Ever since I was a kid, I loved having a pet. I’ve had a turtle, rabbits, birds and a dog (not all at once thankfully). Ever since getting married my wife and I have been debating whether or not we should bring a pet into our family. Problem was, my wife loves cats and I was never a cat person, I love dogs. My opinions of cats were pretty generalized. They’re independent, have an attitude and just aren’t really affectionate (at least not as much as dogs). But, owning a dog would have been challenging because of our work schedule among other annoyances (like walking a dog in the heat). So I decided to research different cat breeds and discovered that even though cats can’t be as affectionate as dogs, they can still be loving and they can still be great companions, but only if you pick the right breed for you.
Last week, as chance would have it, K’s PATH posted a picture on Instagram of a lovely Balinese kitten. Balinese cats are related to the Siamese and they’re similar in temperament and in looks. They’re also Hypoallergenic which means they’re good cats to own if you have allergies to them (like both my wife and I do). The Balinese are also very vocal and love to communicate with their owners, they’re friendly and don’t mind having anyone petting them or playing with them. And even though they are independent to a certain degree, Balinese enjoy chilling on the couch with their owners.
So the next day after seeing the Instagram post I called K’s Path. The process for adopting a cat from them is pretty extensive, but simple. You book an appointment for an interview at their facilities in the morning from 10AM to 1PM either on Wednesday, Friday or Saturdays. The entire family (or whoever is going to interact with the cat extensively) has to go. So I made an appointment and my wife and I drove up there Friday morning. The drive was pretty long, about an hour or so from where we live in Salwa. Once we got there we were met by friendly staff and their offices are pretty laid back with cats relaxing or playing out in the open. We were interviewed for about 30 minutes and asked various questions from our history with pets, what kind of environment our house is like, if we have any knowledge on raising cats and so on. Once we were done with the interview, we were taken to a room with the Balinese kitten. They do this to make sure that the kitten would interact well with us and to make sure that it’s the kitten we actually wanted. The Balinese was sharing a room with a couple of other kittens and we got the chance to play around with all of them and even though I nearly picked a different kitten, we were certain we wanted the Balinese.
Once we were done with that room we went back to the interview room to finish up the process. Normally the charge to adopt a cat is KD35, which includes vaccinations, neutering, and a microchip. But if you adopt a cat in November, the fee is just KD10 and if you don’t bring an animal carrier, K’s PATH would supply you with a used one for an extra charge of KD5.
So if you were ever on the fence about owning a cat, pay them a visit this month. I’m absolutely in love with the kitten we got (named him Link, duh) and couldn’t be happier.
Visit the K’s PATH website or instagram account for more information.
Posted by Patrick
40 replies on “November Cat Adoption Campaign at K’s PATH”
aswad al-wajh
Cats are amazing pets to have and you will love the company of Link 🙂 Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr purrrrrrrrrrrr
But that adoption process at K’s Path? Wow, I would’ve been bummed! I’d rather adopt a deserving poor stray from the road-side and groom/vaccinate it myself. I’m totally for having a pet in the house but this doesn’t mean I’m adopting a baby.
All strays are deserving though, especially after what they’ve been through. I think their adoption process makes sense, especially in a country where animals aren’t always treated right. I think it’s pretty commendable that they go through this process to find the animals the right homes.
You’re not adopting a baby, but you are adopting another life that needs to be taken care of properly.
It’s a filtering process because they don’t want people to get pets and then throw them out once they’re bored or too much work.
Of course, I wouldn’t want anyone exploiting an animal too. Or just use them as a kiddy toy and hurt them.
Nevertheless, I’m happy for Patrick. Now its your turn Mark, get a cat, you won’t regret it.
I think their adoption process is just as it should be. A pet is for life and adopting a cat out to the wrong people would be irresponsible. There are people who will adopt a sweet fluffy kitten and then dump it when it is older. Finding the right owner and right match for each animal is very important, we have enough dumped animals on the streets already.
Your new kitten is gorgeous. I adopted 2 cats siblings a year ago. They are the love of my life. They are the reason I managed to survive one year in Kuwait so far 🙂
We’re already thinking of adopting another kitten. Mine had a sister that was already adopted when we got there on Friday, if she wasn’t, I’m pretty sure we would have gotten both!
Having two cats is better than having one. They keep each other’s company, play together, groom each other, warm each other, etc. Mine are very attached. I can’t separate them not even for a minute. It’s best to get them close in age to have same level of energy and feed them same food. I am now fostering a tiny injured kitten and my cats are trying to kill him!!! LOL well they play rough with him and scare him so I have to keep them in 2 different rooms. Feeding kitten food is also a nightmare with 2 adult cats at home. They try to steal the little one’s food all the time. It’s exhausting!!!
Question for couples:
Is getting a pet for you an alternative for having a child? perhaps some kind of distraction from the decision of having a child?
Would you consider it a test for your spouse to see if they have the quality of raising a child?
We have two cats and a child, so you can have both. I know of couples who kicked their pets out once they got a baby though, and I don’t understand it.
I do think that having a pet is a good preparation for a child. You can test how committed you can be to another being.
If you can take care of a pet, you can also take care of a child. Unfortunately, 90% of people are not capable of taking care of a pet. Draw your own conclusion.
I understand people who get rid of their pet. In the end they are an animal and you cannot predict their actions. Another concern is allergies.
But you can kind of predict how a cat will react based on their breed, age and the environment they’ve been raised in. That’s why people need to research pets before purchasing them, and the biggest mistake someone can make is buying a cat just because the cat looks “cute”.
And as for allergies, there’s an annual shot you can take that helps with them.
The concern of harm and allergy is for newborns. Whatever breed a dog/cat is, an animal is unpredictable. Even if the intent of the animal is not bad, it can cause harm for a child.
