I"m sure it will not be difficult anymore to find catfood and litter as most of the bigger supermarkets sell them. But yes it is expensive. I think a can of Whiskas costs about 10 L.E. which is around 1.70 $. I'll try to remember to look for exact prices when I go to the supermarket next time.
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Please do not worry to bring your little feline along to Egypt. There are couple of good pet stores out in Cairo and you will find everything for your kitty. Can't say that it was expensive seven, eight years ago to look after my cat properly. But you might also have the chance to use the American Commissary (US grocery store in Maadi) or will get to know someone who has privileges to go shopping there. So your cat can stay on regular American brands.
Make sure you travel with your cat underneath the seat and get from the vet couple of pills for relaxation because it will be a long and distressful flight for your little four-legged.
Good luck and you both enjoy Egypt!
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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junadelam.. cat food in supermarkets can be expensive because it's all imported... cat litter too... BUT.. theres a whole desert out there.. plenty of sand!! I mix my cat litter with 50% sand..the litter stops odours, and it works out much cheaper!! Also.. Find yourself a good vet thet sells dried cat food which is made in Egypt.. My vet in Hurghada sells cat food at around 14le kilo.... this is probably more expensive than cairo, because that's where he brings it from!! Hope this helps. and good luck!!! Posts: 4238 | From: USA | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:Originally posted by Samia: junadelam.. cat food in supermarkets can be expensive because it's all imported... cat litter too...
A kilo of dry cat food costs about 38 Egyptian pounds. That's very expensive compared to Europe. There's also an Egyptian brand of cat food and litter that's cheaper, but it doesn't seem to be available at the moment. Alfa market used to carry it.
It's definitely not difficult anymore to get catfood, even smaller stores and local supermarkets sell it now, and quite a few pet stores have opened up lately.
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I certainly won't pay $1.70 for whiskers. My cats turn their noses up at the stuff after eating it for 5 years. Now it is fancy feast. There's hell to pay if its not in their bowl before I have my coffee. So I will find a way of making my own.
Yet clay litter reeks and have to change it far more often than with sweetscoop. http://www.sweetscoop.com/
This stuff smeels so much better and lasts longer. But I was thinking of corn cob litter. I had used it before the local petfood warehouses stopped selling it. http://www.petluvers.com/product20436.html
Since so many Egyptians eat corn on the cob why not just have these corn cobs diced or ground up into large grains. It clumps better than most clay litters, but not as well as the sweetscoop. But it only lasts 2 weeks until it smells.
I think purchasing a grinder or something close to it might produce a clumping litter.
And I have made the phone call to JFK to see what they have for pet services. They have a room for cats to relieve themselves. I should've emailed them to keep the info. Suggest that a carry on suitcase (the kind with wheels) include a disposable litter pan. So that's what I plan to try. And there is a season during which pets can't be in the cargo hold. They must be brought inside the cabin. Luckily pet cariers can be carried into the cabin.
Posts: 5744 | From: Minneapolis, Mn USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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Sonomod, you are right about specific times where pets will not be carried within the cargo area. And it also depends on the airline. Unfortunately sizewise most pets can't travel with their owners in the cabin.
Don't want to get you afraid, dear OP, but my cat was en route from Cairo - Frankfurt - Brussels couple of years ago with LH and got lost in the cargo area of the first airline. Think about the shock my husband got to see the broken pet carrier upon arrival in Belgium - and no sign of our boy. He called me on the phone and I just lost it!
They found our cat and he needed medical services. They flew him next day to my husband with a new special LH pet carrier which we received as a gift.
No matter what, we had horrible hours to go through and hoped our cat was alive and we going to get him back safe.
Oh, by the way, my beautiful "Egyptian boy" weighed in a good 19 - 20 pounds, thats why he was not able to travel with my husband together in the cabin.
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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Oh, by the way, my beautiful "Egyptian boy" weighed in a good 19 - 20 pounds, thats why he was not able to travel with my husband together in the cabin.
Oh you are kidding? Right? They have a weight requirement for cats? What is it?
My cats, 14 lbs and 18 lbs. Okay I am worried. Schnazouzher (sp?) was brought into the cabin of the plane and that's a larger lap dog. Somehow that dog was the quietest creature in the terminal.
Posts: 5744 | From: Minneapolis, Mn USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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It really depends on the airline. LH didn't accept my cat kilowise, they said something like 6 kilo maximum. You know they weighing the animal plus the transport box alltogether.
I was more lucky with my little poodle mix last summer when we left the US back in direction to Germany. Laila was 4.5 kilos light and she fitted well into soft pet carrier bag. My dog smelled that something was fishy since she never traveled by air. I "knocked her out" with two little pills because she started to get very nervous and whined. Poor doggy.......
Posts: 30135 | From: The owner of this website killed ES....... | Registered: Feb 2004
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1- In all their wisdom, the Egyptian government have deemed IMPORTED cat food a LUXURY item and that is why it is taxed so highly and costs the end user a lot of money. And like ALL imported goods, sometimes they have it, sometimes they don't. Sometimes Whiskas is all that is available, sometimes Friskeys is all that is available. Deli Cat never seems to be available any more. And even though Lily suggested you might get lucky and meet someone that has commissary priviledges, don't be banking on that one. That is harder to do than it sounds, and NO, not all Americans have commissary priviledges.. not by a long shot.
2 - There is no way large cats can ride under the seat in an airplane. The carriers are tiny that go under the seat and any midsize to large size cat would be crammed into it and unable to move.
When I came with my two cats I was extremely lucky with Egypt Air. The flight was no where near full and they let me bring my regular carrier (with 2 cats in it) up top in the seat next to me. The crew loved the cats and they were certainly less annoying than some of the children on board. It isn't the sort of thing you could prearrange though, I'm sure. It was pure luck that it worked for me.
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
It isn't the sort of thing you could prearrange though, I'm sure. It was pure luck that it worked for me.
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