Jen & Rob

My partner and I are looking into moving to Calgary this year (I am Canadian and he is British). We have two cats that would relocate with us and I was wondering if anyone has relocated with their cats. I would appreciate any hints/tips about getting them there, settling them in and how you dealt with the local by-laws prohibiting them from roaming free (our two are used to going out in our garden unrestricted).

Jen

stubby1974

we've ended up decideing not to take ours because they are 7 and dont travel well and the outsaide law restrictions ont he cats...

If you own or are caring for a cat, you must ensure that it does not enter onto another person's property. This responsibility is outlined in Section 26 (1) of the Animal Licensing and Control Bylaw 13145 (242 KB).

heres the links you should look at

http://www.edmonton.ca/portal/server...t+Trapping.htm

http://www.edmonton.ca/portal/server...Bylaws+-+A.htm



you have to pay the yearly fees:

Fee-Supported Services
Your licence fee allows us to:

* Feed and shelter over 7,000 lost pets each year
* Return lost pets by tracing their identification and contacting their owners
* Return licensed pets once in a 12-month period without the normal charges, under our "Free Ride Home" program
* Provide emergency first-aid veterinary care to injured pets
* Educate pet owners about responsible pet ownership
* Help neighbours resolve their pet-related problems

Licence Regulations

* If your pet is not licensed, you could be fined $250.
* Cats must wear collars with a City-issued licence tag or be permanently marked with a tattoo or microchip.
* Dogs must always wear collar tags.
* Collar tags are not stamped with a year and are not replaced annually, unless they have become illegible or are lost.
* The maximum number of pets allowed per residence is six cats and three dogs.
* You must be 18 or older to license a pet.

dbd33

Eh? Even for Canada that's a bonkers law. How can you do that?

stubby1974

keep in on a lease or have a wire roof on your yard...

if it goes on to someones elses property they ahve the right to shoot, trap pr posion it.. apaprently becuase they have rabies and such liek...

Jen & Rob

stubby1974 - If I may ask, what did you end up doing with your cats and how were you able to leave them?

As I am originally from Canada, not letting your cats out is normal to me and when we first got ours I didn't want to let them out but my partner convinced me otherwise (and I have to admit it is nice to see them run out the door all excited). It is my partner who is worried about their happiness if we move them whereas I'm quite looking forward to building them an interactive enclosure in the backyard and think they will love it.

jempee

Is it just in the area you are going to that cats are not allowed out? we stayed in victoria and there was several cats in the street, more often than not sunbathing on drives and came into the garden we were staying in for some strokes

Jen & Rob

Well, that is what the bylaws say but my brother (who lives in Calgary) says nobody pays attention to them but my partner is worried about it. We might just be overly sensitive but they are our furry kids and we want them to be happy as well. Perhaps we can find a cat friendly neighbourhood!

I was also wondering if anyone had any stories of travelling with their cats - who they used to transport them, if it was relatively stress free, etc.

jempee

We will be taking our 3yr old cat with us also. Am a little concerned as she is a very nervous cat and FREAKS if there are loud or sudden noises. But i dont think i could leave her behind, shes my baby
My friend who has just gone to vancouver island had her cat sent over and he was 12. She said he was quite smelly when collected but other than that no problems. She was initially concerned he was to old to travel but she couldnt leave him behind any longer.(he stayed here for a year while they decided if they were going to stay/get PR)

Husband keeps winding me up saying that he will not be happy if he pays all that money to have cat sent over and she is then eaten by a bear or runs off

Jen & Rob

That makes me feel a bit better. It's putting them in cargo that worries me but then again I am a worrywart! We got a quote of £550 to fly the both of them over and they will be in a cage that is partitioned so they can see each other. I won't even entertain the idea of leaving them. When I moved to the UK five years ago I had to leave my other cats behind because of quarantine and that was really difficult. Fine for them, they just stayed in their own home where I had lived with my parents and now rule the roost and live in the lap of luxury!

jempee

I know how you feel, everyone thinks i am mad for wanting to take her. They keep saying for the price it will cost to send her why dont you just buy another when you get there. I wont type what my answer to that is.

Jen & Rob

People at my partner's work have said that to him. They don't understand why we are taking the cats. That annoys me because I would never say to someone with children, "ah just leave 'em behind, you can have more when you get there".

I remember what it was like (and still is) to miss home and having something familiar and comforting with you makes it so much easier. If we moved without our cats, it would be that much harder for my partner to adjust to Canada and for me to re-adjust after all this time.

jempee

NOw theres an idea... i could leave behind pain in the butt daughter....

which company did you get a quote from? as i had higher quote for 1 cat than you have for 2.

stubby1974

£550 is a good price... we were quoted between £1200 and £4500 for the cats

we're not taking out becuase (a) they dont travel well - last time we did 200 miles and they ended up in vet hospital and losing furr and everything (b) we have a small child which wont do well with a litter box (c) we'll be renting and very few places allow cats (d) i dont fancy being worried and stressed about them every 10 mins fo the day if they got out or such like

work mates of ours brought their 4 cats last year - they are now down to 1 - 1 got rabies and was put down - propbably froma bite from a local animal, one was shot for going on enighbours property, 1 went out and never came back and the other one has turnbed into a timid little thing

our cats will be living with friends of ours and will be happy there... i'd rather our cats be happy and free rather than confined and limited

jempee

Where was this that the cat got shot? dont like the sound of that

stubby1974

edmonton - southgate - basically the by law is that cats are to remain on your property and if they go into someone elses property, that person can take certain actions to remove them etc... i know loads of people who keep ctas fine and the area is fine for cats ie the neightbours are fine but then other places are a lot stricter...

you could always use a service like lady hayes where you can board them for a few months before shipping them over so you can get a feel for the areas that most suit for your animals..

if they are flying with you on same day, check with your airline cos they can go as excess baggage