Shipping Cats to Abu Dhabi

Mido & Tessa, NYC

Any fan of the Garfield cartoon will know that there is a bit of irony in transporting your cats to Abu Dhabi. The place is full of them. On the upside, they don’t seem to be very mangy and there’s also a sub-culture of folks who look out for them (more on that in the next post). The downside is that if you’re not careful, you’ll have a houseful of forlorn kitties in no time.  As one shop owner said to John and me as we passed his shop and rubbed one homeless kitties’ ear, “You want? Take. Cats are free here.”

To start, I’m not ashamed to admit that Mido (our orange fella) and Tessa (our tuxedo gal) are really like our children. I never thought this way about pets before, and often looked at friends who would make that comment like they were a bit weird. But we love these kitties with all our hearts. When the opportunity arose for Abu Dhabi, transporting the cats was one of the things that kept weighing on me. Was putting the Mido and Tessa through transport worth the risk? Is it morally/ethically okay? Is it in their best interest?

For Mido, who has been with us since he was eight weeks old, it was a no-brainer. He’s happiest around John and me and leaving him behind would be far more traumatic to him that the flight. For Tessa, I wasn’t sure what was best. She loves sitting on our porch at home, watching the birds, getting nose to nose through the screen windows with the deer and just generally being as close to nature without having to use any survival skills of her own.  She wouldn’t have that in Abu Dhabi (at least not at first). Her backstory is that she showed up on our doorstep with fleas, ticks, worms… kind of on her last legs. After a visit to the vet and a night with us we invited her into our posse, and she accepted – on her own terms, of course!

There is a lot of great information about transporting pets to Abu Dhabi, and pretty much any place around the world. There’s also a lot of stuff on the internet that will make your heart sink about the transport of animals, especially to warm climates and such. We’ve all heard the stories about hot tarmacs, pets getting loose through TSA security checks and such, and like anyone, I was really concerned. Sure, there are horror stories, but for all the pets that get transported around the world, day in and out, the statistics are strongly in the pet's favor.

Of course, that’s me talking now that the cats have arrived. But holy hell, people, I lost sleep, found myself in tears and even tossing my cookies as the day approached to ship them. I think in the end, the cats were calming *me* down, sensing something big was about to happen to them/us as the apartment in NYC emptied out, John was AWOL and my stress pheromones were probably off the charts. At one point, I even considered contacting a pet communicator, who could perhaps inform Mido and Tessa of what was going to happen. 

Yeah, cat lady crazy talk, I know.  

 

"Break out the calming treats, Mom's acting weird!"

Anyway, rather than go through the steps that are clearly outlined in many blogs and through American Veterinary Clinic (the company we used and had a very positive experience with in helping us on the Abu Dhabi side of things, and really, coaching us through the US side as well), I'll just go through some of the other bits that seem to be left out in other places, and might help another pet owner along the line.

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    First off, we didn’t use a professional shipper from the States. The cost was bordering on obscene and some of the shippers we looked into either didn’t respond to us, got snarky with our questions, and also were pretty adamant (read: non-negotiable) that we should ship our pets using KLM through Amsterdam, making our cats go through two flights, putting them through a layover (in a ‘pet hotel’) and then on to Abu Dhabi. For us, especially with our one cat (who spits and hisses at the vet), we thought it would safer to fly direct, non-stop, despite the long trip.

The paperwork isn’t as scary as you think. For shipping from the United States, the steps go like this:

- Get the cat’s shots and check-ups done as soon as you think you might be moving to Abu Dhabi. They need to have their rabies shots up to date and I believe, no sooner than 30 day prior to arriving in the UAE.

- After you have the vet paperwork, you apply for a UAE Pet Animals Import Permit.

This is only good for 30 days, so you need to keep your eye the calendar. For John and I, we basically decided on a target date for the cat's travel and from there, began the paperwork around it. Again, we used American Vet for this and they were great.

- Once the Pet Permit is provided by the UAE, it’s time to check in with your air carrier. For us, it was Etihad and we began the paperwork with them for shipping just about two weeks out from the cat’s targeted flight date.

- With the verbal okay that there was space with Etihad, it was time to get the cats their second round of vet checks. This needs to be done within ten days of their flying and is signed off on APHIS Form 7001 which basically is a statement saying the cats were in good health, are micro-chipped and don’t have rabies.

