HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Hi,

Ok things are progressing nicely here. App 2/06(frontloaded meds and pcc's)

I always knew the Cat -Jeff - was going to be costly to take. My question is.....Is he going to eat a bl**dy spider and get ill - -or worse - -die in the first few days? :scared:

Hubby is trying to be the voice of reason and saying we need to be realistic - -its alot of money(i'm sure he is only saying this because he knows the rest of us will say we won't go unless Jeff does!! - -HE LOVES THAT CAT AS MUCH AS THE REST OF US)

My kids have offered to sell everything they own to contribute to the Jeff Fund.........but I would hate to think he would come to any harm after putting him throught the flight etc.

BTW he is a very chilled cat who loves everyone and he's only 18months old.(he's on my lap as we speak helping me type this!!! :) )

We are going to Adelaide and plan to live in the hills - - -so I know creepies will factor in our lives once there.

Any replies would be gladly recieved.

xRachx

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Is he eventually going to be an indoor or outdoor cat?

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

He's always been an outdoor cat - -but not a big hunter - -too well fed!!!

I'd worry it would be unfair to keep him indoors when he's not used to it here.

xRachx

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

I must admit I have only seen one around here (with his bell on) outside and the missus saw an unfortunate one at the road side this morning.

There has to be a risk with all the wigglies out here.

Gonna PM you.

Rich

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Cheers Rich :beer:

Good news please - -the kids will be devastated otherwise!! ;)

xRachx

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

There are quite a few cats in our area (which is at the foot of the blue mountains) and I havent heard of any coming to harm yet? Obviously there is a risk if he's an outdoor cat, but he could just as easily get killed by a car in the UK than by a killer spider over here (of which I've seen none by the way!). My only worry about bringing cats over (we left ours behind) was the journey, quarantine and them adjusting to the heat. I wouldnt say the wrigglies were a huge factor in whether or not to bring them. If you love him enough then bring him! :)

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

We do love him loads - -he's the best cat we have ever had(i've had cats all my life- -but this bugger has got the best character of all of them)

I think the kids will benefit from having something familiar when we get him from quarantine and they will not consider the move without him. We got him for them(althought he is really my cat!!!!)

He always comes in at night - -he likes his home comforts!!

xRachx

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

We've got two cats we've had from kittens and live on 2 acres on Central Coast in NSW - we thought they'd come to all sorts of strife - our kids have had plenty of leeches, but not the cats, nor have they had any ticks! we've been here nearly 2 years now and our property backs onto a large rainforest reserve area. I think cats are very adaptable and tough. There is even a large feral cat we've seen fighting with our cats and they've not been hurt. I think your cat will love the space and won't have any trouble adapting to the weather. Our property has its own private road, so don't have much experience with roads and traffic and cats.

Good luck.

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

If (god forbid!) your cat were to get bitten by a snake, be warned that the antivenom costs about $2000! I was talking to a lady who lives in one of the outer suburbs of Adelaide (sorry I forgot where it was) and her cat got bitten and despite the antivenom being given promptly the cat still died. As an aside, apparently a dog is less likely to survive than a cat but I have no idea why! (or if it is really true!!)

But I tell this tale just to show you what it will cost if a snake bite happens at least. The chances of it happening are probably slim! Pets are members of the family as well after all and I couldn't imagine leaving my cat behind if I were to move to the other side of the world :)

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Jut as well I can pilfer a few doses from work then!!!!!!!

xRachx

P.S. I can't imagine leaving him either

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Yes, that makes you incredibly lucky but as I say it is probably unlikely to happen. All of my boyfriend's family (except his parents and 1 cousin) live in and around Adelaide with various pets and never had any problems. I'd like to think that our pets would run away from snakes but I suppose that is wishful thinking on my part :p

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

For some strange reason dogs have been said to have a natural immunity to most things here, such as spider bites, whereas the same bite to a human, cat or other animal could prove fatal...

In regards to the issue with the cat, there are always risks when you bring any animal over, you just have to weigh up the pro's and con's of bringing it.

PROs:
Family Bond

CONs:
Money
Possible inability for the animal to adjust
Road dangers
Toxic insect bite possibility

If we had had a pet when we left (our beloved dog died 4 years before at the ripe old age of 13), then we probably would have left him in the UK, we would have felt cruel taking him all that way, and then making him adjust to the Australian extremes...

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

I t is a risk, here in south west WA i hear that lots of cats go missing.
[maybe the local chinese ;)
But he is a member of your family and would you leave your child behind, they are at risk also. Life is a risk, bring him. ohhhhh
Denise

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Like the missus just said.

