When I prepared my cat's trip to Abu Dhabi, one of my biggest concerns was where he would stay while I would be looking for an apartment. During my first weeks, I was going to stay at a hotel, and pets were not allowed. To make it worse, I was going to arrive in the U.A.E. one day later than Charlie!

Charlie landed late in the evening, which was actually a good thing because we arrived in June, and the temperatures are so hot during the day. Upon arrival, he got inspected by customs and then was released to be picked up. Families can normally pick up their own pets, but they usually don't: they might not be in the U.A.E. yet (I wasn't), they don't have a car, etc.
I arranged with the American Vet Pet relocation team to get a pick up at Abu Dhabi Airport. They could also pick up my cat at Dubai airport for an additional fee, if it was more convenient for me. It's good to know, in case plane tickets to Abu Dhabi are too complicated to get from your city!
Then, they took Charlie out of his kennel and put him in a larger, more comfortable cage. They fed him and watered him, and he had a litter box - after nearly 24 hours of travelling, he probably needed it! Poor thing...
The next morning, the Vet team inspected him to see if he was alright. I got an email telling me that he was doing good, besides a little bit of stress (obviously!).
A few weeks before arriving in Abu Dhabi, I had also reserved a spot for him at the American Vet's cattery. It is basically a pet hotel, and I can assure you that it is a really awesome service. The availability is limited, so make sure that you make your reservation early enough.
I believe they have 4 rooms where they have several huge cages. Here are pictures that I took there, just so you see what to expect :

Every cage is really tall, a human can stand inside. They have 3 ledges inside, so your cat can jump and play. They are equipped with a litter box, bowls for food and water. You can bring your own food when you arrive in Abu Dhabi (but can't export more than for one day with the kennel, otherwise the customs will get suspicious). If your cat doesn't have a specific diet, the Cattery team has premium dry and moist food in fish and chicken flavor. They will try all of them with your cat and see what s/he prefers.
In front of each cage is pinned a list of instruction for each cat, as well as a recap table where the cattery staff notes down any daily relevant observation : for example Charlie stayed 2-3 weeks and his weight was regularly monitored. He had an ear infection problem, so that was also part of the things they had to check. They also cut his claws when needed.
You can also place any personal items you want in the cage (toys, a piece of clothing with your smell on it, etc.)
The cattery team usually turns the radio on during the day so the cats have a presence. They have a Feliway diffuser plugged at all times.
You can visit your pet whenever you want (the cattery has pretty long opening hours) and the cats are checked several times a day by the staff who is really, really dedicated. They're pet owners themselves and they know what they are dealing with. Trust me, I visited Charlie nearly every day, and every time I went someone was dropping by to see how the cats were doing.
If you have more than one cat, they can be placed together in the same cage. Otherwise, your cat will be alone for safety reasons. A curtain separates each cage so your cat has some privacy.
It is also reassuring to know that since the cattery is located inside the Vet's offices, your cat will immediately be checked in case something is going on (you need to give your consent for that on the application form, if you agree)
In case you're willing to export your dog, The American Vet also has a kennel service. It's located outside the city center, since dogs take more space and are more noisy than cats.

Honestly, I've been really happy with the Cattery's services. Without them, I don't know how I would have made it. I've done a bunch of research and I don't know any hotel in Abu Dhabi that allows pets. If you know any, please do let me know by posting a comment at the bottom of this article.

Now some of you may be wondering what was the cost for all the process. Here's a rough breakdown :

• The American Vet : import permit + pick up at the airport : 2500 AED ($680, 545€)

• Air Animal : plane ticket for Miami - Abu dhabi (with one connection in Dusseldorf) : $1400 (1120 €)

• The American Vet : cattery for 1 month : AED 1790 ($490, 390€). Since I checked out Charlie after 3 weeks, I got a refund for the week I didn't use.

Total cost : $2570 or 2055€. Phew... Yeah, that's a lot of money, and a lot of people who don't have a heart, such as my Father, will strongly disapprove of such an expense. Well yeah, I love my cat, sue me!! :-D
Overall, it took me around 2 months to get everything ready for Charlie's travel (considering I didn't have to get the Rabies Serum Neutralizing test, cf. my first article about pet relocation paperwork). The import permit and other documents aren't that long to get, but coordinating the whole thing and figuring it out takes a while. Obviously, the earlier you start planning, the easier it is! Good luck to you!