- From there, I took the form straight out the USDA Vet at JFK Airport to get signed and notarized. I thought this was going to be a minefield of problems. Would I be able to find the place? (Answer: Yes. The google map location is very accurate). Would this be a long line like going to the DMV or getting a passport? (Answer: No. It took me ten minutes and the people are friendly, helpful and clearly animal lovers given how the offices are decorated with photos and drawings of horses, dogs, birds, cats and other animals and wildlife).

- After that, it was time to finalize details with Etihad and get the kennels. John and I decided we’d opt for slightly larger crates for the cats, so that we could fit in a litter tray. That was the $1,000 mistake. I bought crates that could fit a medium sized dog and when the costs were finalized with Etihad, it was only then that we learned that we pay on volume, not weight, for cargo. Cha-Ching! But we were out of time on that front. I had more breaking down of apartment/house to do and couldn’t go out and rent a car for another day to get smaller kennels. Also, I recommend PetMate products for air travel. They seem sturdier (especially in terms of the locks and such) and are also IATA compliant (need to make sure that there are vents in the rear of your carrier, among other things).

- With the back and forth of paperwork with Etihad, I was also informed that we would have to pay with cash or check. Personal check was fine, but credit cards were not accepted. So make sure you have the cold hard cash handy, folks!

- Finally, with these two giant crates, I ended up hiring a Pet Taxi to get us all out to the airport. Another option would have been to rent an SUV on my own, but I was so stressed, I was afraid to drive. Then I worried and worried and worried that the Pet Taxi wouldn’t show up. Or that it wouldn’t be big enough for the crates. When the Pet Taxi lady showed up, I started crying (with joy). It was a mini van with the seats taken out of the back… plenty of room for all of us!  They also waited for me as I finalized the paperwork.

- Once we got to the cargo area, I was introduced to the Cargo Terminal foreman, who told me he was a pet owner and animal lover and that he would be personally seeing to it that the cats were boarded and everything set with the pilots (cabin climate control, etc.) It helped that he also told me he is responsible for shipping live cornea to/from the UAE. I mean, if you have to handle that, then two little kitties are a piece of cake! RELIEF!

They let me hang out in the cargo area with the cats for a bit, but then it was time to go…

From what I’ve read online, the cargo area is dimly lit (not completely dark!) and definitely climate controlled, with pressurized air, etc.

Once in Abu Dhabi, John got word from AmVet that the kitties were deplaning. He went out to meet them. There, they waited for the UAE Vet at the airport to inspect the cats and make sure the microchips matched up. 

"You call this Business Class!?"

Mido, of course, hissed. So John helped a bit in holding him and such. The process was very quick (barring an apparent falcon emergency) and AmVet transported the kitties and John back to their new digs.

Tessa enjoys her sun and view of the Corniche

I think that might have been the toughest seventeen hours of my life, but the cats are settling in. They definitely looked a bit worse for wear even a week after I arrived -- a little tired and a bit skinnier (due to the fact that they don’t have their favorite Fancy Feast flavors and other pet food varieties here). 

Mido, one chillaxed kitten

But I think it's going to be okay. 

My 'A-ha Moment.'

When I was in the throes of what can only be called my ‘High Anxiety Days’ of considering our move to the UAE, John asked me a very simple question:

“What are you scared of?”

This wasn’t posed in a challenging or angry way. John wasn’t daring me. This was truly a question to help get to the bottom of why I might be so hesitant to head out to the UAE. While I didn’t know the answer right away, I did know that it had very little to do with any perceptions of the place. 

Okay, maybe there was a *little* concern about the location. Just look at a map and any American would see why. But I knew people who lived in Dubai and LOVED it, and had friends who traveled to Abu Dhabi for the F1 races and also LOVED it. People rave about the place. It’s the ‘in’ tourism destination. So, what was I scared of?! I actually had to spend a few days mulling this over.

What I realized is that what I feared had nothing to do about where I was going, but everything to do with what I was leaving behind.

I guess here is the part where I’m supposed to give my loving tribute to my two point five decade stint in New York City. I know, I know, it’s what all writers are supposed to do when they take leave of the place. A love letter. A farewell. For now mine is:

Dear New York,

Everyone said it would never work out. 

