Adoption of cats from Dubai

[vickylou78]

I'm looking at adopting a cat from UK Homes for Desert Paws. Does anyone have experience of this? There's beautiful cats there looking for homes. They say that they will be spayed, vaccinated and health checked etc.
I think a lot of the cats are Arabian Maus - does anyone know what they are generally like? Google says they are friendly..and chatty!

My two have trackers, but do roam. They have their set territory, which can include the inside of other people's houses - hence trackers. Don't seem to get into conflict with other cats particularly.

My Maus both grew a very fluffy undercoat in protest at the UK winter weather. They are also very capable of looking after themselves !

Interesting! I have heard that some Maus can dominate the territory ( they are very closely related to Bengals) so good to know there are some peace lovers as well 🙂

International "adoption" of dogs or cats seems crazy to me. How do you know you aren't just participating in the creation/sustainability of a market for internationally traded pets - causing people to create animals inhumanely for the purposes of international trade?

And can it really be in the interests of animals to be subjected to the stress of international travel, quarantine, and adjustment to a whole new world? Animals have an interest in avoiding suffering and stress, but they can't conceptualise the value of a longer, rather than a shorter, life. This suggests that, even if they are authentically 'rescued' from some set of bad living conditions (rather than being bred for export), the best solution is euthanasia, not being trafficked to serve the interests of UK wannabe pet owners.

I have an Arabian Mau from Dubai. My excuse it that it was Covid and I happened to be looking for a rescue just as everyone went animal mad. I completely agree with all the comments about looking at British rescues first.

That said, I have gone Arabian Mau mad and am more than likely now only going to adopt Maus in future.

If you go down the Mau route, do be prepared for what you are taking on! They are very energetic, very loud and very clever. Mine was outdoors but has been under house arrest as 1. he was a one cat killing machine, 2. he made himself at home all over the village and 3. had no qualms about beating the shit out of everyone else's cats.

He's now Mummy's Little Soldier and a very spoilt and loving boy.

I had 2 Arabian Maus. They are not without issues, often because they've been born in the streets and separated from their mother ('rescued') too young.

They are super smart, chatty, can be trained. Quite high effort compared to your average mog.

One of mine was territorial, aggressive towards people, and got into a lot of fights. Lots of neighbor complaints. It was very hard keeping him inside - like caging a panther.

The other was an angel. Sweet, clever, loyal, just a beautiful soul. But she died young due to medical issues.

They were nothing like my sweet, brainless moggy that I have now.

I adopted two cats from overseas ( Greece). The agency was amazing and the cats are fantastic.

I would always rather adopt. I contacted several local charities and they first wouldn’t let me adopt because I had a dog. He was ancient and non- reactive but that was their rule. I was on a wait list for a cat which would be ok with dogs but I never heard back.

The dog ( a rescue from the uk) died and I wanted a second cat. I had since tried an overseas agency and decided to try local for my second cat. I contacted loads of charities and they said I would be on a wait list. I’ve never heard back. Charities outside my county wouldn’t speak to me because I was out of county. They said they’d put me in touch with someone but I’ve never heard back.
I was happy to wait, happy to pay, and understand that they need to put policies and rules in place for the cat’s safety. But fuck me, they were so difficult to deal with. I’m convinced they didn’t want to adopt the cats out.

I understand your concerns when it comes to dogs, as I think the breeding for export has definitely become a thing. It doesn't apply to Dubai cats. By far the saddest thing is that a lot of the domestic/ Mau cats are originally rescued by the domestic and service staff, who have limited space and resources - I have seen 4 rescued kittens living for months in someone's bathroom. There is no way these people are breeding for money, they are just responding to the cruelty they see around them .
Honestly, I would love if some of the people on this thread who are so anti the concept actually did some exploration of the issue, as it isn't as simple as they seem to think.

Interesting @Threekandles I didn't think Maus were aggressive towards people! Although I do agree they can be rescued from the streets too early. Marvin definitely lacks some mum led socialization.

I've been looking for about a year at UK rescues and so many of the rescues will not adopt out cats to anyone with children, also not near to busy roads.

My boy was originally caught, neutered and released but he was getting picked on by the rest of the colony so the rescuer decided to see if he could be found a home.

My 2 cats from an International Rescue were neutered, and had been well before I got them.

I paid £90 per cat which was really just a contribution to the flight. It also included a cat carrier. So, not sure how they are making money.

The thing about Maus is they are incredibly adaptable. They come from the rescue with a passport so no quarantine. Long flight yes, but they just go with the flow, more so than my domestic moggie is able to.

Mine is unfazed by anything, has an assumption that everyone will love him and any mad decision he makes will work out alright in the end. They are a 'landrace' cat so the personality is like watching the original cat/human relationship where the cats chose to domesticate themselves.

