Help me bring my cat safely to Australia
March 29, 2015 12:05 PM Subscribe
Hello Mefites:
My girlfriend and me are seriously considering the possibility of moving to Australia permanently next year. If everything goes as planned, we will move in around 12 months from now. I have a 7-year-old adorable Norwegian Forest male cat I adopted in Spain 5 years ago and brought to Colombia (I have dual nationality) 3 years ago. I need to know what options are available to bring him safely to our new home down under.
I´ve been doing some research and I´m trying to find the best way to bring him with us in the most safe and cost-effective way to our final destination. I´m already aware of the multiple hurdles to import pets to Australia (10-day-complete-isolation-quarantine, impossibility of bringing him with us in the cabin, etc).
Right now we´re living in Colombia but we can fly with him to Spain or the US (both included in the "Group-2 Countries" in the Australia´s Agriculture Ministry, which eases the paperwork and procedures) if this helps to ease the whole travel and paperwork. My cat already has an European Union Animal Passport and all his vaccines are up-to-date. He´s a very healthy, people-friendly indoor cat.
One thing that worries me is the fact he´s very nervous and hates traveling. When we brought him from Spain to Colombia 3 years ago, we were able to have him with us all the time during the two required flights (a local 45 minutes-long one and an international 10-hour-long one), enduring his nervousness, continuous (loud) meowing and panting. Fortunately we were able to take him out of his carrying case and used a leash to have him seated in one of the empty passenger seats we had nearby, thanks to the kind flight attendants and the fortunate coincidence of an almost-empty airplane. He was ok at the end, but I´m aware this won´t be the case since as far as I know, no airline will allow pets to be transported in-cabin to Australia.
I have found several companies that transport pets from the US or the UK overseas but want to know if this is the best option or what is the best airline for him to travel with.
We want to have all our options covered well in advance to avoid adding even more stress to our relocation adventure.
Any suggestions on how to best handle this or your own experiences traveling with your furry friends down under will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I´ve been doing some research and I´m trying to find the best way to bring him with us in the most safe and cost-effective way to our final destination. I´m already aware of the multiple hurdles to import pets to Australia (10-day-complete-isolation-quarantine, impossibility of bringing him with us in the cabin, etc).
Right now we´re living in Colombia but we can fly with him to Spain or the US (both included in the "Group-2 Countries" in the Australia´s Agriculture Ministry, which eases the paperwork and procedures) if this helps to ease the whole travel and paperwork. My cat already has an European Union Animal Passport and all his vaccines are up-to-date. He´s a very healthy, people-friendly indoor cat.
One thing that worries me is the fact he´s very nervous and hates traveling. When we brought him from Spain to Colombia 3 years ago, we were able to have him with us all the time during the two required flights (a local 45 minutes-long one and an international 10-hour-long one), enduring his nervousness, continuous (loud) meowing and panting. Fortunately we were able to take him out of his carrying case and used a leash to have him seated in one of the empty passenger seats we had nearby, thanks to the kind flight attendants and the fortunate coincidence of an almost-empty airplane. He was ok at the end, but I´m aware this won´t be the case since as far as I know, no airline will allow pets to be transported in-cabin to Australia.
I have found several companies that transport pets from the US or the UK overseas but want to know if this is the best option or what is the best airline for him to travel with.
We want to have all our options covered well in advance to avoid adding even more stress to our relocation adventure.
Any suggestions on how to best handle this or your own experiences traveling with your furry friends down under will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Best answer: You've probably seen this too, but this appears to be the step-by-step guide for someone like you. Note microchipping requirement too.
There are some busy British -> Australian expat forums which are likely to have discussed this issue.
posted by dontjumplarry at 12:42 PM on March 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
There are some busy British -> Australian expat forums which are likely to have discussed this issue.
posted by dontjumplarry at 12:42 PM on March 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Start with your very, they frequently will be familiar with the process (or get familiar).
Also, pics?
posted by arnicae at 2:31 PM on March 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, pics?
posted by arnicae at 2:31 PM on March 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I moved two cats from Sydney to California and back again a few years ago. We booked with a transport company who used a major airline and it was fine. They will have to travel in the pressurized cabin - this might actually be better, since he won't be picking up on your nervous energy! There's not much to see or do, lots of white noise, and no one to interact with - he'll likely sleep a lot. It's like little kids who trip and fall - and then look around to see if mom was watching and cry if she looks upset. (I've seen it.)
Anyway, tips would be:
NO sedatives. They react weirdly at high altitudes and can be very dangerous.
