captaincook

We have been planning for the move for a while and almost made it last year but events turned against us.

We got the two cats chipped and had all the jabs required and they were ready to travel mid-May 2002.

We are planning to move back after Easter time and have a question regarding the pet passport scheme and wonder if anybody can answer it here before i go any further.

Once your pets are ready to go how long does the vacinations etc last until you have to get a fresh set done. I thought I had read somewhere that it was 12 months.

Does anybody have any experience of this ?

baloo

Sorry, no experience, nor do I know the answer...
But there might be some info available on the official PETS website, or if not you could always contact them directly :
www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/

Ceri

Captaincook,
I can't answer your question but I'm very interested in your post and the replies you may have , as I have two elderly cats (10 yrs old) and would also like to know the in's and out's of taking them back to the UK when I finally go.

What has me worried about my situation when I do decide to return to the UK , besides my cat's ages( will they make the long journey back to the UK) one of my cats is not very healthy, he has FIV (feline Aids, a carrier of it), and has to have monthly jabs of cortisone, and on top of that he has inflamed kidneys... poor moggy!... and I was wondering if "they" would allow him into the UK with the FIV virus, or is it just Rabies they are worried about.

Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you keep us updated on your experience of taking your cats back to the UK, as I know of nobody who has personally gone through this, taking their pets from Aus to the UK. I've only had experience of shipping my cats from Singapore to Australia 6 years ago (they were originally strays in Singapore which I adopted). I used a pet mover for them, and they were micro chipped, blood tested etc (my cat did not have FIV at the time).

Are you using a pet mover? Or, are you doing all the paperwork, arranging things yourself?

cheers

captaincook

thanks ceri and baloo.

ceri, i think you live in Brisbane from reading some of your posts. There are only 2 vets in SE Qld that are authorised to do quarantine work and both are in Brisbane. Because Brisbane is not an authorised entry port then most of the vets are down south or in perth. However Stones Corner vet is the one that did ours and they are good but expensive. If you are thinking about moving the cats then maybe worth speaking with them first as they will be able to answer your questions particularly regarding their health and readiness to travel.

the other people maybe worth speaking with is AQIS 07 3246 8731 - these are the people that answered my pet passport scheme question.

if anybody is interested, the answer to my original post according to the AQIS vet is that under the UK scheme the cats once jabbed and blood tested etc and waiting the six months are OK to travel until expiry of the vacine which in the case of stones corner vet is 3 years from the date of jab. he does however recommend they have annual boosters which is a requirement of other countries if you want to take them further than UK.

we are planning June departure and have had quotes from agents in brisbane $2,355 but that may have changed now as that was a year ago having said that the dollar has gone up a bit so may balance out. will let you know how we go.

Ceri

Thanks for that capt,
my main worry is not really the expense and such, just the long flight back to the UK, things like how do cats fair on such a long trip etc as my two are 10 at the moment and they are not getting any younger plus one of them is unhealthy, fiv and kidney problems (CRF), he'd be on a dialysis machine if he was human.

When I brought them from Singapore it was a relatively short trip , plus they were only 4 at the time (7 hour flight into Sydney) , I'm just worried about the long flight back to the UK and wondered if anyone has done the trip with elderly and sick animals.

Thanks for the info captaincook much appreciated

pomijean

I am returning home and want to take 3 cats,two 10 year olds and one 2years old plus a maltese terrier and Kelpie and 2 budgies,has anyone any idea of the air fares for them.I am taking them to the vet in Nambour for their rabies,but I cannot go until it is cooler as its much to hot to travel at the moment,my friend from Perth recently returned home with her Spaniel,he got there OK ,what I,ll do with them all when we get there is another matter,I,m hoping to find somewhere to rent in Devon or Cornwall until we find a small house to buy,where theres a will,theres a way,any information will be gratefully received Jean

Ceri

Hi pomijean,
Captaincook in his above post quoted two thousand something, I'm not sure if he meant that's for one cat or two cats though.

I paid around a $1000 for one cat from singapore to Aus, I think it was almost two grand (AU) for both of them, without digging out my old receipts (I have the exact cost somewhere, but my receipts are not at hand as I type this) .. so going on what I paid for mine from Singapore which is a much shorter flight than to the UK... you are probably looking at around a thousand something dollars (maybe closer to two) for each cat.... I think dogs are slightly more expensive than cats too.

You could look through the yellow pages, and there are companies in there which deal with pet moving. I phoned one in NSW about 5 years ago, before the pets passport scheme came about.. and got quotes off them, don't ask me what I was quoted I can't remember but it was a good few grand for two cats. Or maybe you could phone the airlines itself and see what they say.. I think it's only Qantas (correct me if I'm wrong) which is the official airline carrier under the pet passport scheme

Cheers

P.s .. I just had a quick look through the Brisbane yellow pages.. If you look under "pets", there is a section there "pet transport services"... and there are a couple of adverts for International pet moving. here's the first one on the list, which has a web site http://www.jetpets.com.au/ ... they are in victoria though, don't know if that's the head office or something, but they are advertised in the Brisbane yellow pages.

pomijean

Thanks Ceri,I,m sure we will get the animals home OK,I emailed Quantas to see if I get pension discount,no reply yet,I have put a message in LOUNGE asking help to sell my house up North Qld,do you have somewhere to go once you get home,my friend took her dog recently,he got there OK and loves the snow and beautiful grass Jean

Ceri

I'm not leaving at this very moment (wish I was).

I'm in the process of actually building /buying a house here, so going back is out for the immediate present, besides a few things on top of that, job related etc.

Why I'm interested is, I will be leaving for definite in the next few years.. I don't know a date, maybe next year, maybe the year after, but I will be returning in the next couple of years due to I miss my real home/country.

This may sound daft to some non animal lovers, but one of the reasons I came to Aus in the first place was animal related... I was originally working/living in Singapore, had enough of it after 5 years.. asked for a transfer, and it was a choice between Scotland, China, Indonesia and Australia.., where my company has branches

At the time , I wanted to go back to a "western" country, I did not want to go back to the UK because of the quarantine at the time (6 months).. I didn't think my animals would make it, so I chose Aus., because it was only 30 day quarantine and a short flight, unlike the UK.

Sounds stupid to some

So I do understand what you mean about your animals, and I wish you the best of luck.

Another thought... you are looking at Devon for the countryside/ space... look at properties in Wales, especially around Gower, if you want a sea property, if you prefer the countryside, look to the valleys in the Neath area... you can pick up a bargain, a small holding etc, they are far cheaper than Devon and are just as beautiful, in my opinion more so (but I'm biased). seriously, it sounds as if you want something like a small holding in a quiet area/countryside... check out south Wales... much cheaper than Devon.


Good luck

pomijean

Thank you Ceri for your message re property in Wales,I went into a Wales site,they are certainly cheaper,and while in the site,I found an Australian site to advertise the Taylors beach House,thank you very much for suggesting Wales as I have a feeling the house will sell through this new site
The rain was gorgeous,the dams are full and the creeks overflowing,we shall have no trouble selling the farm when the time comes,but we have a mortgage to clear first.,thanks again