Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies jab
May 9th 2011, 9:01 pm
#31
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Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
The state rules say they do, and I mailed the dept of agriculture and was told they do (via a c+p of the state rules I already got off the web) but my husband rang the state veterinarian and was informed that no they don't if coming from a rabies free country, that I just had to bring the cat then keep it indoors until it had a vaccination done there. I really need to find out the truth about this and would really appreciate if somebody has done this before and can give advice, because given how it was up in the air as to whether I got the visa at all I left it til the absolute last minute, and have no time to sort out a vaccination if needed. I would have to instead leave the cat behind then fly him in via an animal shipper later, which is so godawfully expensive that if I DO find out I could have taken him in sans vaccination after all I'll be really upset.
Of course the other option is take him in anyway and if state vet is wrong they'll make me have him destroyed which will in turn destroy me.
Of course the other option is take him in anyway and if state vet is wrong they'll make me have him destroyed which will in turn destroy me.
May 9th 2011, 10:25 pm
#32
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Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
This no-brainer is £60, and possibly a few months of wait to have the vaccination confirmed to have "taken," which is what it says is needed on trhe pet passport site. I don't know if Florida needs just the one jab, or the confirmation jab, and I really do need to know the truth because the full blown EU pet passport deal with the wait and confirmation test a few months later means I have to leave the cat in the UK and have him shipped over later, which is not a few quid wasted but more like £700.
Maybe I'm just being thick, but why are you obsessing about the law? As pointed out by at least three people, the common sense thing to do is get the rabies jab in the UK, then your cat is protected - the legal issue is far less important than the animal wlefare issue.
£60 seems cheap for reassurance that your animal is protected against being bitten by a rabid animal and catching rabies, instead of waiting until you get to the US to find out if you "need it" legally.
And I'm being thick about something else - what does the pet passport have to do with taking your cat to the US??? Unless you plan to take the cat back to the UK within 6 months, you don't need a pet passport before brining him to the States.
May 9th 2011, 11:58 pm
#33
Misses Los Angeles
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Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
Ariadne, you sound really stressed and I sympathize. Because of state variations and different agencies, it's unlikely you'll get a 100% guaranteed answer, but I think what Avanutria has suggested is most practical option, and least likely to result in problems.
My two cats flew (uh -- were flown? Emigrated?) into California, so this info is not directly applicable to you, but may give you an idea of information sources: when I was trying to pin down the EXACT entry requirements, I spoke to...
- the US Public Health Service --> Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Global Migration and Quarantine
- the California Dept of Food and Agriculture, who directed me to...
- APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service), who directed me to...
- the California Area Officer (I think of APHIS -- it gets blurry)
- the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) quarantine station at LAX
- my airline
Everyone said the same thing (cat entry requirements for CA: look healthy, have a fit-to-fly vet certificate issued within x days prior to the flight) except the APHIS California Area Officer, who threw 'rabies vaccination certificate' into the mix. I was just starting to get complacent, too (initially I was worried that the import rules seemed too easy to be true; our vet was also of this opinion, and kept telling me to 'phone the American embassy'. In local parlance: AS IF).
So we got a rabies vaccination just in case, and because it seemed like a good thing to have anyway. We didn't have the secondary test to see if it had 'taken' -- I don't think our vet or the APHIS officer even mentioned this, although I have heard of it before. Perhaps it's for animals in high-risk countries? I don't know.
At any rate, no one even inspected our cats at LAX, beyond asking us the investigative gem 'are those cats?'. The only time anyone paid attention to our cats' paperwork was at check-in.
My advice:
- definitely get the rabies vaccination.
- call your destination airport and your airline and see what they say.
- make notes of which authorities told you what, and when -- it's of no legal use, but it made me feel better about all the confusion. Like you, I was very stressed out about the slight variations I got with every new answer -- now my cats are safely here it seems much easier, but at the time it drove me mad.
- start aggressively treating those fleas right now! With a dose of something like Advantage, and a lot of flea-combing and treatment of carpets, bedding etc I'm sure you can wipe out most of them. I don't know what the situation is regarding importing animals with fleas; I'd assume a few fleas are acceptable, but an infestation is not: the cat definitely needs to look healthy on arrival, and if it's agitated and scratching then this may be an issue.
