My brother sent me this yesterday and it’s such a sad story. Laila who is a cat owner came back to Kuwait from the States with her cat and at the airport was told the cat would need to be seen by the airport vet. So they took the cat from her and three hours later tell her that the cat ran away when they were on the way to see the vet and the couldn’t find it. You can check out her instagram post on this below:
Im fucking crying my ass off while i type this. Winston is missing. When we arrived Kuwait the officer stopped us at the airport and told us we needed to get a paper signed to get winston in kuwait (even though i showed him all the correct paperwork specifying winston is healthy and up to date in all his shots, ect). Since they are too lazy to accept the documents they made me sign a paper. As i picked up winston’s bag they stopped me and told me that he needs to go see a doctor at the airport to make sure hes not carrying any diseases and apparently thats what happens to all animals that arrive the country. I fought with them and begged them not to take him but the officers said those were the rules.
I waited for 3 hours and in the end they told me that he fucking ran away in the cargo on the way to the doctor. He ran away out in the open where all the planes and trucks are. Ive been crying screaming and hysterical ever since and im not authorized to go search for him. We begged the guards to let us in and we were able to scout the area but i wasnt allowed to leave the car. It’s currently 95 degrees and will continue to get hotter to 114 degrees . I am so devastated and destroyed. I dont know what else to say. I am charging my phone and will be back at the airport in a few hours. If you are in kuwait and can help please let me know. .
They wont even let me SEARCH FOR MY OWN CAT please if anyone has authority and can help please let me know this cat is my entire life please help me
I think the worst part for me is the fact it took them three hours to tell her they lost her cat and then wouldn’t let her in to help them look for him. I understand there are security procedures since it’s an airport but there must be ways around that like by having airport security accompany her. Pets generally will panic in an environment like an airport and there would be a much higher chance of finding the cat if the owner was involved in the search. Cats especially aren’t like dogs and won’t just come to a stranger when been called for.
Laila is constantly posting updates on her pets Instagram account so if you want to know more about what’s happening, check @leya_and_winston
Update: Sadly, the cat was found dead at the airport earlier today. The National Aviation Services (NAS) who were responsible for transporting the cat to the vet posted the following statement on their instagram account:
We regret the unfortunate turn of events with Winston.
We extend our deepest condolences to Ms. Laila and her family during this difficult time.
We are very sorry for their loss.
We are conducting an in-depth internal investigation into the matter.
People will be held accountable.
We will also be putting in place more stringent procedures under “FOSTER” rules to ensure this does not happen again.
To ensure higher safety standards for each animal in our care, we are creating a $100,000 fund – “Foster” towards improvement of animal care facilities at the airport.
We carefully handled over 700 household pets last year without incident. We understand that each animal is unique and precious.
35 replies on “Pet Cat Lost at the Airport”
Sad situation but thats kuwait. No regard for human life or animals. Hope the cat gets found. Before others comment to deport me…im already out
Incompetent employees. She should legally report it and insist on viewing the surveillance camera’s recordings.
Really strange story, it must have been stolen. I recently got my cat from abroad, it took exactly 3 minutes they scanned the chip on the cats neck, checked the cats passport in a side office and I was out.
There is no reason for them to show the cat to a vet in the airport, that’s why she have official papers from her own country stating the cat is healthy. I left kuwait with my 4 pets in April and the danish airport only took a copy of papers and we checked the microchip together. They did not take the pets away from me at any point in the procedures, I was present at all time. They actually never left their cages.
Yet again it is not news flash that Kuwait make up their own rules and think they can get away with it. I left for the same reason and will never come back.
This is such a messed up situation and I hope it receives a lot more attention. This shouldn’t happen, I can’t imagine going through it, I hope this ends in a happy ending :\
It always amazes me how most of Marks posts which are read by A LOT of people and are extremely useful and relevant to people living in Kuwait, always generate so many hate comments towards Kuwait. Like every post just manages to get people on an insulting frenzy towards Kuwait, instead of actually adding useful feedback or thanking Mark for posting.
In this specific unfortunate situation the person was absolutely wrong to give the cat to an unknown person, no one in their right mind does that anywhere in the world. Also people bring in and take out their pets of Kuwait airport all the time and such a case as far as I know never happened before. Regardless of all the bad stories of Kuwait and how much people like to say there so happy that they left, this is an unfortunate story, with both the owner and airport staff to blame and hope the owner does find her cat through the many good people in Kuwait who genuinely care and have accounts that helped many pet owners find their lost pets.
Thank you for your comment! I really like it. 😀
Wow blaming the victim. Nice job 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I agree, but not on the part blaming the cat owner for the death. Anyway, these accidents are unfortunate but they do happen everywhere in the world. No need to blame Kuwait, ‘the system’, or whatever. Hopefully, the person(s) responsible will be held to account and we can all learn from this unfortunate incident so that it does not happen again.
RIP little one.
Please shut up. I am Winstons owner and the COPS AT THE AIRPORT took him away from me even though I told them not to. I didn’t hand him to a “random person”. Winston was with me the entire time even on the plane!!! He was in his carrier by my feet! You’re so insensitive and messed up and I hope one day you’ll feel what I felt and still am feeling.
Also I sued them and its an actual rule that they have to take the pets for a vet checkup. Whether they do it everytime or not is based on mazajhum (their mood).
I’m sorry that happened, and I hope you’re doing better now. I don’t understand victim-blaming as you had no choice in the matter.
