If you are keeping a cat just as a pet, then you have to start prioritizing your choices because cats are now the real deal in the Kenyan market.
Imagine earning a whooping ksh.100,000 just for selling one cat.
For years, Kenyans have been splurging cash on expensive cars, houses, fine wine and whisky, art pieces, and jewellery, but there is a new breed of young wealthy people buying expensive cats.
These cats are rare and their bloodline is documented.
“Human beings like class and social status. Because the rich do not want to remain in the same class with everybody in regards to pet ownership, they are going for Persian, Siamese, and Scottish fold cats,” says Dr Charles Muriuki of Jingi Vet clinic in Nyali, Mombasa.
Considered the ‘Ferrari of cats’, the Persian cats are highly sought-after and admired for their long and thick coats. And they do not come cheap.
“Right now you can get a Persian for about Sh50,000 but a few years ago it cost around Sh100,000, then you add the freight charge, you pay Sh150,000,” says Dr Muriuki.
Pablo and Nura are Persian cats and some of the few in Kenya whose every whim are indulged by their owner Mohamed Shurut.
Every day, he spends more than an hour brushing their fur. “The fur knots very easily and it’s what makes the cat stand out. I have to groom them every day,” he says, adding that they are best kept indoors but they can be let out on a cat leash.
Many pet lovers scoff at talk about expenses to avoid being judged.
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As the exotic cat market is thriving, and supply rarely meeting demand, Mr Shurut found a niche in supplying pet owners with prized breeds.
The 26-year-old now runs an online shop, Persian Cats Kenya, a breeding business.
“I used to see social media posts of the Persian cats owned by foreigners. I had a dream of owning one but it is not easy to find them in Kenya,” he says.
After a long search, he bought a kitten from a friend whose Persian cat had given birth.
“He had imported the cats from Egypt. He opted to sell me the male kitten and remain with the parent stock. I started shopping for a female one. I imported a female cat from Egypt,” he says.
He never imagined the cat hobby he casually picked up would end up becoming a business.
Mr Shurut sells two-month-old kittens imported from Russia and Egypt for Sh150,000.
