Cat Relocation
 

Hello!

I have a few questions relating to pet relocation (cat-specific), which I cannot seem to find answered on any previous threads on the subject. I wonder if anyone might be able to share their experiences with me? My questions relate more to the whens than the hows.

I am in the throes of petitioning for a CR-1 visa, to join my husband in PA. If all goes without complication and to suggested timescales, this should happen sometime between July and October this year. I have a cat, Ted, who is very beloved and cherished and will be moving with me. I'm a worrier and a planner, so please forgive me if it seems I'm being needlessly or overly frantic.

Some facts from the off:

1. I would prefer not to have Ted travel in the cabin, for his, my, and other passengers' sake
2. I would, however, prefer for him to travel on the same plane (I understand only certain airlines will accommodate pets) so that our overall transatlantic move be as smooth-sailing and quick as possible
3. I will most likely travel out of Heathrow and into either Newark or JFK (not sure if this makes a difference to any of my questions), then Husband will collect us and drive us the 3-4 hours home.


I have received several quotes from several pet shipping companies, ranging between £600 to £1,000+ to cover all costs. These quotes are approximate, given that it's impossible for me to provide them with a specific date of travel at this stage in my CR-1 petition. My first question, therefore, is this: at what point - should I decide to work with a pet shipping company - is it appropriate, or even possible, to start putting solid, confirmed wheels into motion? This seems an impossible feat to me at the moment because I don't even know when I'm moving, so how can I know when to book flights for my cat?! Am I trying to organise this a bit prematurely?

I have spoken to Ted's vet, who recommends starting the passport/vaccination process eight months prior to the move (i.e. now), to allow for any timescale complications relating to potential problems with blood tests etc. (unlikely event - he's a healthy cat, up-to-date on vacs - but best safe than sorry). She also tells me that I need to keep a check on state-specific regulations, which can "change from day to day" (like what? From what I've researched, moving a cat to PA has pretty solid legislation). She seemed surprisingly clued-up on these processes, though, which leads me to wonder the following: is it worth me considering doing all this without using a professional company, and just working with the vet and saving myself a bunch of money, or is the customs process a total nightmare? Bearing in mind I'm going through my own paperwork and moving stresses, I think I'd rather pay a bit more money for the reassurance of knowing Ted's complicated paperwork is handled, but if the price difference is considerable, surely it's worth me trying to better understand the process of moving him myself. If I do attempt to do everything myself, when can I possibly start thinking about organising everything, when my own move date is still unconfirmed? Is that something I merely need to discuss with an airline? (But again - the question is which airline, since I will not know until at least July who I will be travelling with myself.)

Did anyone have their pet travel over separately to them, on a different date? Another option I need to put on the table, due to the potential for airlines not allowing pet-travel in the heat of summer, is me moving over first, then having Ted join me later. I have family he can stay with for a week or two, but would be cautious to leave the responsibility in their hands. Still, this is something I need to consider due to the window in which my CR-1 will likely see me travel, and I wonder if this makes matters easier or harder, either on a practical or emotional level?

I have a million questions about this process but am trying to keep them to a minimum to start with, in the hope that having these ones answered might enable me to better consider the others. I have read lots of your experiences on other threads (though most seem to be about dogs), but I'm keen to understand when you started the processes, and how you made decisions relating to your pets' moves if your own moves were so up in the air ('scuse the pun). Mostly I'm just after some reassurance that this whole process isn't going to be a complete nightmare, I think!

Thank you hugely to any advice or stories you can share.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

The CDC (Center for disease control) does not have any requirements for bringing domesticated cats into the US as long as they do not show signs of disease. I would have your husband check with a local vet in PA. If your cat is up to date on all vaccines including a current rabies vaccination there shouldn't be a problem. I'd also check with the airlines directly about transporting pets.
https://www.cdc.gov/importation/brin...ates/cats.html

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Lizzyq brought both of ours over in my first year here. She's trying to find the details we used. Sadly we lost one a little over a year later, but the other is going strong.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

That is incredibly kind of you and Lizzyq - thank you so much for looking (and for getting through all the above drivel).