After 25 years, they were right.

Love,

Christine

Really, though, I love New York. But once we bought our home in Upstate New York, I became more and more disconnected (even overwhelmed at times) by the city’s bustle. 

Working from home didn’t help. It was like I was growing apart from the place. Where was the connection to work, people, art? Then, when we moved up to Hudson Heights, north of the George Washington Bridge and far from my Brooklyn roots and beginnings, I had a hard time feeling any kind of sense of belonging. We were on the fringes. Sure, Hudson Heights was well-heeled and quiet and had the feel of a neighborhood, but I felt like I was just passing through.

So, it wasn't about leaving behind 'the place.' It was about leaving behind 'the people.' My people. They know who they are. ;-) I feel so fortunate. I have such a wonderful group of fun and amazing friends in New York. And leaving, even for just a year or so, makes me feel like I’m putting all of those friendships at risk of change. 

I’ve always been uncomfortable with change. Sure, I’ll change my hairstyle on a dime, but I’ll stay in a crappy work situation until something externally brings about a change. And I’ll ‘happily’ live in a crappy apartment five years too long for fear that it’s not worth the risk of trying to find something better, because it may just end up being worse. But maybe the biggest tip-off to my adversity to change is that I listen to 80s music... All. The. Time.

Now, one of my amazing friends is Lesley, a citizen of the world, who has lived all over the place with her work in the Foreign Service, British Embassy and career at the United Nations. She’s even been to Abu Dhabi and Dubai and has been full of encouragement and understanding in helping me through this transition. In fact, when I first told her about Abu Dhabi her insight was that for my British husband, who has done the expat thing in Nigeria, France and New York, this was fine. But she understood, I was a born and bred New Yorker. This might not be that easy for me.

Lesley has this great story about how she came to decide to do a stint in Norway. She was young, in her 20s, and the opportunity for this foreign post came up. And while Lesley never said this, maybe Norway wasn’t *quite* at the top of the list of someone looking to live and work abroad in their effort to change the world. But it was a good opportunity, and she had to consider it. Seriously.

Just as she was offered this gig, Lesley came down with a bad bout of the flu. Bedridden with aches and fever, the decision weighed on her. When she turned on her stereo to distract herself from what ailed her, what song came on?

A sweet song, with a big video, from a band from, you guessed it, Norway.

'Take on Me,' by A-ha.

And with little hesitation, Lesley went on to take that post in Norway. Which led to a post in Madrid. Which led to a post in New York City. Which led to her gig at the United Nations. So really, from that one song, a career (and a kick-ass life) was born.

In the past, when Lesley told me this story, I would just laugh. “Who makes big life decisions based on a song!?” I’d think.  But I also know that Lesley, being smart, savvy and Scottish, had probably already done a lot of the other work in deciding her future before that song came on. What it came down to was finding that little sign from the Universe… and taking that leap of faith.

This is something I was never very good at. Neither finding the sign. Nor listening to it.

BUT here’s the weird thing. Ever since this whole Abu Dhabi thing came up, Lesley's 'A-ha' song has been coming up again and again and again. For me. 

I hear it on the radio when I drive the car. 

I hear it in the restaurant having dinner with friends (including Lesley).  

I hear it at a restaurant in Abu Dhabi when meeting up with Lesley and my mutual friend. 

And I even hear it in the god-damn SUPERMARKET, people!

When I shared this with Lesley, she laughed. 

“This is your A-ha moment!”

And I realized, even though I had to borrow it from Lesley, it was. 

It was my sign from the Universe telling me to move forward and take this chance with my husband. And it was perfect. Because what better sign for me to see (this reluctant, worried soul afraid to leave her pals), than the shared sign of a caring friend?

So, here I am in Abu Dhabi. I arrived three days ago. We’re settling in, but things are good. Of course I’ll write more about that but for now –

Take on me, (take on me)
Take me on, (take on me)
I'll be gone
In a day or two

  

Early Days in the UAE

When I first started 'googling' Abu Dhabi, I came across a lot of You Tube videos that are pretty much travelogues and adverts for travel to the region along with shows about Abu Dhabi's (and Dubai's) opulence. 

