Ive used dogtainers in NZ and will use them again next year. They are brillliant. Not sure if they are the same company is Aussie though

That's lovely to hear!

This is the Australian site: https://www.dogtainers.com.au/mypet

Would you be able to have a look and tell me if they're the same company please?

It looks as though its the same company, but i have no experience of the Aussie staff unfortunately. I know over here George visits the pets at home so they are comfortable when they get to know him.

Thank you.

I might ask them if they're the same company and see what they say. But then even if they are, the staff wouldn't be the same as you rightfully highlighted- though it still gives you that sense of reassurance knowing it's the same company.

Can anybody that's travelled to the UK with a cat let me know if it matters if the Rabies vaccination is more than 3 weeks old?

I know it has to be a minimum of 21 days, but is there a limit as to how old the rabies vaccination can be?

Really appreciate if anyone can shed some light on this.

I had the rabies shot done a couple of months in advance of our travel date (Sept 2014) because my cat was elderly and I was concerned about possible side effects, but she was actually fine. I'm not sure what the official limit is.

Thanks for your reply.

I'm glad your cat was fine in the end.

Are there side effects to the rabies vaccination then?

So it seems that two months is OK then.

did you have to go to a specialist vet to get this done? Or did you use a pet transport agent , and if so, did they incorporate the rabies vaccination?

I'm a bit lost as to whether we need to do the rabies vaccination ourselves via a vet, or whether the pet transport companies do that by default?

Some of the side effects are fever, loss of appetite and so on. You can google to see what else there might be. I was just concerned because of her age as she was just turning 20 at the time.

My regular vet handled all the medical stuff including making sure the microchip was readable, and also emailed me a summary of her health issues for her next vet. I doubt the transportation companies would be involved in anything involving hands on stuff like vaccinations.

The Canadian official vet, or whatever his title is, was very helpful as to what needed to be done and how to fill out the documentation to get animals into the UK, and there may be someone like that you can consult where you are.

The UK website https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/travel-within-the-eu has a lot of useful information and they were very helpful when I called them. I just looked and all I could see was that you must wait 21 days from the date of the vaccination before travelling.

I handled all the paperwork and arrangements myself in Canada and used James Cargo for the importation stuff at Heathrow. They also have some information on their website about forms to be completed and so on.

Thanks for that.

I'm glad you gave me the heads up because I had no idea there could be possible side effects.

Oh, it's really different in Canada! A lot more advanced than Australia.
I had to ring around forever to find somewhere that does rabies vaccinations! It's excellent you had a really helpful vet and hats off for doing everything yourself!

Yes, that's the link I was on too and couldn't find anything either.
BUT, I had no idea you could call them! Did you just call the British embassy number?

Click on no. 12 where it says "Complaints and more information" and you get taken to a page where there's a phone number and the hours when they're open. It means calling the UK but it's probably worth it to get information direct from them.

Thanks for that.

My vet said the rabies shot is valud for 3 years, so shouldn't be a problem

Shouldn't be a problem with what? You will need to make sure the booster vaccinations are up to date.

Apparently they don't need the annual booster as the vaccination given (here in new zealand) remains valid for 3 years, given by a british vet, but as we are travelling within 6 months of vaccination it is irrelevant as we won't be taking them overseas again

As for 'shouldn't be a problem with what?' - i was merely referring to the two month time frame referred to previously by the OP!

Just wanted to say hi, as my partner and I will be moving from Perth to Birmingham in March or April, along with our two very timid cats. So I definitely understand your concerns about their wellbeing.

We have found that Jetpets is willing to price match, so it's worth getting a few quotes from different companies!