Shipping an elderly kitty
Dec 17th 2005, 2:55 pm
#16
Just Joined
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Geelong
Posts: 20
Re: Shipping an elderly kitty
Hi
We are taking TC and he is 18, still a very frisky boy!!
Can anyone help with what to pop in the carrier for mop ups - do i put in puppy pads? Do they just have a water bowl or should I get another for dry food?
Any help/tips with sending him over would be fantastic.
many thanks
Cazzy
We are taking TC and he is 18, still a very frisky boy!!
Can anyone help with what to pop in the carrier for mop ups - do i put in puppy pads? Do they just have a water bowl or should I get another for dry food?
Any help/tips with sending him over would be fantastic.
many thanks
Cazzy
Dec 17th 2005, 5:37 pm
#17
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2005
Location: Bristol, UK --> Copacabana, NSW
Posts: 186
Re: Shipping an elderly kitty
Hi! 
We agonised over the same things. Our cat is a 16 yr old moggy. We took her to the vets who did some general checks and blood tests, including an older cat profile, and despite some thyroid and mild kidney probs, she has been pronnounced fit to travel!
The vet has given us a "Fellaway" spray, which contains cat pheromones and helps reduce anxiety making them feel seetled. This is for spraying into het box prior to travel.
We are using airpets who have been brill. We made the drive to heathrow for a nosy (though she won't be staying overnight) and to buy her travel box. We bought a wooden one to reduce noise and were advised to pad it out with shredded newspaper. They also said wear one of your tops for a couple of days and don't wash it. Pop this in as well so that she has a familiar smell.
By buying the box and bringing it home she has had chance to get used to it a bit. We left it open on the lounge floor and didn't push it. At first she ignored it, then would walk in and straight out and eventually started to curl up in it. One less strange thing on the day of travel.
We are dropping Lucky off to Airpets but they will collect if you live far away. Not sure how she will cope but as she's so old and attached to us, and doesn't exhibit any of the territorial behaviours of cats I've had before, we decided to take her and as she now has to be toileted regularly else she wee's in her sleep, no one would take her anyway! And I don't think I could leave her either to be honest.
Just trying to make it as easy as possible and hoping she copes with it. Hope some of the above helps,
Jo
We agonised over the same things. Our cat is a 16 yr old moggy. We took her to the vets who did some general checks and blood tests, including an older cat profile, and despite some thyroid and mild kidney probs, she has been pronnounced fit to travel!
The vet has given us a "Fellaway" spray, which contains cat pheromones and helps reduce anxiety making them feel seetled. This is for spraying into het box prior to travel.
We are using airpets who have been brill. We made the drive to heathrow for a nosy (though she won't be staying overnight) and to buy her travel box. We bought a wooden one to reduce noise and were advised to pad it out with shredded newspaper. They also said wear one of your tops for a couple of days and don't wash it. Pop this in as well so that she has a familiar smell.
By buying the box and bringing it home she has had chance to get used to it a bit. We left it open on the lounge floor and didn't push it. At first she ignored it, then would walk in and straight out and eventually started to curl up in it. One less strange thing on the day of travel.
We are dropping Lucky off to Airpets but they will collect if you live far away. Not sure how she will cope but as she's so old and attached to us, and doesn't exhibit any of the territorial behaviours of cats I've had before, we decided to take her and as she now has to be toileted regularly else she wee's in her sleep, no one would take her anyway! And I don't think I could leave her either to be honest.
Just trying to make it as easy as possible and hoping she copes with it. Hope some of the above helps,
Jo
Dec 17th 2005, 5:43 pm
#18
Forum Regular
Joined: Sep 2005
Location: Bristol, UK --> Copacabana, NSW
Posts: 186
Re: Shipping an elderly kitty
Originally Posted by cazzy
Hi
We are taking TC and he is 18, still a very frisky boy!!
Can anyone help with what to pop in the carrier for mop ups - do i put in puppy pads? Do they just have a water bowl or should I get another for dry food?
Any help/tips with sending him over would be fantastic.
many thanks
Cazzy
We are taking TC and he is 18, still a very frisky boy!!
Can anyone help with what to pop in the carrier for mop ups - do i put in puppy pads? Do they just have a water bowl or should I get another for dry food?