If you didn't bring him, would you get another cat after you have been here for a while?

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

do australia a favour and leave the cat in the uk ,they kill more indeginous animals and birds than anything else .They kill for the sake of killing .I am not anti cat by the way i brought up with cats and love and admire thier characterand independance .

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

hello there

If you have the cash and your sure of where you are going to be staying then I would bring him. We left our 2 cats behind in the end and we were soo upset. We just couldnt afford to bring them and also were not sure of where we would be staying, ie in a house or unit and knew we would be renting for a while.

I think cats adjust quite well, that works on both ends of the scale, we rehomed ours with friends about a month before we left and the little buggers loved their new homes and disowned us when we went to visit them. Cats forget about people quite quickly so long as their new home gives them plenty of love and food.

I think the biggest problem here would be ticks more than snakes etc, they can be fatal and so small its not always easy to find them. I would also recommend you keep them in at night due to local wildlife for your cats sake as well as theirs.

I think you just have to be more watchful of them over here.

Not sure if this helps you make any decision, just my 2 pennies worth.

LawLaw

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Hello. :)

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Helllooo, hows things with you?

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Good mate good. Will PM you soon.

Rich

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

We're leaving our cat and taking the dog. The missus is a huuuuge cat lover but she realises that the cost and the potential hazards to the moggie out-weigh her need to keep him here. Couple that with the fact that she's an incredibly efficient hunter (we've had grass snakes, pigeons, doves, frogs, mice and rats so far) and we came to the conclusion that we'd all be happier if she stayed here, murdering the indigenous UK wildlife, rather than the Australian. She's going to live with the wife's mother, who's a serious cat lover too and has been looking for an excuse to get another one (she had an old one that popped its clogs) for a while. Even given all that, if we hadn't been able to re-home her with someone we know then we'd probably still have taken her. My big sister, who lives in the Southern Highlands of NSW has a cat that's never come to any harm and who roams around outside without a bell on - there again it's so fat the mice could probably ride it like a pony if they wanted to.

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Hi Rach,

Absolutely, you must take the cat, how can you consider not :scared:

I shipped both of mine over 3 years ago and they are fine, I try not to let them out as much just to be on the safe side but you only have to consider 2 things that you do not have to worry about in England. If you are moving to Queensland you have to check that there are no cane toads around your house. These are deadly to most animals and have even been known to kill crocodiles if eaten. We have moved house 3 times and my last 2 houses did not have any toads at all and I let them out all the time. The new house that we are in is over run by the buggers and I have to let them in as soon as it gets dark. I think this only pertains to Qld. The other thing to consider is, if you are going to be moving to somewhere rural or where you have long grass you have to worry about snakes but this is quite un usual and I have never seen a snake at all in Oz. Mind you I did hear about a friend of mine that does live on a farm here and her cat was bitten by a Brown snake and was rushed to the vet. It had a massive injection of poison according to what my friend was told by the vet but the cat was a bit crook for a few days and was and is fine. The explanation from the vet was that that pets cope better and are less affected by bites.


Tony

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

We have 2 cats which we absolutely love to bits but are leaving behind for this very reason. We will miss them like mad :( but don't think we need to add to the pressures on the Aussie wildlife.

Loz x

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

:) Thanks for all the replies guys :)

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Reading through these replies, I notice that most ppl seem to have moved (with their cats) to the wilds. We'll be moving from city to city (London - Melbourne) - does anyone have any comment to make on moving their cats to Melb. where they're likely to be less threatened by snakes and less of a threat to the wildlife ?
We were worried by the cat-eating-a-spider thing too.
Leaving him behind isn't really an option, couldn't do it to the old guy.

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

it is hard to leave an animal behind that has become part of the family ,since being in australia we have never owned a cat just listening to the death screams at night from the frogs in my garden and finding some remains in the morning ,all done by tiddles up the road is heart wrenching .C.A.L.M rangers think of them as nothing but vermin and i am inclined to agree ,from coldest tasmania to sweaty darwin the cat has adapted and is happily killing bilbeys ,etc etc etc .We got a dog instead and the beauty of him is he doesnt like eating frogs and cant climb trees and about the only thing he might try and bully is the snail population and he has also discovered rolling in duck shite is a pleasurable experience .

