lgabriel73

whether you are bringing cats into the UK from Canada or the US the forms and the process are exactly the same.

Wombat7

I know same piece of paper but I don't know what the Canadian equivalent of the the USDA is. Am going to my vet this week and will see if they can help. If they do not know I will make a trip out to the airport and talk to the Air Canada live folks

the1mag

I'm flying out of Halifax NS to Heathrow on Thursday with my cat and have had good cooperation with the government vets here and of course my own vet has been a trooper. They sent me a sample completed form with notes and I'd be happy to forward that to anyone who might need to see it. I read a lot on here but haven't posted much and have no idea what the protocol is for something like that.

Maggie

Wombat7

Maggie
I just sent you a private message.

many thanks
Jan

the1mag

I just replied Jan

The only other thing I would mention is that I decided to handle the whole thing myself at this end and really haven't had any problems. There were issues with Air Canada needing three hours connection time if we had to change planes and I just couldn't make that happen so I'm having to drive a few hours to get to Halifax and fly Icelandair but their cargo people have been great, although they probably think I'm totally neurotic ;-) It's just making sure the all "i"s are dotted and the "t"s crossed.

Maggie

yoyomigrant

Relax-the officials want the process to go as smoothly as you do .best suggestion is to talk to your current local vet & put your cats' preparation(microchipping, bloods, rabies etc) in the hands of the specialist pet shipper they recommend. This way, you know yr cats are in good hands, the process will be 'everyday' for the shipper & all aspects will be compliant. I know how you feel- i'm in nz about to ship self & 2 old moggies back to uk. Anxious moments but can be overcome- trust your vet's advice. All the best

the1mag

I knew more about the process than my vet after reading the DEFRA website and talking to the local govt vet office. I arranged everything myself at my end and used the clearance people at Heathrow that most of the airlines use. We flew out of Halifax Canada on Thursday night. I was told the clearance people would clean up the cat, carrier etc if there were any "messes" which they did a less than optimal job of, but other than that things went fairly well. I picked up my cat yesterday afternoon, hungry but otherwise in good shape.

MoshiMoshi

If you're shipping a standard animal (cat or dog, not restricted breed/ flat-nosed/giant) on a standard route (large North American airhub to UK or Europe, for example), there's really no need to pay for an agent, these days. So many people here have dealt with the paperwork themselves. It's fiddly, but IMO not bad enough to merit paying loads for someone else to do it.

(From what I've seen, pet shippers are most useful if you have logistic issues: it's an indirect flight, or you live far from the airport, or you're not travelling at the same time.)

p.s. Glad your cat arrived safely, the1mag!

WhoDearMeDearNoDear

It will definitely be your name here. Unless you have to travel on a different flight and have someone drop your cat off. Just check with the airline before you leave. It was so tough to send our cat, frankly from being such a worry wart.

elwyn

Just wondering if anyone has any further information on the cheapest way to get two cats from Canada to London. This thread seems pretty new, so would Air Canada Cargo still be the best option?

Wombat7

I went AC route from YYZ-LHR, cheap it was not. Another poster is sending dog on Air France to Paris and then going over to pick up. From what he has said, that is much cheaper ... But you have to go over to,Paris to pick up.

elwyn

Ouch, I just got a quote and you're right... I'm looking into Icelandair next. I just checked Air France, but it looks like they don't fly out of Halifax.

Wombat7

There is another posted on here who went out of Halifax. She considered Icelandair but the stopover was too long, if I remember correctly.

If you are prepared to do the air france to Paris route, you might want to consider making yiur way to Toronto and flying from there.

elwyn

I'm in touch with a very kind poster who flew out of Halifax through Icelandair, so it looks like I have two main options -- either Icelandair + doing my own clearance through James Cargo at Heathrow, or going with Air Canada which charges you for both the cargo and clearance but arranges both for you.

Unfortunately, I've already got my plane tickets booked through Air Canada out of Halifax, so it looks like I'll have to pay either Peter or Paul, LOL.