Any help/tips with sending him over would be fantastic.
many thanks
Cazzy
My understanding is your carrier, plastic or wooden, needs to be IATA approved. Should have fixed water bowl with funnel. No food bowl to reduce soiling on journey. Take a look at some of the pet transporter sites as I think some of them have all the info you need. Also advised not to feed your cat on the day of travel so as to reduce soiling as their box won't be opened until the other end in quarentine and in case of travel sickness. See my other post for tips we were given,
Jo
Dec 18th 2005, 7:52 am
#19
Just Joined
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Geelong
Posts: 20
Re: Shipping an elderly kitty
Originally Posted by SenoraJo
Hi!
My understanding is your carrier, plastic or wooden, needs to be IATA approved. Should have fixed water bowl with funnel. No food bowl to reduce soiling on journey. Take a look at some of the pet transporter sites as I think some of them have all the info you need. Also advised not to feed your cat on the day of travel so as to reduce soiling as their box won't be opened until the other end in quarentine and in case of travel sickness. See my other post for tips we were given,
Jo
My understanding is your carrier, plastic or wooden, needs to be IATA approved. Should have fixed water bowl with funnel. No food bowl to reduce soiling on journey. Take a look at some of the pet transporter sites as I think some of them have all the info you need. Also advised not to feed your cat on the day of travel so as to reduce soiling as their box won't be opened until the other end in quarentine and in case of travel sickness. See my other post for tips we were given,
Jo
I have done all the organising myself, and it has been a little bit of a mither wondering whether I have done everything right! Think it is easier to transport ourselves lol!! We love TC so much and as you say with your cat we could never leave him behind, kids wouldn't forgive me for a start!!!
I have got him booked to fly from Manchester then on to heathrow then melbourne.....I will follow what you have recommended, as soon as we brought home the box the wise old man disappeared!! Will look into the fellaway spray aswell.
Many thanks for your post I wasn't sure I would get a reply.
Cheers and all the best
Cazzy x
Dec 18th 2005, 10:59 pm
#20
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: South
Posts: 222
Re: Shipping an elderly kitty
Feliway (for those looking) http://www.feliway.uk.com/feliway_uk.nsf/Page?OpenForm
DAPs for dogs
No recommendations made by me - (to calm down the holistics)
DAPs for dogs
No recommendations made by me - (to calm down the holistics)
Dec 20th 2005, 9:56 am
#21
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 52
Re: Shipping an elderly kitty
Our cat is in quarantine in Sydney at the moment -and he will be 17 in March. Like you I worried for ages if I was doing the right thing, but I've had him since he was a rescue kitten.
We were told that you only need the rabies vaccine if you plan to take your cat back to the UK. Otherwise you just need all the standard vaccines up to date and flea/worm treatment just before travel.
We went with Golden Arrow who have been great.
When I phoned Quarantine in Sydney to ask how he had got on with the journey they put me through to his 'carer' who went into his pen with her mobile phone, gave him a cuddle and chatted for ages about how he was (asolutely fine) and even let me speak to him! She reckoned that the warmth in Queensland (where he will be coming in January) will be good for him as he gets old and gets aches and pains in his joints. It made me think of an old man retiring to Spain! It was obvious that the people I spoke to in Sydney loved cats.
So I would go ahead and bring your cat. I didn't want to think of someone else looking after mine as he eventually gets very old and sick.
Cheers,
Cat
We were told that you only need the rabies vaccine if you plan to take your cat back to the UK. Otherwise you just need all the standard vaccines up to date and flea/worm treatment just before travel.
We went with Golden Arrow who have been great.
When I phoned Quarantine in Sydney to ask how he had got on with the journey they put me through to his 'carer' who went into his pen with her mobile phone, gave him a cuddle and chatted for ages about how he was (asolutely fine) and even let me speak to him! She reckoned that the warmth in Queensland (where he will be coming in January) will be good for him as he gets old and gets aches and pains in his joints. It made me think of an old man retiring to Spain! It was obvious that the people I spoke to in Sydney loved cats.
So I would go ahead and bring your cat. I didn't want to think of someone else looking after mine as he eventually gets very old and sick.
Cheers,
Cat