As a tourism professional, they are all without a doubt outstanding and well produced, but my favorite video by far is this documentary on the UAE dating back to the 1960s, which so clearly explains the very beginnings of the United Arab Emirates. 

"At the wheel of this car is a man torn between two worlds. He's an Arab Sheikh who was born in an old Arabia and will die in a new one. He worships Allah, loves the desert, and is one of the richest men in the world. His name is Zayed."

Oil wasn't found in the UAE until 1958 and as luck would have it, Sheikh Zayed came into power a few years later, setting a clear vision for the country and its people that extended well beyond oil production. 

Even if you just watch the first three minutes, you'll see footage of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan driving his Lincoln Continental over the dunes. 

The original dune basher? 

Everywhere in Abu Dhabi, you can see this vision still taking form. In addition to the famed mosque, hotels, skyscrapers, reclaimed land projects, there's Saadyiaat Island, which is being developed to be one of the most exciting cultural centers in the world. The includes a Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, an outpost of the Louvre as well as a maritime museum designed by Tado Ando. 

Amazing. 

Inshallah.

When John finalized the deal with the folks in the UAE, we pretty much thought that he’d be on his way to the Emirates within a week or two. Little did we know that we were just overcoming one of many hurdles ahead for us in order to get to Abu Dhabi.

John started the process with the company he now works with by being interviewed during Ramadan. This is not something I’d particularly recommend to anyone, if for the lone reason that you could bet that the interviewers were hungry and probably slightly crabby. It might be hard, in that case, to make a good impression. What ensued were not only interviews at strange hours, but lots of mis-communication, and non-communication, resulting in John learning that he had an offer on the table by a mere offhanded comment made in passing to the executive recruiter.

When John made the usual inquiries about the status of things with the recruiter, (all the while interviewing and considering other options), the headhunter shared with us a term that, should we get to the UAE, he felt we needed to understand. The term was ‘Inshallah.’

‘Inshallah’ generally means ‘God’s will’ and is used when speaking about future plans and events. The idea behind ‘inshallah’ is a kind of bow to God (or Allah), in that we are all in his hands and whatever his will and plan is for us is what is meant to be. This doesn’t mean you don’t work toward a goal, only that if one succeeds or doesn’t, it’s because it’s part of God’s plan for us.

“What kind of voodoo is your headhunter talking about?” I wanted to ask John. But the reality is that I kind of like the idea behind ‘inshallah,’ it reminded me of my mother who used to sing ‘Que Sera, Sera’ to me whenever I was wanting of something she didn’t have the power to make happen for me herself.  

But once John had a contract in hand, there was the hurdle of security clearance to get over. I’m not entirely clear about how the security clearance process works, but it seems to me like once you have a work opportunity, that’s when the UAE government steps in and begins a thorough vetting process.

Now I’m not for a second criticizing the security/vetting process, because it’s probably a big part of what keeps the Emirates safe for people who come there to work. But the process has very little rhyme or reason in terms of timing. It could take three days. Three weeks… Three months… and in the end it seems the only way to explain the how and if and when one will get their clearance is ‘Inshallah.’

Despite my mom’s crooning of Doris Day songs, I am, in fact, the relatively non-spiritual daughter of two Atheists who has lived in New York City for twenty-five years. This means that when I have a question, I want an answer. Simply, directly, and now.  Not to mention preferably served up with a Starbucks Mochachino to go. But sure, if you want to sprinkle a bit of fairy dust on top or serve it up with some divine intervention, fine. Whatever gets the job done.

And so we waited. A week. Then two. Then three.

And John ever-so respectfully inquired if anything had progressed.

And the response was…

‘Inshallah.’

And we waited some more.  Another week. Then two. After awhile the waiting almost feels like unwrapping a Wonka Bar in hopes of finding the golden ticket that would get us inside the doors of some amazing, far-off place or following the yellow brick road and being just outside the city of Oz, looking for a way in.

So I took to the Ex Pat forums which are littered with posts from people all over the globe trying to get their way into the UAE and going through the same, seemingly interminable wait as we did. “I’m coming from Ireland!” “I’m coming from the UK!” “I’m coming from India!” “I’m coming from America!” But they all ask the same question, “How long will it take to get security clearance?”

