Taking cat to Spain

[sue999]

Hi, does anyone have any advice on how best to transport my cat to Spain with the minimum of upset for the cat.

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by sue999

Hi, does anyone have any advice on how best to transport my cat to Spain with the minimum of upset for the cat.

You'll need a pet passport, and if theres a possibility of you taking the cat back eventually you will need the full blood tests.

We bought ours over with the van. No way is going to be particularly stress free for the cat, whether you fly it or drive it. Vet will give you something to calm it down on the journey.

Have to tell you our cat lasted 3 months, just couldn't cope with the stress of the move and the heat I guess. Our neighbours dog lasted just a year (they came from Belgium). It can be a terribly distressing experience for the animals I'm afraid.

[Bevdeforges]

Be careful about tranq'ing the cat for the trip. Some vets advise against it, as cats can react strangely to tranquilizers - in some cases, it will actually make them more hyper. (I had a Siamese cat who reacted that way - I think she didn't like feeling "out of control.")

For flying, the transport company I used insisted that all animals must have a carrier that was large enough for the animal to sit up, to stand and to turn around without impediment. They also recommended not to feed the animal for 6 or 8 hours before the flight.

I used the same carriers to transport my cats by car from Germany to France - and didn't feed them for a few hours before we started out. Don't leave them alone in the car at stops, especially in the sun or in warm weather. Let them calm down a bit before feeding them on arrival, but offer them water right away. Make sure they are in a secure area (closed room, for example) before you let them out of the carrier.

My two cats did reasonably well after their flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt, and again, after the move from Germany to France.
Cheers,
Bev

[jojo]

My vet told me that they wouldnt tranquillise animals if they're flying - something to do with blood pressure and the cabin pressure, it could be fatal apparently. My two dogs flew out and were fine and love it here so far. However, I was in an awful state at the thought of them being put into crates and loaded on to the plane - but it was that or having them in a car for two days and we didnt want to take a car so....

Jo

[Stravinsky]

Well all I can tell you that the cat found the journey from UK to Spain quite traumatic and it took her a good week to recover. We came by tunnel and drove in shifts right through in 24 hours, stopping fairly regularly to feed and water the cat. However she hardly eat a thing. Maybe it was the tranqualizers, I dont know. All I know from hearing other peoples experiences and from our own, is that theres no easy way to get your pet here I'm afraid