Butch Cassidy

I was thinking more of the Predatory wildlife down there

Arris

Thanks, a very valid point, our lot is about 1/2 a mile out of Fort Macleod.

We have a dobermann already & plan to get two more after we have moved out. So hopefully that may keep the coyotes away & we'll have to keep the cats in at night - they are used to the freedom of a cat flap 24/7.

Posidrive

We brought our two German Shepherds. They were not exactly spring chickens at 8 and 9 years old at the time but they has no problems at all with the trip.

We did pay a pet transport company to send them cross, so they had a few days away from us before they landed because there were not any cargo flights over the weekend that we traveled. Perhaps it made them more grateful when they saw us again

Can't recommend air pets highly enough, although I just wish that they hadn't taken as much from our bank account for the privilidge of using them

Anyway, you have to bring them now otherwise we will hunt you down if we hear that your have come to Canada without them

TrishP

I live in a fairly rural area (well, its actually in the a@@ehole of nowhere!) and wildlife can be an issue. My cats were outdoor cats with a catflap and were out all night in the Uk. However durng the better weather here I've kicked them out during the day whether they wanted to go out or not so they wouldn't want out at night. It seems to have worked OK. I have a friend whose 2 cats are out all the time, summer and winter and they seem to be able to avoid the coyotes OK!

The worst thing about cats in Canadian homes is the open plan concept - back in the Uk my cats went to their 'bedroom' at night and the door was closed so they wouldn't run round the house making noise. With open plan living that's a lot more difficult and was certainly a big factor to consider when buying my new home (2 weeks to moving day, hurrah!!) as I do like my sleep!!!

Arris

Cheers TrishB, going by your experience, I would say that keeping them in at night would be the safest option then - that's what we'll do.

I also noted from one of your other posts that your cats were 17 when they moved over & they were ok - that's very reassuring.

We have had friends say that they are surprised we are taking our pets with us - NO WAY would we ever consider leaving them behind, they're part of the family.

Tangram

As an add on to this thread could people post who they used and how much it cost ? Also, what problems did you have co-ordinating your flight with that of your pets ?

Paul

wordsunspoken

please as well can you tell me if they had to have jabs and a vet check up before going
many thanks Julie

Tangram

Standard seems to be jabs up to date and a 'fit to fly' certificate. We are also looking at getting a pet passport, just in case we end up coming back to the UK.

But would like to hear to points I raised in post #21

wordsunspoken

Thanks good idea well have to look into it (passport for dogs)

dbd33

I don't believe the Canadian authorities require jabs before a dog can be imported but, once in Canada, dogs and cats need rabies and various other shots, bordatella is one for the dog, before they can be left at a kennel or a sitter or enter any sort of class. I'd think the airlines would want the same but, regardless of that, I'd get them done. Dogs also need heartworm and flea treatments in the season.

jood

I've just dug out the paperwork for our cat; we used Skymaster, October 2004, Manchester to Toronto; because we couldn't get her on the same flight she had to go into a cattery for just over a week - however the costs were as follows:

Air freight: £121.80
F.O.B. charges: £55.00
Container: £39.50
Customs & Excise - N.E.S. fee: £20.00
Vet fees (pre-flight): £55.00
Fuel surcharge & Security: £41.00
Processing: £60.00

Total: £392.30

This was more than the airline tickets for me and hubby! But worth it....

I seem to remember there was also an requirement to have a rabies shot, which cost £80 and was given by our own vet; this, I believe has to be given at least 30 days before the flight. The vet also supplied the Pet Passport.
You might find the following link useful:

www.petexports.co.uk as it has the DEFRA contact numbers and info

Oh - just remembered, there were two fees to pay at Toronto when we picked her....one to Customs & Excise, and the other to the cargo warehouse....total around $76, and I can't remember exactly what they were for, just that we couldn't collect our beastie until we'd handed over the dosh! These fees are not mentioned in the UK - so handy to know.

I hope all goes well for you

Almost Canadian

We used Ladyhaye as our dogs had to go as cargo (excess baggage not being an option due to their weight).

Total cost was £2303 which included picking them up from the Isle of Wight, transporting them to kennels, kenneling for 3 days, transport to Gatwick, purchase of the crates (£160 each !!), arranging all DEFRA docs (I know that opinion differs as to whether this was required but it wasn't a great expense anyway), arranging fitness to fly certificates, all the airport's expenses and shipping them over.

They were fantastic and I cannot fault them. The guy on the "reception" phone was a pain in the arris but, once we got past him, the backroom staff were really good.

Our flight was delayed for 1 day (lots of little delays at airport amounting to a complete day) and they kept us better informed than the airline did. The airline would announce that the situation would be reviewed in 2 hours and, before the 2 hours were up, Ladyhaye would tell us what was going to happen and we would then find out from the airline half an hour later !!

Our dogs went on the same flight as us but this doesn't have to be so. You just tell them when you want to take the dogs to them (if you do) and when you want the dogs to arrive and they sort our all the rest. We thought of landing in advance of our dogs, by a day or two, but decided against it as we knew we would have a million and one things to organise after landing and didn't want the additional hassle factor of having to constantly check to see if they had arrived,

HTH

TrishP

Cats travelled as excess baggage on Edinburgh-Toronto flight with Air Transat, Toronto-Winnpeg with Air Canada and one other airline. Booked cats onto each flight by calling the airline to check availability (AT carry up to 5 animals per flight), booked self on online and then called back to book cats on (they need your booking reference to be able to book animals onto same flight) and paid by credit card. Easy peasy and very cheap - can't remember exactly how much, but it came to less than 200GBP to transport both cats to Canada.
Cats were waiting in baggage reclaim off to one side (thankfully not whizzing round on the carousel!!).

Bought 2 Varikennels online a few weeks before moving and put cats' beds into the crates so they would get used to sleeping in there. Also used Vet beds, fluffy mats that wick away moisture, bought from local pet shop.

Only requirement for Canadian authorities is rabies jab and paperwork - if they don't have it before arriving they'll do it on arrival. Only need Pet Passport if there's any chance you'll want to take the animals back to the UK in the future and want to avoid quarantine.

Hope this helps!

Tangram

Skymaster it will be I think if we go.

jood

Wish I'd known you back in October 04!