Tag: cats

Incase you missed the biggest cat event in the Middle East that was held in Kuwait last month, someone uploaded a video of it onto YouTube. It’s a pretty long 18 minute video though so you probably might just want to just skim through it. [YouTube]

Update: Video is back up so reposting this.

Over the weekend the Kuwait Cats Club hosted “the biggest and most prestigious cat show in the Middle East”. I didn’t know this event was taking place which is why it wasn’t posted on my weekend to do list, I just found out about it by accident while on the Madeenah Tour of Bnaid Al Gar. Turns out it was a two day event taking place on Friday and Saturday but I only got to see the last couple of hours of the show Saturday night. I was really surprised at how organized and legit the whole set up was. The event looked very intense, the cat people in Kuwait really don’t mess around, they take these competitions very seriously.

All the judges were brought in from the US and Europe just for this event, I am assuming from the prestigious Cat Fanciers’ Association since they were the event partners. The event was being held at the Safir Hotel and I just wish someone had told me about it earlier. If there is anybody from the Kuwait Cats Club here, please let me know when you have future events, it’s a shame not to share these cool events with more people.

The video on top is of the cat that won best cat in the show. [YouTube]

I haven’t been to the animal market next to the Friday market since 2013 but it doesn’t look like anything has changed. Someone recently found the area where the shops were disposing of sick or unwanted pets and it looks horrible. According to the person who posted all the pictures on Facebook, they found 16 cats alive and some kittens sitting on top of their dead mothers corps. It’s depressing how this issue with the animal market is never going to be fixed. Check out the post with more photos [Here]

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

I got the below by email from K’S PATH:

We regret to share that early last morning the storage room in our shelter caught fire and burned down. Fortunately all our staff and animals are safe and did not suffer any injuries or burns as the storage room is located outside the animal sheltering building. Thanks to the speedy response of the Wafra fire department, the fire was contained and doused well in time. We are presently investigating the electrical problems that caused the fire, the electrical damages, and measures to avert future accidents. Cleaning and clearing is in process at the shelter.

Meanwhile, we urgently need dog and cat supplies since the fire burned all dog and cat food in our storage room. Please help us and spread the word to enable us to feed our 200 dogs and cats.

We need:

(1) Pedigree dog dry food (kibble)

(2) Whiskas or Friskies cat dry food (kibble)

(3) Cat’s Pride cat litter

If you are able to donate, please email us at [email protected] to arrange for a pick-up of the supplies. Anything you donate will be much appreciated!

The popular website Vice have featured Kuwait again, this time in a negative light since they highlight the illegal wild animals people in Kuwait are keeping as pets. The video is nearly half an hour long and features interviews with some of the owners and traders of exotic pets. Hopefully now that this video is out authorities will take action and confiscate the animals but I highly doubt anything will come of it. Truly embarrassing. [YouTube]

Thanks Habib

PAWS Cruelty Investigation from john peaveler on Vimeo.

For the past year we have been receiving increasingly alarming reports on the welfare of animals in the Protecting Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) shelter. In the last two weeks, the reports have reached such urgency and frequency that we felt the time had come for us to take action in the interests of the nearly two hundred animals in that facility. We have thoroughly investigated this matter and are prepared to say, without a single doubt, that PAWS has fundamentally failed to meet the needs of the animals in their care in every possible way. Furthermore, PAWS can no longer be said to exist as an organization. Their shelter is now no more than an animal hoarding operation and an unequivocal case of animal cruelty.

The circumstances there are unacceptable. As a government society charged with the welfare of animals in Kuwait, it is our duty to stop this cruelty from happening. The animals in the PAWS shelter deserve better. K’S PATH has offered to take these animals and care for them, but PAWS has refused. The chairperson of PAWS refuses to admit that there is any problem at the shelter, but the time has come for this terrible situation to be made public. We ask you to view the video and decide for yourself.

If you would like to be involved in saving the animals of PAWS from their cruel circumstances, please email [email protected] and tell us how you can help. We do not want to overwhelm our phone line.

It will take the entire animal loving community of Kuwait to put an end to the cruelty of PAWS. Thank you for your support.

Post by John Peaveler
Managing Director
Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals and Their Habitat (K’S PATH)

I spotted the flyer above stuck on a wall near Sultan Center Shaab and thought it was pretty thoughtful. A quick check of the instagram account @santanimals reveals its an account with the goal to help stray animals in Kuwait as well as creating awareness on animals in general. A great initiative.