koala_mac

I spotted in one of Spigs's posts that they are shipping their cats out to Oz and that they (the cats ;-) ) will be drugged. We are planning on bringing our cats out too, but all the research I have read says that they shouldn't be sedated, and some carriers will refuse to take them if they are too heavily sedated (they should be able to stand/sit on their own). Actually I would be a lot happier if they had a mild sedative - one cat in particular is a nervy sort and I know it would be kinder if everything had the edge taken off with a few drugs!

Spigs - Have you spoken to your vet about this - will you be having them sedated?

Would be glad to hear more on this, or on shipping cats in general from anyone with any experience of it.

Pip pip

K_M

Larissa

Hi
With my limited experience of shipping my parents cats to Greece, I'd say that sedation sounds like a good idea - check with the vet and carriers. What I wanted to say was about the general "comfort" for your cats as i had an idea for flying our cats to Aus. When my parents cats were flown out, they urinated in the boxes and were really distressed. We'd used newspaper to absorb any mess, but it was useless. Try to get hold of a pampers care mat if you can - they're used for absorbing baby wee when you stop using nappies at night, or for changing babies on. I thought it might be worth padding out the container with some.
Good luck pip pip
Larissa

lynnj

KM

sorry i cant advise on cats but as far as dogs go we have been advise under no uncertain terms that our dog should not be sedated, we were told that it can affect their breathing in the low oxygen levels of the hold and that most of the animals who dont survive the journey have been sedated, mind you our dog is a big lazy lump who would quite happily sleep 24/7 anyway so we dont expect him to have too many problems apart from the obvious "what the hell is going on" feeling.


Now a mild sedative for myself, or even better the kids, hmmm

Lynn

joh117

On "airport" the programme that shows the running of Heathrow. In the animal centre on one programme it slated an owner for sedateing two cats. They refused to let the cats board their flight and they were held overnight until they were in a fit state.


I would speak to the companies that ship animals regularly for advice.

Jo

spigs

hi koala_mac,

we have only just got our grant letter so we haven't looked into the cat shipping properly yet.

I thought I read that they sedate them so that its less stress. I am concerned about our youngest as she is quite nervous so I think sedation would be kindest. however, I have also read about sedation being a bit risky with smaller/weaker animals.
So I am quite concerned how they're going to handle the trip with or without drugs.

I would also like to hear from anyone with experience with cat shipping

koala_mac

Larissa - that is a really great idea, thanks. Cats get so upset about going to the loo in their "living quarters" and will only do it as a last resort, your idea would at least make things more comfortable for them, poor little mites.

I have a feeling they will go unsedated - as lynnj reminds me, it's the cabin pressure that can affect their breathing if they're monged on drugs. A shame though - I will definitely talk to my vet about it later down the line.

K_M

kittenlips

I too am worried about this. We are shipping our two cats out aswell. I also saw the "Airport" programme where they were shipping cats out. They were definitely against sedating them. I have also heard this several times on this forum on various other threads.

Any experiences welcome.

Theresa

jtipping

Hi
I dont usually reply to posts but this subject is close to my heart. We fly in 2 1/2 weeks time and my biggest worry was my cat travelling alone and frightened without me especially as he is 13 and hates travelling at the best of times.
My vet and the company arranging trasportation of him have said that under no circumstances would they sedate or allow him to travel sedated. He would not be allowed to board the plane.
I have since been reassured that temperatures are turned up in the hold that they travel so that it is warm and snug, This in turn convinces them that they should curl up and sleep. Also once the plane is in the air the travelling sensation is constant i.e. no brakes or car type rocking and so not as bad as we think it will be.
They travel with water but are not fed.
Im still not happy and wont be until I see him again but I do feel a bit better about the process. The only other choice was to leave him behind and that was not an option for me.
It is a worry and its completely out of your control once your pet leaves you. Im trying to have faith in the professionals and so many pet have done this trip before and seem to come out of it all unscathed. I will just be happy to see hime at the end of it.
Jan

koala_mac

Thanks Jan - I hope it all goes well for you. It's reassuring to hear they are snug and warm, at least, and I suppose it confirms that no drugs is the way to go. I have to admit I've had quotes and info through from Airpets and they say no sedatives too.

On the plus side, as far as I am aware the vast majority of pets are well and safe when they arrive. I was in contact a while ago via a burmese cat web forum with a couple who were retiring to Brisbane. They kindly emailed me when they got there to say their cat was fine - the only thing wrong was that her front paws were a little damaged by clawing at the crate, but that they healed up quickly with treatment at the other end. If that's the worst of it, then I'm pretty reassured.

Good luck with it all - will you let us know how it goes? Where are you doing the quarantine?

K_M

jtipping

Hi yes I will let you know how he gets on.
Glenn and I havent posted much but we have learned an awful lot from this forum. From my point of view Mrs Dagboy and all those who post from Australia have provided us with an valuable service and I am deeply grateful for the time and effort that they give to this forum.
I fully intend to give something back once we arrive on 16 November. Will let you know how I survive the parting with Charlie.
Jan

spigs

On the same topic:

We have two cats, do they go in the same box?
they like to sleep together and it might keep the youngest happy

Larissa

When we flew our cats to Greece, they required separate travel containers - bought them from airpets. They are much larger than the standard ones you buy in petshops. I think you're supposed to provide water bottles (like bunnies) too.

janeyray

I hope this answers all your queries?

My two cats are brothers and shared the same container.

They aren't allowed to be sedated. They have a final vet inspection when they leave Heathrow to board the plane and have to be 100%, so sedation is out of the question. Their container is then sealed and they aren't allowed any contact between the UK and Australia. They are fed water through a funnel to avoid contact but I don't think mine had any food.

When they arrive they are inspected again by a vet. They are then picked up by the quarantine station and taken into the boarding kennels.

My cats were 100% ok when I went to visit but had lost a lot of weight which suprised me.

They have settled well and didn't seem at all effected by the flight.
Just one other thing.... I know you may not intend returning to the UK but I would advise you to have Rabies vaccines (for your cats!) before you leave for Oz, I didn't and we are returning. Our return is delayed by 7 months because blood tests have to be completed after the vaccine, in oder for my cats to return to the UK with no quarantine.

koala_mac

Janeyray you are a star - thanks for the info, particularly the heads-up on rabies jab (and about sharing the box - that is good news)

K_M

Pollster

Flying my dog out is also worrying me but sedation is a complete no-no according to the info I have been given.

Also, pet owners should remember that our pets are more resiliant than we think - I am sure the whole experience is worse for us than it is for them - the best we can do is try and be really calm about the whole thing so they don't pick up on our concerns.