Hope this helps -- good luck
Last edited by MoshiMoshi; May 10th 2011 at 12:01 am. Reason: the semantics of flying cats
May 10th 2011, 12:00 am
#34
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Eugene, OR
Posts: 1,352
Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
+100 on the flea treatment. The best way to handle a flight is to sleep through it, which is what many cats do. Imagine being unable to sleep because you're too itchy...
May 10th 2011, 2:06 am
#35
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Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
When we our cat moved over we only need to get a blood test a few weeks after the jab to check it had "taken", not months later.
My feeling is this, the State Vet may have told you it's not needed, but it's not the State Vet who lets the cat into the country, it's the US Department of Agriculture inspector (who may or may not actually work for USDA, it most likely will be a Customs and Border Protection officer wearing an USDA "hat"). If he thinks, from his reading of the Florida rules, that Tiddles needs a rabies jab and Tiddles doesn't have one, what's going to happen then?
My feeling is this, the State Vet may have told you it's not needed, but it's not the State Vet who lets the cat into the country, it's the US Department of Agriculture inspector (who may or may not actually work for USDA, it most likely will be a Customs and Border Protection officer wearing an USDA "hat"). If he thinks, from his reading of the Florida rules, that Tiddles needs a rabies jab and Tiddles doesn't have one, what's going to happen then?
May 10th 2011, 2:51 am
#36
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Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
As almost everyone else has said - just get the rabies shot now - regardless of whether it is "required" to get the animal into the country - don't worry about whether it will "take" or not - it will.
Also, if this is (potentially, at least) a temporary stay in the US have you considered what you will need to do when you want to take the cat back to the UK?
Also, if this is (potentially, at least) a temporary stay in the US have you considered what you will need to do when you want to take the cat back to the UK?
May 10th 2011, 3:22 pm
#37
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Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
I went through the same thing with my cat. The main reason to get the jab is if you have to come back to the UK (job loss, family emergency, etc) it avoids having to put the moggy in quarantine for 3 months.
May 10th 2011, 3:52 pm
#38
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Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
As almost everyone else has said - just get the rabies shot now - regardless of whether it is "required" to get the animal into the country - don't worry about whether it will "take" or not - it will.
Also, if this is (potentially, at least) a temporary stay in the US have you considered what you will need to do when you want to take the cat back to the UK?
Also, if this is (potentially, at least) a temporary stay in the US have you considered what you will need to do when you want to take the cat back to the UK?
I'd rather die than come back to the UK.
May 10th 2011, 3:54 pm
#39
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,017
Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
What a silly and offensive thing to say. Have you moved from the UK yet?
Last edited by Jerseygirl; May 10th 2011 at 3:58 pm. Reason: insert multi quote
May 10th 2011, 4:51 pm
#42
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Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
It's funny but we had to make exactly that choice even with a GC. I hate being here but as the saying goes everyday above ground is wonderful and if you disagree try spending one underground.
May 10th 2011, 5:33 pm
#43
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Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
Sorry but yesterday the person I look after got called a spastic again and I've about had it... as for your second question I spent 4 years overseas, came back by choice to procure the US visa and no I've not enjoyed it. It sucks on many levels of terrible to have mental health issues here.
May 10th 2011, 5:39 pm
#44
Septicity
Joined: May 2004
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Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
Sorry but yesterday the person I look after got called a spastic again and I've about had it... as for your second question I spent 4 years overseas, came back by choice to procure the US visa and no I've not enjoyed it. It sucks on many levels of terrible to have mental health issues here.
May 10th 2011, 5:49 pm
#45
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Re: Cannot get a straight answer about whether a cat going into Florida needs rabies
Sorry but yesterday the person I look after got called a spastic again and I've about had it... as for your second question I spent 4 years overseas, came back by choice to procure the US visa and no I've not enjoyed it. It sucks on many levels of terrible to have mental health issues here.
Arseholes are arseholes and you get them in all walks of life unfortunately.