If the pet is raised properly, they won’t be unpredictable. But if you don’t socialize it properly then yes, it can be unpredictable.
So you’re gonna let your pet play with dolls or what?
I had always considered myself a “dog person” until we had a cat as a guest for the summer. They’re not so bad. If my wife and daughter wanted one, I’d be agreeable.
At first I thought it was mark writing lol
I’m really impressed by their adaptation process! Very very good
Hey Mark, I’ve been following this blog for the past 7 years but never commented on a single post ever (call me a lurker if you will). What made me comment is that this post reminded me of a German Shepherd Dog that you used to have in the past and you used to post lots of stuff regarding him like years ago. (I forgot the name). Where is he now? 😮 Is he alright?
hey, this post was by my brother. Anyway my dog Geo (a belgian shepherd) is with my ex wife and he’s doing fine although he’s kinda old now 🙂
Well shit, that must have sucked.
I could tell you were always attached to Geo and the way he chewed your controllers and whatnot.
When you lose a person, losing a pet becomes less of a big deal.
Word! I hope you find somebody.
I’ve lost plenty of my loved ones already.
That’s why I’m reluctant of having a pet. I know if something happened to it, it’s one step forward to requiring medication oncemore.
Great news for you and for link. I agree that the process is just as it should be. We are seeing more and more dumped animals every week so it important to ensure the right pet is matched to the right owner. I disagree that cats be as affectionate as dogs though. A few years ago I too was a dog person and I also had this opinion but I have had 2 of the most loving and affectionate cats going. They are just as affectionate as the dogs I have had previously, they are just misunderstood. Great to hear such a happy ending though.
How much would it cost to take care of a cat per month? Like litter, cat food etc. I want to adopt a kitten but I want to be the one to bear all it’s expenses by myself so if anybody could tell me, I’d be really grateful.
– Litter will run you around 4KD/month (less if you buy cheaper brand, completely free if you get good clean sand from the desert)
– Food will cost around 4KD for OK quality dry food. I don’t recommend wet food which is more expensive and not good for cat’s teeth. Also don’t recommend the very cheap dry food because its not great for their long term health.
– Vet once a year for checkup and vaccination around 20KD at IVH, much less at Shuwaikh (around 8KD)
*The upfront cost is the most expensive thing, the spaying/nutering surgery will cost around 40KD (never go to IVH for that, they are thieves and charge upwards of 160KD)
It depends what kind of litter you get. Clay based, clumping litter, deodorant litters, crystal litters. Each have their set of pros and cons and the good thing is that they all generally cost about the same. It’s difficult to tell what kind of litter is best, because it really depends on the cats diet.
And what you said about food isn’t completely accurate. Wet food vs. Dry food seems to be a hot topic with cat owners. We feed our kitten both wet food and dry food (wet food three times a day, dry food is in a bowl throughout the day). The problem with dry food is that it’s not as nutritious as wet food and it can cause a problem with dehydration, because cat’s get hydrated the most through wet food.
And if you keep your cats teeth healthy, with regular checkups, then they won’t get teeth problems.
But if you decide to feed your cat wet food, go for the best like Natural Balance, it’s pricey (12 KD for 24 cans), but it’s worth it imo.
My advice is to research extensively. There are a lot of great sites out there that are informative. Then pay a visit to Pet Zone in Shuwaikh before getting the cat to check out what they have and how much things will cost.
In terms of Vet’s btw, Royal Animal Hospital is considered to be better than IVH (from what I’ve heard).
Oh and if he adopts a kitten from K’s Path he won’t be paying for spaying/neutering, they take care of that. He just needs to pay the 10 KD fee for adoption.
Orijen dry food is the best cat food money can buy. They have it now in Pet Zone and it will cost you around 4KD/month. For someone on a budget its a no-brainer.
Natural Balance is also a good brand, but is too high in carbohydrates and that isn’t great for cats. Its also not good for someone on a budget.
ZiwiPeak is supposed to be so good that when they were launching it in kuwait the ziwipeak representative ate it himsellf to show how healthy it was for pets.
https://www.ziwipeak.com/air-dried-cat-food-ziwipeak-daily-cat-air-dried-cuisine/
Not sure if pet zone still have it, its not on their website for cats just dogs
https://www.petzone.com/
I used to Ziwi too, but my cat hated it. Orijen is also human grade and can be eaten by humans (but why would you). Orijen has incredibly good and biologically appropriate ingredients. Orijen always comes out on top in all reviews I’ve read, ahead of Ziwi and Natural Balance. Again all three are great for your cat, so go with what fits the budget, and what the kitty likes.
Guess we’ll give Orijen a go next. Thanks for the suggestion!
I can’t afford to have a cat, do they have birds? or snakes, snakes are easier, all u need feed them once a week
i noticed that the collar says “Link”. where’d you get that?
You can get the collar and tag at Petzone, where they do the engraving as well. I would suggest also engraving your phone number on it.
What Whizbabe said. Pet zone does it, I engraved his name on one side and my phone number on the other.
Cats and dog lovers . No one has the time to for humans
Nathen, that was total uncalled for. Love of animals does not mean a lack of humanity or goodwill towards another human. One can just as easily do both. Matter of fact if you have compassion and love for an animal or for creature that cannot fend for it self and you are good with it, you are most likely to be a good human being as well.
I feel that this post is so meant to be made for me lol. It’s been months since I’ am thinking of adopting one!
What is the overall expense of keeping a cat as a pet?
And I’ am really concerned about allergies, would the Balinese really not intensify them?
There are a bunch of comments above that discuss cat expenses. Basically it all depends on your budget. If you want to be frugal, you can still own a cat. Just get him the less expensive food. And yeah, both my wife and I have major car allergies, but we haven’t had any problems with the Balinese. It really is amazing 😀