The building of Dubai has basically destroyed their natural habitat and lifestyle and now they have a miserable life dependent on random ex-pats feeding them. Even worse are the pedigree cats there that are bought for status and dumped when the owners go back home.

This is so helpful thank you. The rescue I'm thinking of going with is UK Homes for Desert Paws and they seem to be legit and like you say are saying that the cat comes with all the health checks and vaccinations and has been spayed etc. and that they come with passports so don't go into quarantine.

Is your Arabian Mau a indoor cat?

The little female we are looking to adopt is indoor only, which is what we wanted as we live near two busy roads and our garden isn't secure as we have a terraced house with an easement pathway through it. The British rescues were having trouble finding us a cat that matched us so that why I'm looking further afield now. We do have a 3 storey Victorian house so we do have plenty of space and they can come out in the garden with us. We work from home full time so also plenty of company for them.

My cat was very well matched by the rescue as I specifically wanted a cat that could cope with my existing extremely neurotic and territorial female.

Which he does beautifully. He may have been the neighbourhood thug but at home she is the boss and he knows it.

Thank you everyone for the advice and insight into Arabian Mau's they do sound wonderful and reckon will keep us on our toes by the sound of it!

I honestly would have loved for us to adopt here in the UK but I have filled out so many forms and been put on so many waiting lists and it's been months and no cats have been matched with us because of having children, living by a road and not having a secure garden. It's incredibly tricky to meet all of their criteria.

Oh I love this @AnnaMagnani - this should be the introduction to every Mau adoption page. What a beautiful summation of who they are and the challenges they face 🙏

If you live near a busy road etc I’m guessing you want an indoor cat? Many rescues will have cats with FIV who would love a nice indoor home. If you have young children I would reconsider getting a cat until they’re older as cats generally really don’t like the loud noises and unpredictably that comes with children - it’s one of the main reasons so many cats end up in rescues in the first place.

It was interesting watching mine cross a road compared to a typical moggie. He has a lot of street awareness, knows the sound of cars coming and will head away from the road when he can hear them, will sit and wait at a junction for a proper gap in the traffic.

No 'run like crazy and hope for the best' which is what my other cats have done.

Hello @vickylou78 Marvin is an indoor cat with access to a Catio - so secure space. In my experience, young male Maus need some outside access just to burn off their energy ( mental as much as physical) although as other posters have discussed they can adapt to indoor only living. Girls might find it even easier to adapt. We also have a three story house and to be honest Marvin gets most of his exercise thundering up and down stairs like a race horse! He is muscular (6kg) so can make a racket - hopefully your girl will be daintier!
I really can't stress enough what an amazing thing you would be doing. On average Maus live for 3 years on the street. As @AnnaMagnani said, their natural habitat and relationship with humans ( they were originally kept as ratters and formed close bonds with people) has been destroyed and they are really struggling.

@Sparrowsandbudgieslots of cats are very comfortable around children, it just depends on their personalities. My cats are absolutely fine with my young DC but I have also taught them to respect the cat's space.

@Sparrowsandbudgies I grew up with cats but I also had 1970s style parents who were happy for the cat to tell their toddler off (claws included) and set her own boundaries.

I see two sides of the coin here.
Yes there are hundreds ,thousands of healthy cats in UK rescue. My own two glorious moggies came from CPL. If it hadn't been there I'd have tried Celia Hammond .
We have a garden, adult DC at home, quiet road so very easy to find cats and our lovely M/F pair have judged us ever since while accepting twice daily meals and our care 🤣

But I have seen first hand how some animals have to try and survive in other places ( not UAE though , - Greece, Turkey, Tunisia)

Would I take one or two of these animals into my home? No
Would I donate so that local charities can TNR and feed them. Yes.

I am going to look up a charity that provides for Greek street cats .
I already donate to CPL in UK .

The cats in the UK are missing out if an overseas cat is brought in. But the UK cats will still have food and shelter,assuming they're in rescue not feral .
The cats on the street .sometimes treated like vermin have it worse .
So if someone wants to adopt from abroad then do your homework and hope it works out for you

there are enough cats in the UK. (or wherever you are)

I think the point is @70isaLimitNotaTarget is that there are no animal welfare charities in the UAE (can't speak for other countries) in the sense we understand them. There is no equivalent of Celia Hammond. In fact charities are banned in the region as the authorities don't want it to appear that there are any needs they can't fulfill - although I think that is changing now. In the absence of charities with official fund raising and care networks you have individuals who are trying separately or in an informal network to rescue as many cats as they can. From our perspective it's easy to think we can just lob a few quid at a needy cause but I don't think most people realise how difficult things are for cats out there.