Yeah folks, it's getting serious! You pet's going to fly! :-D It may be a little bit scary at first but with the right organization, everything will go smoothly. At least it did for me!
The first thing you need to know, in case you didn't read my previous post about the import permit, is that your pet will have to fly cargo. It's U.A.E. policy and it won't matter what airline you will fly with. Most likely, your pet will not fly with you and will be on a different plane.
In order to organize your pet's fly, the simplest solutions are the following :

• either coordinating it with your contact in Abu Dhabi (cf. Vet list in previous post)
• either getting in touch with a specialized freight forwarder

Hello guys, I'm back !
I know I promised an article about finding friends in Abu Dhabi... but yesterday I got a request for help with importing a pet in the U.A.E. from a really nice lady from my super cool forum expat-blog.com .
I was really nervous myself when I had to organize the import of my cat Charlie to Abu Dhabi, so I can understand her concern. It is not a complicated process, but it definitely is a process, and it takes time. So I figured I'd help her get all these formalities out of the way and write my pets-related article today ;-)

So first of all, let me introduce you to Charlie :



As you can see, he is an extremely adorable cat, so there was absolutely no way that I wouldn't take him with me on my big trip :-) Believe it or not, when it's time to move away, some people actually decide not to take their pets with them. Crazy, right? It's kind of like, " Oh yes, I love my kids! But since I decided to go on a vacation to Mexico for 2 weeks, I decided to place them into foster homes with Child Services. Oh yeah, they're doing great with their new families!" Seriously people, be responsible. When you adopted a pet, you also adopted the responsibilities that go with it. Moving away with a pet needs a lot of organization, but it's completely doable. Stop making excuses.
Okay, sorry for the rant...

In this article, I will give information about your pet's paperwork. Transportation and how things will go for your pet once it arrives in the U.A.E. will be covered in a later article. Please bear with me ;-)

Before I get started, you need to know that all animals that you want to send to the U.A.E. have to be shipped cargo. I repeat, cargo. No matter what airline you fly with, you can't take your pet with you in the cabin. It is not negotiable, and has nothing to do with the airline you will use. It is the U.A.E. custom's policy, and that's the way it is. Don't worry, your pet will be fine! Airline regulations are really strict about the comfort of live animals: they are always loaded and unloaded from the aircraft first (yes, before the luggage of the expensive First Class passengers ;-)), and during the flight they are placed in a specific compartment of the plane which is heated; the belly of the plane gets really really cold during the flight, but your pet will not suffer from it.

Now that I got this out of the way, let's talk about the papers. Yay! The most important document you need to get for the import of your pet to the U.A.E. is an import permit, issued by the U.A.E. Ministry of Environment and Water. You will automatically get it  within a few days of your application, as long as you provide the right documents. The requirements are the following.

• Your pet must be microchipped
• Your pet must have the following vaccines

Dogs	Rabies	Canine Distemper Virus (CDV)	Canine Parvo Virus	Infectious Canine Hepatitis	Leptospirosis
Cats	Rabies	Feline Pan Leukcopenia (FPV)	Feline Rhinotrachitics (FHV-1)	Feline Calicivirus

These vaccines are the usual, normal shots your pets get on their annual visits to the Vet, so most likely, they're already vaccinated for these diseases. Just make sure that the vaccines are up to date.

• You must provide a Rabies Serum Neutralization test

• your import permit will be denied, and it's going to delay all the import process, and also probably your move (what will you do if the import permit is denied and you need to leave your country? where is your pet going to stay?)
• your import permit will be accepted, but the U.A.E. customs will deny your pet's entry in the country, which can result in really long quarantines...

Trust me, I really don't have that much money, but I contacted professionals and it was worth every penny. In the beginning, my cat's vaccine certificate was not done right, so I got to go back to my vet's twice to get everything presented correctly. Thanks to my contact in the U.A.E., everything went nice and smooth, and I can't thank them enough for that.

• The American Vet : this is the company that I used, and I recommend it strongly. They reply to your emails in a timely manner, which is a really big deal sometimes with the time difference. They've been extremely patient and helpful and replied to all my crazy-obsessive-cat-lady questions ;-) Really, I tried them, and they're awesome. 
• The German Vet
• The British Vet

In addition to the paperwork, these companies can help you schedule your pet's flight, pick up your pet at the airport for you and provide pet-sitting services while you find your accommodation in Abu Dhabi. Really, really priceless, people! (Well it does have a price, don't get me wrong! It is quite high, tee-hee! But your peace of mind during the move is really important, and so is the comfort of your pet!)