Awhile back a dog got loose when they put the pet on a a cargo cart pulled by a tractor and the rickety ride shook the kennel and Dog fell off. The kennel came open and the dog ran away. Such incompetence but this is a third world country with first world malls…..
and when we asked to see the security video …. it was broken…
They found the cat .. dead
😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔
In Kuwait airport is different. When you are importing a pet even your personal pet they will transfer you to the cargo section even if you present your papers and all it’s great and sometimes and very rare the customs will let you pass if they are good heart with mercy towards animals but in 99% they will transfer the pet received to the cargo area and from there the story of suffering started from an office to another and between customs and nas / national aviation services and Kuwait airways offices you will spend at least 3 to 4 hours when you are not allowed to open for your pet or cross a border of a huge area where there is no ACs and the pets will come out with boxes fruits items received anything you can imagine sometimes meat …. this is unfortunately the rules which is very hard to believe that in such country rich and should be a prototype for the gulf region is ending up by missing many pets or a lot as well dies or never shows up
Sadly the cat passed away. The family is distraught.
Yes, this is the practice that needs to end. If your cat is traveling in cabin and has all the necessary paperwork (vet clearance, USDA stamp, import permit, etc.), they should not take the cat from you upon arrival and take it to cargo—but this seems to be standard practice in Kuwait, and this is why Winston is dead now.
It happened to us when we brought our cat with us four years ago. Luckily, we got her back after more than three hours with the help of the man whom our workplace sent to pick us up from the airport. But they just let the cat sit outside on some table in her carrier, and it was almost 50 degrees out. Horrible, horrible treatment.
Sad thing is, these rules were put in place due to retards who were smuggling lion cubs in the country declaring them as cats.
Now the cat owners are going through the suffering, and the smugglers are still smuggling.
🙁
No i am serious, check NAS instagram account. They actually found the cat today morning and it was dead.
i know you’re serious hence the sad faces…
Something is amiss. I am so very sorry.to hear this frightening sad news. Have you reported it to the Airport Police. I pray you find your baby. 🦊
We’re having a terrible issue at the moment – not as bad as this obviously but pretty bad. We are arriving in Kuwait in three weeks hopefully, and were hoping to bring our cat. However – we have been told that we have to get the cat medically checked less than 48 hours before we fly (impossible as we fly on a Monday so all vets will be closed) and then send those results to Kuwait and get a permit sent back – all within 48 hours. I’m not entirely sure how people manage this………
Have to say that when my wife read this story on facebook (she told me yesterday) she was very upset understandably. It must have been a horrible experience. I can’t imagine putting a cat through the rigours of such a flight and then the terror the animal must have gone through.
Andrew, contact International Veterinary Hospital. They can help you with all the paperwork you need to bring your car to Kuwait.
Cat, not car.
Imbeciles. Never should have taken her cat away from her. I had an almost tragic incident with a cab driver (US) once– I had my two cats in carriers– he pulled up and told me to put them in the TRUNK of the cab!! NO WAY was I going to do that — they whole neighborhood heard me yelling at him. I called his dispatcher as well. The cats, in their carriers– STAYED with me INSIDE the taxi until we got to the vet’s office
$100,000 f̶u̶n̶ fund – “Foster”
Thanks
Reason number 250 why not to have a pet.
There are also many reasons why you should not have a child
bruh!! 😂
Dear Laila,
So sorry for your loss.. It should not have happened.
That being said I was just wondering , NAS has a meet and greet service for passengers. Why cant they have the same for some one travelling with their pet???
Why cant they have some one who is aware of airport procedure , animal import rules , medical certification and what have you meet a passenger traveling with their pet meet them at the gate. ??
Surely as airport employees they could have access to areas of the airport or the customs areas that ordinary passengers wouldn’t right??
If they need to charge extra, charge it .. I know if it were me I would more than gladly pay . At least I would feel at ease with the knowledge that my pet was with some one responsible enough to accompany my pet thorough the process or if anything bad were to happen; hold accountable for.
Instagram apologies , statement of holding people accountable and all the good stuff you have done in the past is nice but it dose not change the fact that a family lost a beloved member due to incompetence and negligence. A 2 para apology will not fix that.
Another Kuwaiti that thinks throwing money at a problem is a solution. Typical tbh.
He’s American but nice bias
Kuwait Airport security staff are really something else, one time they stole my mother’s diamond brouche during security check at the gate (Why is it even a thing when there’s a security check before passport control?), then they proceeded to threaten me when I didn’t open a luggage, and because of all this, that’s why G4S came to work for the airport. Another time, an officer at the Security Check Before Passport Control randomly asked me where I was from and didn’t believe me when I responded. When I was travelling through the Jazeera terminal, one officer couldn’t comprehend a power bank and asked his co-workers what it was and if it could be taken with me (Since then, I never travel with a power bank). I’m not surprised by this gross negligence and incompetence they exhibit sometimes, and I would not be surprised if someone just threw out the cat, because HOW could a cat escape from a carrier? There’s pics on Laila’s instagram page and that carrier has a zipper, how would a cat be able to open it???? And since when do security officers completely neglect paperwork from other countries? They can’t read? They don’t have anyone to translate for them?? I’m just so sick and tired of hearing stories like this, and I hope more incidents like this never happen again.
Dear Mark,
This is Laila.
I couldn’t get myself to read this because its too heartbreaking. Even now, I am in tears reading this. Thank you for spreading awareness about what happened. Not only am I a pet owner, I am an animal rescuer that has saved countless of pets lives in the states prior to moving here with Winston. Its crazy how life works.
I sued them and I promised i’d make a change for future pets one way or another and i’ve accomplished that. I will be posting a video soon on the final updates.
I miss winston terribly till this day, and no creature will ever fill the gap that he left in my heart. I am utterly broken.
I revisited this blog after looking at the “us bs them” article.