For big cats use a small dog carrier so he has room to stand up, stretch, etc. They'll put a puppy pad on the floor, water, and you can put in a blanket or shirt that smells like you.
They need to be in quarantine until 6mo after their last rabies series, for a minimum of 30 days. We timed all our paperwork and flight carefully, so that those 30 days were the last 30 of the six months and they spent the absolute minimum in quarantine.
My husband went to visit, and mostly they just wanted out. If he had it to do over, I don't think he'd visit - cats aren't dogs, and they didn't find it comforting (just frustrating).
That said, the quarantine space is pretty nice: large 3-level enclosures with open air. Not freedom, but waaaaay better than the vet or most boarding places!
It'll be fine! Memail me if you have more questions.
And yes. PICS ARE MANDATORY. =)
posted by jrobin276 at 2:51 PM on March 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Anyway, tips would be:
NO sedatives. They react weirdly at high altitudes and can be very dangerous.
For big cats use a small dog carrier so he has room to stand up, stretch, etc. They'll put a puppy pad on the floor, water, and you can put in a blanket or shirt that smells like you.
They need to be in quarantine until 6mo after their last rabies series, for a minimum of 30 days. We timed all our paperwork and flight carefully, so that those 30 days were the last 30 of the six months and they spent the absolute minimum in quarantine.
My husband went to visit, and mostly they just wanted out. If he had it to do over, I don't think he'd visit - cats aren't dogs, and they didn't find it comforting (just frustrating).
That said, the quarantine space is pretty nice: large 3-level enclosures with open air. Not freedom, but waaaaay better than the vet or most boarding places!
It'll be fine! Memail me if you have more questions.
And yes. PICS ARE MANDATORY. =)
posted by jrobin276 at 2:51 PM on March 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Hi everyone,
Thanks a lot for all the insightful answers! It seems it will be easier than I though, albeit requiring some laborious paperwork and procedures. I´ve been reading the links dontjumplarry posted and I´m wondering if I need to do all the vaccine and steps in the US or if I can do them in Colombia. It seems we can travel to the US, spend some days there to arrange the final details and ship him to Australia, after clearing all the necessary steps. He´s already microchipped, by the way. It was a requirement for the trip to Colombia.
And yes, no sedatives at all. We tried with several varieties to try and calm him down but it was even worse: the feeling of disorientation make him feel more nervous. At the end he traveled wide awake (so to speak)...
I´m sorry for my mistake: here he is!
Any recommended air transport companies that can help with the whole process?
jrobin276: I will contact you shortly!
Thanks again!
posted by Matrod at 4:34 PM on March 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Thanks a lot for all the insightful answers! It seems it will be easier than I though, albeit requiring some laborious paperwork and procedures. I´ve been reading the links dontjumplarry posted and I´m wondering if I need to do all the vaccine and steps in the US or if I can do them in Colombia. It seems we can travel to the US, spend some days there to arrange the final details and ship him to Australia, after clearing all the necessary steps. He´s already microchipped, by the way. It was a requirement for the trip to Colombia.
And yes, no sedatives at all. We tried with several varieties to try and calm him down but it was even worse: the feeling of disorientation make him feel more nervous. At the end he traveled wide awake (so to speak)...
I´m sorry for my mistake: here he is!
Any recommended air transport companies that can help with the whole process?
jrobin276: I will contact you shortly!
Thanks again!
posted by Matrod at 4:34 PM on March 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Matrod -- read over that second link I posted again.
It actually states which countries you can do the various steps in. Some you can do in Colombia, but others -- like testing the blood sample -- I think you will have to go overseas to do. For example, see "Step 4: Initial Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre (RNAT) test and waiting period", where you need to get the blood sample tested at an approved lab. There may not be any of these labs in Colombia.
That's just my quick reading though, so do verify that yourself!
posted by dontjumplarry at 5:42 PM on March 29, 2015
It actually states which countries you can do the various steps in. Some you can do in Colombia, but others -- like testing the blood sample -- I think you will have to go overseas to do. For example, see "Step 4: Initial Rabies Neutralising Antibody Titre (RNAT) test and waiting period", where you need to get the blood sample tested at an approved lab. There may not be any of these labs in Colombia.
That's just my quick reading though, so do verify that yourself!
posted by dontjumplarry at 5:42 PM on March 29, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks again for all your answers. Finally we won´t be moving there in the foreseeable future but all the information we got was really useful.
Cheers!
posted by Matrod at 3:27 PM on September 1, 2015
Cheers!
posted by Matrod at 3:27 PM on September 1, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by dontjumplarry at 12:30 PM on March 29, 2015