I'm so sorry to hear you lost one of your furry housemates. :( It is always so devastating. How is your other doing? Did he/she settle in well?

Re: Cat Relocation
 

We used www.petairuk.com and they were excellent.

We flew over on American Airlines but apparently they are 'unreliable' when it comes to pets so our cats followed us the next day on a BA flight (Heathrow to JFK). They wouldn't put them on a flight until they knew we had landed as there would be nobody to collect them at the other end.

This was good as it allowed us a day to get settled and things ready for them arriving - but heading back to JFK the following day and awaiting them to be cleared through cargo took a lot longer than we anticipated and we lost most of the day.

PetAir picked up our cats about 4 days before we left so they were out of the way as we were getting final things ready for the move - I believe you can board the cats with them for a few weeks if needed.

Your vets estimation of 8 months seems somewhat long. We didn't start our vet work til our visas were almost approved - so I am sure max it could have been was 2-3 months before we left the UK.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Thank you so much, H Bomb. I'm so pleased to hear you had a positive experience! I think I'm more anxious about the cat's move than my own.

Pet Air UK are at the top of my list so far - I've only ever heard good things. I'm intrigued to hear some more solid quotes from their competitors once I can provide a bit more information, but in the meantime I'm confident that there's a company who will take good care of Ted. I do think I'm leaning more toward using a company than doing it all myself (even just writing that massive post helped clear my head and see things a little clearer on that point. Phew!).

Eight months did seem excessive, though she said she was airing on the side of caution, which I appreciate. I think I'm going to wait until Husband and I have passed the next step in our visa process before I panic, and that buys me a bit of time to do more research.

For some stupid reason, it hadn't even occurred to me that perhaps some of these companies will pick the animal up a day or two in advance, or that they can put them on a flight the following day - did you have to pay a significant amount for boarding? I hate the idea of him being caged up for longer than is necessary, but it is certainly an option that I ought to consider. I've had all these nightmares about trying to ship my cat, my stuff and myself all in the same day, with couriers coming and going all over the place, and the very thought of it sends my brain into a frazzle. The less I need to do on the day of the Big Move, the better!

Re: Cat Relocation
 

We were very anxious too - but all went well.

We never considered trying to do it ourselves. I am sure it would have saved a lot of money - but with everything else going on we just wanted the easiest option.

I just checked my email but cannot see the invoice broken down - just the total. I don't recall the boarding fee being too crazy - possibly around 12-15 GBP/cat/day?

Re: Cat Relocation
 

That's incredibly reassuring, and some food for thought. Thank you! :thumbsup:

Re: Cat Relocation
 

I brought my cat over in the cabin almost 10 years ago now. My experience on landing was that I was asked if the cat was doing well, I replied yes. That was it. I did have to take him to a local vet to get rabies vaccine and a tag. Also I think there may have been a requirement to have a physical examination.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Did s/he not miaow the whole way? Colin Feral would send everyone mad if she was in the cabin all that way!

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Not at all, but he had a really chill personality. Not all cats are the same. He slept a lot of the time

Re: Cat Relocation
 

He's cool.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

:teeth_smile: What a gorgeous boy!

Here's Ted, completely oblivious to his looming life upheaval.

Thank you for sharing your experience, too, Mrken30! I'm glad to know it isn't necessarily a scary cat-related interrogation on the other side. :fingerscrossed:

Re: Cat Relocation
 

We used PetAirUK back in 2014 when both our our cats moved with us to Arizona.

They were good at keeping in touch; we had them organise all the paperwork, the crates and they collected them from our house the day before my flight. I think it was £1200ish, which is alot of money, but I couldn't put a price on my peace of mind, at the time.

They had two nights of boarding before they flew out, which enabled me to be at the other end to collect them, having pre-cleared them through customs. The customs process was very easy - was essentially just taking a piece of paper from cargo to customs to get it signed and then hand it back to cargo.