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

We left the UK 6 years ago and went through the heartbreaking decision of whether or not to take our beloved cats.. we`d had them from kittens both were 11 when we were in the process of making our decision to move.. I tried to rationalise it on the basis similar to yourselves very expensive verses would they be alright in another climate with all its interesting and potentially lethal issues for a couple of loved moggies.. what influenced me the most was whether I was being selfish or not in putting them on a plane and transporting them to the other side of the world? We had given them the best we could and found loving homes for them in the country they went together to an elderly man who we know has through having these cats had renewed sense of living. Have been to visit on trips back...arh! But I know that they are now in their dotage sleeping in the sun when it shines.... :) :)

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Dont panic guys,
My brothers cat and his pet Ozzy bird eating spider had a fight a while ago. The spider bought a ticket to heaven and the cat threw up for a few hours following a good bite from the spider, but hey, he made a full recovery!!!

Mr P

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

"cat legislation in South Australia
requires that all cats be identified if not
confined to their own property.

Unidentified cats and any cats found
in a national park or more than 1km
from the closest dwelling can be
trapped and euthanased. "

source: http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/publicatio...idal_works.pdf

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

This is a bit harsh. :o
In the mountains where I am, there is a curfew on cats and they must come in when it goes dark. My other half has had cats in Aus all his life and the worst they've got is a tick, which, let's face it, they can get in the UK.
Curfew prevents indiginous animal deaths. Not bringing your cat with you won't make one iota of difference to the deaths, but what will is being a responsible owner.
Many Australians let their cats roam free, killing what they want at night.
Give your cat a large bell on its collar and make sure it has a scratching post in doors to dull its claws. Feed it well and keep it in at night.
Do what thousands of others don't do and I am sure you will enjoy having your pet with you in Aus.

I pick my cat up in a week's time. :)

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Out of interest, how much is it exactly to take a cat over?

I don't have any to take - mine both died end of last year :( but plannning on getting one when I'm settled

My cousin lives in Cairns and had two cats (from Oz). She brought them both in at night but one was always a big hunter and they always had to watch for him chasing snakes which was a big hobby of his :eek: . Unfortunately one time they caught him chasing one, didn't think he was bitten so didn't take him to the vet. Woke up next morning to find him dead. If they had known he had been bitten they could have saved him :(


If yours is a big hunter, my advice would be to keep him inside as much as possible to avoid this.

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

We live in an inner suburb and we have possums in our street, snakes in the park down the road and of course lots of native birds so don't think you are going to avoid the problems entirely :D Luckily, our cat isn't much of a hunter or I dread to think what she could have caught herself :scared:

Less wildlife in the city though, but you will find native animals in some of the Melb suburbs as well, even some considered inner city!

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

I agree with someone who said, unfortunately, your cat is more likely to get hit by a car. I have two cats, and they are hunters so I bought them this

http://www.liberators.com.au

I assume it helps because they haven't caught anything since.

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Also be aware it is not unusual, in SA at least, that if your cat strays into someone elses property it may well get shot :scared:

This has happened on many occasions in Adelaide.

G

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Cats are good pets but don't belong in aus , totaly agree with this .

Cheer up an old pommy lady and give her your cat before you move .

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Neither do rabbits, foxes, feral goats, deer, camels, feral cats and pigs

http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/rep...t_animals.html


Feral cats are a much worse problem to indiginous wildlife than your regular domestic cat. Bringing one domestic, well cared for, well loved cat to Australia is not going to cause the decline of a species over night.
The claim that feral cats are responsible for the decline in some animal species is in doubt anyway, as deforestation and farming has a much stronger impact on the environment.

My husband's family has had cats here for years, without shootings, poisonings, bites, or any other of the horrible things mentioned here. THey live in the Blue mountains in a high bush area, close to National Park.

Have your cat, for goodness' sake and ignore the negatives. Lots of people will tell you cats are bad for the environment but so is smoking, farting and not recycling your rubbish. :rolleyes:

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

pmsl

xRachx

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Cheers for all the replies.

Jeff's looking up at me as I type this. I can't bloody leave him!!!!!!

xRachx

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Sounds like you're mind's made up. You gotta take him. Just think how much fun he'll have once he gets there (once he's forgiven you for the flight and quarantine!). Plus if you don't take him, your kids will never ever forgive you

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Don't leave Jeff. We have travelled everywhere with our cats even to the Middle East and back. As mentioned always bring them in at night. we have never had a problem with them. Only big vet bill we had was when the male cat went into the frontloading washing machine he was quite young he survived to tell the tale but wasn't given much hope of survival at the time. It could have happened anywhere!

Re: HELP from those already there please!!!!
 

Yes there are loads of creatures that should never have got to these shores , i used to have a cat in the UK and it was a killing ninja cat !
They are like serial killers , if i killed as much as my old cat did in one year i would be world famous .
They are very very good hunters. Why add to it?