Transporting cats

[Ms B]

I am trying to work out the costs involved in taking my cat, Mr Pie, with me to America. Our moving fund provided by our future employer won’t cover the cost of moving pets so I was wondering if somebody could give me a rough idea of costs.

Mr Pie is about 13 (he was a rescue cat so we are not sure) he has a long term condition that needs medicine everyday but he is not contagious, will this matter when we are trying to get him in? Because of his age I think this might be a one way trip for Mr Pie so we are not worried about him returning to the UK which I understand is harder than going form the UK to the USA.

Thank you,

Ms B

[twostep]

Originally Posted by Ms B

I am trying to work out the costs involved in taking my cat, Mr Pie, with me to America. Our moving fund provided by our future employer won’t cover the cost of moving pets so I was wondering if somebody could give me a rough idea of costs.

Mr Pie is about 13 (he was a rescue cat so we are not sure) he has a long term condition that needs medicine everyday but he is not contagious, will this matter when we are trying to get him in? Because of his age I think this might be a one way trip for Mr Pie so we are not worried about him returning to the UK which I understand is harder than going form the UK to the USA.

Thank you,

Ms B

Your furry friend needs to visit the vet. All shots have to be up to date (30 day window), his vacination report has to be filled out. The vet will issue a "EU pet passport". I would buy a cabin ticket for him but that is your call. The vet may recommend a sedative to make the stress of travel easier.


Our senior is going on 22, blind and ornery:>)

[twostep]

Check with your vet - in case of reentry is a chip mandatory?

[Bevdeforges]

This is the official CDC (Center for Disease Control) site on importing pets to the US. Traveling with Pets, Importation of Animals/Animal Products | CDC DGMQ

It appears they are not requiring a vet certificate nor a vaccination record, but having both of those will make things go much easier. Also note that the state you are going to, as well as the airline may have their own requirements for these. Your vet may advise for or against a tranquilizer for your cat in flight. (Opinions run very strong in both directions.)

You may want to check with a vet or animal shipment company to see what they consider the best airlines for transporting pets - also if they can recommend any particular airports for their animal handling facilities. It can make a huge difference. When I shipped my two cats from California to Germany, it only cost a couple hundred dollars, but that was a long time ago and I've heard the rates have risen considerably. Try googling "pet transport" to see if you can find a transporter in the area who may be able to advise you.
Cheers,
Bev

[twostep]

FL requires current vaccinations and pet passports. I have not yet come across an airline not requiring them. Only a very limited number of cabin spots are available and not on every flight.

[Tiffani]

do not allow an animal to be sedated before a flight. This could prove fatal. (we shipped our dog from the US to Australia a few months ago and went through all this).

I would recommend going through a pet shipping agency because they are very skilled at handling all aspects of pet travel. Good luck!

[leolehiwa]

Tranquilizers often have the opposite effect on cats.You don't want that!! Even if the tranquilizer does its intended job, the cat should be alert to react to varying conditions-able to take bumps, ex.-and thus not be injured.

[poopydoo]

WE are just about to ship ours.

Luickily we've managed to get them paid for as the company would have to pay for kids. If you are bringing them back they need the pet passport (so microchipping, rabies vaccination etc). I think if you are just taking them out just normal vaccinations are required and a vet check before flying.

We are going through Austin Rose, Inc. who dont advise sedation.

[leolehiwa]

very wise not to sedate for reasons I mentioned earlier. Importing an animal to the US is no big deal, except Hawai'i (rabies-free) which may or may not still require a period in quarantine at your (great) expense and in dreadful conditions.
I would never allow an animal of mine to travel as cargo, but that's just me. I have heard of too many animals dead or left stranded at wrong destinations, etc. Zsa Zsa Gabor's little dog was destroyed(going to UK?) because the seal on its carrier got broken.