Immigrating from the US with a cat
 

My kitty is immigrating with me! Has anyone moved to Canada from the US with a cat? Could you share the experiences and/or give any recommendations? - Thanks!

Re: Immigrating from the US with a cat
 

My kitty immigrated with me too! It was much easier for her than for me!
;) (and I'm not quite done yet myself!)

The process was very simple. Canada does not quarantine cats from the U.S.
You will need copies of the current rabies vaccination record, as well as a
statement of the current health condition from your vet (issued within the
last ten days). If you travel by air, the airline will require this, but
you will also need to present it to Canada Customs at the border. They will
inspect the veterinary record, look at the cat, and approve the cat for
entry.

In my case, we had a 14 hour travel day, including an almost-four-hour
layover at the Seattle airport. My then-13 year old Persian cat didn't need
the tranquilizers I had just in case, and I trained her on a harness leash
so I could let her out in a very quiet corner of the airport.

I paid $75 to Alaska Air to allow me to bring her into the cabin with me.
She traveled in a soft Sherpa carrier, and her carrier was placed under the
seat in front of me during takeoff and landing. I was allowed to place the
carrier on the empty seat next to me during the flight itself. You are not
allowed to remove the pet from the carrier while on the plane -
understandable, really, since someone might be allergic.

My cat tolerated it very well... she only meowed during takeoff and landing,
but the sound of the plane was louder than she was. She meowed during the
90 seconds it took me to run to the lavatory, but she immediately quieted
down again when she knew I was back. I was being overly paranoid that she
would disturb some fellow passengers, but they were fine when I talked to
them. A couple of them didn't even know I had a cat on the plane with me
(they must have been out of their seats at the same time I was).

I was very lucky that I didn't need her travel litter box. (I still give
prayers of thanks for this regularly!). I would have had to try to squeeze
both of us in the little airplane lavatory and get her to go in there.
Yeah, right. :)

Make sure you carry anything your kitty will need on the journey. I used a
covered Rubbermaid container as a travel litter box, and I carried some
plastic baggies in case I had to remove the cover for her to use it. I
carried some dry cat food and a water bowl, which I offered her in the
Seattle airport, but she wasn't interested. I had a harness collar on her,
with a leash, so that she could walk around during the layover. If you have
a similar circumstance, and you have a skittish kitty, make sure you find
somewhere without a lot of traffic before you let your pet out. A flight
arrived down the hall from where I had Mickey out on her leash, and she was
quickly approached by several people wanting to pet her. That freaked her
out. It's hard on most pets to travel, so just do whatever you can to make
it as easy as possible. You can use a handicapped restroom stall on the far
end of the airport to see if the cat wants to use the litter box. That way
you're less likely to inconvenience someone who may need the larger stall.

Good luck to you! I'll send good vibes for a trip as easy as mine was! I
just love hearing about people who bring their beloved pets along to their
new life.

Renee :)

--
Inland Spouse Timeline so far (U.S. Citizen):
19 Feb 2003: Moved to Calgary from U.S. on 6 month TRV
12 May 2003: Did medicals in Calgary
20 June 2003: Applied for TRV extension
5 July 2003: Wedding Date
18 July 2003: CIC received inland spouse PR application
15 Aug 2003: Received 6 month TRV extension
20 Aug 2003: CIC request for work history dates (which were sent with
application)
21 Aug 2003: CIC received work history reply by overnight post
4 Sept 2003: CIC e-Client finally shows "in process"
21 Nov 2003: Applied for second TRV extension
16 Jan 2004: Received second 6 month TRV extension
17 Feb 2004: e-Client says DECISION MADE! 215 days wait - in line with
processing estimates
23 Feb 2004: Received AIP & application completed letters by mail
25 Feb 2004: Chris received sponsorship approval letter
9 Mar 2004: Received landing interview date (April 1)


"Boston" <member3023@british_expats.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > My kitty is immigrating with me! Has anyone moved to Canada from the US
    > with a cat? Could you share the experiences and/or give any
    > recommendations? - Thanks!
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Re: Immigrating from the US with a cat
 

I came to Canada with my 3 cats and had no problems. All you are supposed to need is current rabies vaccination proof unless you are flying, then you need the statement of health. I was driving my car with the 3 cats and my fiance drove the U-Haul truck. They didn't even ask to see the stuff for the cats, only for my car that I was importing.

I also took a driving trip over this Christmas to my mother's house with the oldest cat (15) along for the ride. The US customs guy was only interested in whether we had any cat food for her since it is now forbidden to bring Canadian made pet food into the US (mad cow). I was never asked to show her rabies certificate entering the US or Canada and she was in the front seat so they saw her at both entry points.

Re: Immigrating from the US with a cat
 

When my MIL died, we brought her cat to the US. After several months
of the cat not getting along with our cats, we brought him back to
Canada where he now resides with my SIL.

In both directions, we were told all we needed was a rabies
certificate and that the animal had to look healthy. We crossed from
NY to Ontario.

The cat was being transported in a cat carrier in our car and no one
ever looked at it in either direction or even verified that there was
a cat in there. Neither did they really look at the rabies
certificate.

Re: Immigrating from the US with a cat
 

You mean they don't issue PR cards for cats? But cats are real people. How dare they.

Re: Immigrating from the US with a cat
 

*laughing* I'm remembering your post about Fluffy the cat being offended
that she had to fill out FORMS to immigrate, prodigy346. I have a copy of
that saved with my PR stuff.

Renee :)

--
Inland Spouse Timeline so far (U.S. Citizen):
19 Feb 2003: Moved to Calgary from U.S. on 6 month TRV
12 May 2003: Did medicals in Calgary
20 June 2003: Applied for TRV extension
5 July 2003: Wedding Date
18 July 2003: CIC received inland spouse PR application
15 Aug 2003: Received 6 month TRV extension
20 Aug 2003: CIC request for work history dates (which were sent with
application)
21 Aug 2003: CIC received work history reply by overnight post
4 Sept 2003: CIC e-Client finally shows "in process"
21 Nov 2003: Applied for second TRV extension
16 Jan 2004: Received second 6 month TRV extension
17 Feb 2004: e-Client says DECISION MADE! 215 days wait - in line with
processing estimates
23 Feb 2004: Received AIP & application completed letters by mail
25 Feb 2004: Chris received sponsorship approval letter
9 Mar 2004: Received landing interview date (April 1)


"prodigy346" <member14391@british_expats.com> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > You mean they don't issue PR cards for cats? But cats are real people.
    > How dare they.
    > Originally posted by Jpatti
    > > When my MIL
    > died, we brought her cat to the US. After several months
    > > of the cat
    > not getting along with our cats, we brought him back to
    > > Canada where
    > he now resides with my SIL.
    > >
    > > In both directions, we were told all we
    > needed was a rabies
    > > certificate and that the animal had to look
    > healthy. We crossed from
    > > NY to Ontario.
    > >
    > > The cat was being
    > transported in a cat carrier in our car and no one
    > > ever looked at it
    > in either direction or even verified that there was
    > > a cat in there.
    > Neither did they really look at the rabies
    > certificate.
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com

Re: Immigrating from the US with a cat
 

LOL! When we took Boots with us in December we referred to her rabies certificate as her passport.

Re: Immigrating from the US with a cat
 

Thank you all for the wonderful stories and great advice! It's very helpful and a big relief to hear that bringing a cat across the border is not a problem.