The Complete Guide to Owning a Cat in the UAE
I think I speak for every cat owner when I say that we love our cats unconditionally. Really, I love my cat! But she also makes me want to bang my head against the wall sometimes. I’m sure you can relate.
The meowing in the middle of the night for no reason at all. The running around the house and giving me an almost heart attack when she jumps from the bookcase on my glass table. The lack of privacy when I go to the bathroom. Really, she can drive me crazy.
But then she also fills my heart with joy when she cuddles and kisses me awake in the morning or when she snuggles with my dog on the couch while we’re all watching Netflix together.
I’ve been a dog owner way longer than a cat owner and I remember I had to find my way around a bit after I had just adopted my cat. But hopefully this blog will help you to make it easier or maybe you’ll learn about a few cat businesses you didn’t know before.
And on top of that I’m going to tell you more about how you can save money on your bills. Cause we all know how expensive it can be owning a cat. Or was it the cats owning us? 😉
Food
Like most cats, my cat is also very picky when it comes to food. My dog has been on a Furchild diet for quite some time and believe me when I say I tried to convince my cat to eat it as well. But after a few weeks, I gave up.
The freeze-dried treats however are a big hit! She loves them. beef, rabbit, venison, chicken, salmon and even mussels. She comes running to me when she hears me getting the bag out of the cabinet.
The freeze-dried treats from Furchild are amazing and if you visit the Furchild shop and use Treats Card, you’ll get the 5th bag for free!
Supplies
There are a lot of (online) pet shops that offer everything you need when you own a cat.
One of them is Cat House UAE. They offer everything from necessities to decorative items. They’re basically the all-in-one shop for cat owners with very reasonable prices plus they offer an extra 10% discount to Treats Card members.
You can easily place your order via Whatsapp or via Instagram.
Toys
It’s not that my cat gets easily bored but she definitely likes to scratch my furniture from time to time if she has nothing laying around on the floor that she can play with. Luckily, she’s not too high maintenance when it comes to toys. The big expensive toys are not her cup of tea (lucky me). One of her favourite things to play with is a rubber band. She can’t get enough of it!
But apart from that she really loves the handmade cat toys from Maggie’s Toy Box. They can be filled with catnip if you like and the toys will be made upon request. Not only do the toys look amazing, Maggie’s Toy Box also gives back to the community and supports the strays in Dubai.
And on top of that they also offer a 20% discount to Treats Card members.
Unnecessary Things I Just Really Need to Have!
Some things I also really like, not because I need them in any way but just because they’re just really cute, are the new merchandise items from Pet Parents UAE. Like a notebook that says: Sorry I have plans with my cat or: I work hard so my cat can have a better life. And I also love the mug that says: World’s best cat mom (it goes well with my other mug that says World’s best dog mom :D )
Chelsee is the founder of Pet Parents UAE and Dog Parents in Dubai and has always supported the community and rescue centres with her events and does the same with the sales of her products!
And you can save 15% with Treats Card!
A Comfortable Lounge
Last year I found the perfect birthday gift for my dog. I got myself a Fatboy Doggie Lounge from Desert River. It looked super comfortable and I knew my dog would love it. And she did.
There is only 1 problem: My cat loves it too!
And therefore my dog hardly got the chance to use it. My dog has now given up since a few months and my cat officially owns the lounge. She sleeps on it, washes herself on it, plays with her toys on it and eats her treats on it.
Whenever my dog gets close, she’s allowed to sniff. But when my dog tries to snuggle with my cat on the lounge bed (they snuggle all the time on the couch or on my bed), my cat makes it very clear that the lounge bed is not big enough for the both of them (but it actually is).
I feel sad for my dog, especially since it was her birthday gift. But I’m glad my cat loves it. If you want to order one with Desert River, then don’t forget to use your Treats Card to get 15% off.
Veterinary Clinics
Whether we like it or not, from time to time we need to visit a vet. Whether it’s for the yearly vaccinations or something more serious. But vet bills can be expensive when owning a cat in the UAE. For me it would be really hard to recommend just one vet because there are so many amazing vets in Dubai that I know.
But during the pet friendly family fun fair event with Treats Card at Reform Social & Grill last March, I got to know the team from Vienna Veterinary Clinic a bit better.
I had heard a lot of great stories about them and I loved their professional approach and how they were able to answer questions to people who visited the event. I haven’t visited their clinic yet and hopefully I don’t need to anytime soon. But if I do, I know I will get great service. Plus, they also offer a 35% discount to Treats Card members.
Groomers
I’m one of those brave cat owners who clips the nails of her cat. I know, I ask myself why as well sometimes. Especially when my cat starts screaming like I’m torturing her and I’m afraid the neighbours will come knocking on my door.
But with a short hair cat that lives in an apartment, I really don’t need anything else apart from some brushing now and then and nail clipping. However, I do know cat owners with cats that need a good grooming from time to time.
For my dog I’ve been using the mobile grooming service from Pets Lounge. Absolutely perfect. I don’t have to get out of the house, they always come on time, the staff are super friendly and have so much patience with my dog who’s always scared, plus I get 20% discount with Treats Card.
Not only do they groom dogs, they also provide their services for cats so I would definitely recommend them.
Pictures
It’s not very hard to take pictures of my cat. She’s very photogenic (when she wants to). But to take a picture with my cat, in other words a selfie, now that’s a whole different story. So, for last Christmas I decided to contact a photographer to help me out so I could send out nice Christmas cards.
Jade from J Robina Photography came to my house and was super patient. While Nonnie was exploring this stranger in the house, Jade found her trust pretty fast (and didn’t even have to use any treats). I ended up with some really cute pictures with my cat, dog and me.
Photoshoots can be expensive but I found Jade her rate’s very reasonable plus I got 20% discount by using Treats Card.
