Hi
I thought that excess baggage was restricted by size of animal, container and weight.
Anyone taken a Labrador as excess baggage?
lol
Stef

No, but friends took a Border Collie excess baggage so I guess similar size to a lab.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/...elqueste.shtml

The link should answer your questions. There have been tons of threads on importing animals. A lot are to do with dogs but a quick search and there are cat ones!

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...importing+cats

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...importing+cats

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...importing+cats

We took our cat over on the QM2 from Southampton to New York - a lovely way to make the crossing. I like to think it was a less anxious way for her to travel, compared with being in the hold of a plane, though she did have to share the kennel with 7 dogs. One day of rough seas but overall she was fine.

We didn't get the passport, just a rabies shot and the microchip. The only reason for a passport is if there is a possibility of returning to the UK, you avoid the awful 6 month quarantine requirement.

Hi
We looked at the QM, but the kennels for our dog were all fully booked, she could go on a waiting list....but we could not take the chance that we might have to sail without her.
Advice: BOOK EARLY as places are limited and few
lol
Stef

We took our cats and I was in a worse state than them due to worry! but still they got here fine. Mine are like children so there was no question about leaving them behind.

There is no quarantine this end in Canada IF you are coming from a rabies-free country. The cats do need their pet passport.

When we landed there was no-one who checked over our cats this end - saved us a few bucks!

no excess baggage into Calgary during summer months - hence we had to ship TWO blooming labradors cargo. <still smarting from the cost>

As others have said - excess baggage much much cheaper, but not always available at all times of year with all carriers. Totally airline and location-specific.

Incidentally, a few years back we shipped a munsterlander from Germany to Canada via Heathrow... if she 'landed' in Heathrow (ie came land-side instead of air-side, or spent more than 24 hours in the country), she had to be quarantined for 6 months before she could onmove to Canada. Hilarious.<even more expensive than shipping two labs lol)

Fortunately she spent 4 hours on the deck and then flew on to Calgary (also cargo lol, somehow the timing just never works out to take advantage of the excess baggage option,) I really should arrange my life better around the travel arrangements of my pets...

We want to have our cat flown over weeks after we have landed in Ottawa. Our vet has said we need to use a specialist company such as Airpets. We know we dont. As we cannot have her as excess baggage as we wont be on the plane (my parents will take the cat to the airport etc) does anyone know of any relatively cheap shipping companies from the uk to ottawa or airlines we can use that dont cost the earth. I have searched several forums and phoned a couple of airlines who couldnt help. Most said that they would only fly the cat from ireland to Canada??? Help please!!

More info here

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=657265

We thought that was the only way we would travel but think it maybe more stressful for the extended amount of time in kennels for the dog.

Bit late with my reply, but nope, we couldn't ship our (not at all overweight) adult black lab as excess baggage with Air Canada. Our lab x whippet was below the max weight in her IATA approved travel kennel, so she went the cheaper way, but our pedigree lab was too heavy and had to be classed as cargo. I might be remembering wrong (almost 5 years ago now) but I think the limit of animal and crate combined was 32kg for excess baggage...

Ah thats interesting, my retriver is small for a retriver and weighs in at 24 KG, but i think thatt with a crate that may push the limit past 32KG, will speak to AC and see what they say i think.

The wife and I brought over our cat. All we needed was an export certificate from Defra, have our cats vaccinations up to date and to have a rabies vaccination and microchiped. Booked on the flight for an extra £139 (Very cheap for Air Canada).

When at Heathrow, nobody was interested in the paperwork for the cat, they just wanted to know his name.

When we arrived at Montréal, we spent almost 20 minutes looking for him, his kennel was at the oversize luggage area which I thought strange. We offered the paperwork to all airport officials at Montréal airport and nobody still wanted to see it! It's almost as if nobody cared we brought a cat into the country.

Nearly four months in and he has settled in to our new home nicely.

hi i have also been debating on weather or not to bring our cat as he will have to change his habbits - local coyotes and cougars where we have moved to... but we miss him too much and he seems to miss us - he runs to the phone i have been told each time he heres me on the answer machine!

But this also meant i have really looked into the different options to fly ones cat over:

Excess baggage i have dicovered that the only company that allows it seems to be Air Canada, British Airways use to but now only allows them to go via Cargo.

Most prices i have found vary between £600 and £1000 depending if you can take them to the airport of not, This is to fly him from London to Calgary, We have found a company called Par air which seems the most reasonable for us.

I would take him excess baggage but the best flights i found for me where BA...i was a bit slow looking into the excess baggage.

Any way good luck with your move and i hope you settle in as quick as we have... Currently in a small town but the people are amazing.. it is a pain to find challeging work .. but i came here for the things i can do outside work so i'm happy!!!

Good luck to ya cat too!!!

I'm confused as I just read on Air Canada's website that you can't take pets from/to the UK in the cabin with you so are people booking their pets as excess baggage but in the cargo?