The posters on the forums get an air of desperation about them. Some even give up. "I can't wait any longer," they say. They sign contracts in other places. They hang up their hopes. They go back to the dole. I understand. They are barely holding on to jobs, or they are out of jobs and they just need to get IN, to start working, to start cashing in on all that the UAE offers… this new land of opportunity!

The ones who have made it through, who read the forums and are so kind and giving with their advice say, “Hang in there, mate!” “It takes as long as it takes!” “Be patient. It takes time. No one knows how much." "Don’t try to figure it out.” And yes,

‘Inshallah’.

But suddenly, the security clearance came. We thought we were home free. We weren’t.

Because next up, came the ‘visa process.’ A process that was supposed to take three days at the most, but lagged on for John for one week, then two, then three. And when we were both pulling out our hair, not understanding what was going on… what overcame us was a weird kind of semi-paralysis. 

We didn’t know what was going to happen, we didn’t know if this last approval would happen, so we didn’t do much to take care of the business at hand to get ready to go, because we just really didn’t know. And so you carry on, and John started interviewing again, because really, we were getting worried that we were just getting jerked around.

That’s when it suddenly occurred to me that it might be time to test this ‘inshallah’ thing out for myself.

“What if we give this Allah fella a deadline,” I asked.

John’s eyes went wide.

“November First. If it’s God’s will that we do this, then let his will be known to us by November First.”

John shook his head slowly, agreeing. We hadn’t even left US soil and already it felt like we had been through a lot. We needed the Universe to fish, or we needed to cut bait. 

Allah had ten days.

During those ten days, we hiked in the Taconics and enjoyed our house in the country. We watched movies together and hung out with the kittens. And even though we tried not to think about it, we were thinking about it. All. The. Time.

At first, each day that nothing happened was a day closer to me not having to make such big changes in my life. It was one day closer to just being able to go back to the way things were.

But it wasn’t, because here’s the rub: once an opportunity like this presents itself (and I like to say I didn’t choose this, it chose me), it’s very hard to just shrug it off and get on with things. Because if you don’t grab an opportunity like this, there will be ‘what ifs’ and the potential for looking back with regrets. And I can’t live with that. Neither could John.

So as scared as I was (and am), this lifetime New Yorker found that ticking down the days toward keeping things status quo quietly turned into sending hopeful thoughts out there, to the angels, to the universe… and yes, to Allah himself.

“Inshallah,” I said to myself when making the bed in the morning.

“Inshallah,” I said, as I took a shower.

“Inshallah,” I thought, as I laid in bed unable to sleep from the stress and worry of what would happen in the future.

On October 29^th, two days before the deadline, John’s visa came through.

‘Inshallah.’ 

When the word came, I don’t really remember if we were jumping up and down about it. I think it was more of a quiet realization… sh*t was really going to change now. Probably not for the worse. Hopefully for the better. Definitely for the different.

On John’s last day before heading out to the UAE, we went for a walk in Fort Tryon Park, located on the Northern tip of Manhattan and home of the famous Rockefeller-built Cloisters  museum. It's a gorgeous spot with views of the Hudson River and while we were there, I took a photo of the trees, in all their glorious peak colors of fall. Taking the photo, I was thinking, “Remember this. Everything changes from here on out.” 

Fast-forward three months and today I went out for a walk, feeling a little overwhelmed by the idea of finishing things up, worrying about finding new work for myself, and making money, and our future and of throwing all the pieces of our life up into the air to see where they landed.

It’s a beautiful winter day, and I’m about thirty days away from ending my own limbo… busy breaking down the apartment, closing up my work, getting the cats sorted, making last round visits with friends and family and all the other things you need to do to wind down a life in one place to start a life in a new one.

There, I took this photo… of ice floes on the Hudson and remembered back to that day with John, taken around the same spot.

I took a deep breath and was grateful for the moment, the sun, the crisp air and the beauty. And I thought about how different the views would be, from our very own apartment two blocks from the Corniche with its own totally different yet (strangely) somewhat similar water views: 

I thought how lucky I was, that here I was in one beautiful place and in one month I would be in someplace new, and also beautiful, and exciting with so many adventures ahead...

And I made a wish.

Inshallah. 

I'd Rather Be in Abu Dhabi..

'Nuff said.