taliban. So what if it costs 4k? Haven't you got any children you could sell? If you cant rehome the cat, you'll just have to stay in Dubai for the rest of your life."

TheBride.

Right, I shall send her to Expat Woman and warn her about robustness from cat ladies.

I hope your cat appreciates the effort, GointTo. I'll pass on your suggestion.

I agree with the bride. We lived in Oman, to say it was domestic pet unfriendly would be an understatement. Every summer the noticeboards outside the supermarket would be full of pleas for people to adopt their cat/dog/rabbit. I don't think I ever heard of one animal being taken in. Very sad indeed, particularly the way the stray/feral animals are dealt with.

We don't have a pet because we are expats and might be moving on in 5 years from now. Or 1 year. Or 10 years. Who knows?

But then every flyer and email (and you are right Kreecher, they are everywhere) makes me think, I could give that animal a home for a few years. I can't promise to have it with me forever because I simply don't know where we will be sent next. But me responsibly not taking the animal on doesn't mean it goes to a loving forever home instead.

Exactly allhail. I had similar scruples to you before we got our two, and in fact when I went to the shelter to get them (initially as a fosterer), I said "Give me two that might be hard to re-home" so I took some that I didn't feel would be getting a forever home anytime soon- one was exceptionally timid with flashes of aggression (not any more), and the other one's predominantly white and sheds a lot.

I will do the best I can for these cats- they've been with us 3 years now- but I can't absolutely guarantee they'll live out their natural life spans. If we get moved somewhere where LL's don't allow pets in rentals, then we cant take them. I'd have to re-home or PTS.

An update (because I do love it when OPs update threads like these!).

Lovely friend is back in the UK, her lovely cat has been re-homed in Dubai.

:)