We had to call the cargo facility in Phoenix to confirm we would be there to collect them before BA would put them on the flight, but my husband was able to do that a few weeks in advance.

Both cats were fine. They spent the first night being a little skittish, but settled in very quickly.

We had the cats vaccinated for rabies before we left the UK in June and they flew out in August. We didn't do anything else.

I was totally stressed out (unnecessarily) because I didn't know when I would fly, my husband was already in the US as he had started his job and I was panicking about the cats not being able to fly into Phoenix in August because of the heat. As it turned out the cargo people here in Phoenix have air-con vans for animals, unload them first and take them straight the the cargo offices. The cats were waiting for us when we arrived at the office less than 30 mins after the flight landed.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

we used Airpets from UK (LHR) in 2011 to TX, then PetExpress from US to Australia in 2014. Both companies offered very similar services and I found it a god send not to have to worry about my 2 cats when I had so many other things to think about. Airpets even collected my cats from the US airport and brought them to my hotel where we were staying temporarily, so that I didn't have to wrestle with immigration and customs for us and worry about the cats too and collecting them.

I ordered some essentials for them like litter trays, litter, food bowls, food to be delivered to the hotel ahead of time (and got permission from the hotel to do so) so by the time the cats were delivered to the hotel I had set up their necessities.

I too, like others, had them board a night with the pet travel agent before the flight so that I could stop worrying about them. This worked very well for me!

Your vet might be saying 8 months prep because some countries require a titre test for rabies antibodies to be over a certain level and because of this you need to allow time for the rabies injection, a booster if needed and blood tests and lab results etc. However USA does not require a titre test so you don't need to start preparing so far ahead. I had my cats vaccinated, rabies & standard other e.g. cat flu, leukemia etc, micro-chipped, internal and external parasite treatments (they are indoor cats so was just precautionary for external).

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Hi KK85!

As steveq has already mentioned I flew on the same flight as our 2 cats back in October 2014 with American Airlines. The cats came as excess baggage at a rate of £110 per crate, paid at the airport on the day, and all went very smoothly. I don't know if any airlines flying out of the UK still offer this option, you will have to work carefully through the websites usually finding info somewhere within the baggage/specialist baggage pages.

These 3 posts summarise my experience (the links are to my individual posts in the thread):

1: http://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-5.../#post11418583

2: http://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-5.../#post11425488

3: http://britishexpats.com/forum/usa-5.../#post11426642

Good luck in finding a workable solution that suits you and your cats.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

I brought my 16 year old cat to the US on American Airlines. She arrived well and lived out the rest of her days in the US, another three years. I think it was about $75 to have her on the same flight as me, but this was in 1996. I don't think any airline will let you take the cat into the cabin on an international flight, mine had to go into the pressurized part of the hold but she arrived in Chicago none the worse for wear. My only difficulty was that AA stated that the traveling container did not meet their requirements. It did, as I had checked a week or so beforehand and they conceded that they were wrong. They knew that I was anxious about how well she would travel and upgraded me to Business Class for free. Clearing customs and immigration was no problem at all. The AA reps at Heathrow wanted to see a certificate that said the cat was fit to travel, but no one on the US side asked for any documentation whatsoever. You will be a nervous wreck but I am sure your cat will be fine!

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Good thread. Also looking to do this.

Considering a pet air U.K. separate journey for her.

Can I also check:

1. Any recommended natural / herbal relaxants. Our cat hates travelling, we'll need to do all we can.
2. Rabies is the only additional vaccine is all she needs, done < 30 days in advance of travel.
3. Coordinating being on both sides, presume she will go into a cattery while we travel over ourselves and travel once we confirm we've arrived there to receive her
4. No cat passport required (that's just for the EU)

Re: Cat Relocation
 

1) No sedatives etc are recommended to be used as they can cause more issues than they solve. My cats weren't fans of travelling either, but were very relaxed when I collected them from oversized baggage at JFK. They were fine for the 5 hour drive after that too. I think the fact that in the plane they are (presumably) in the dark encourages them to settle down and sleep.

2) Different states may have different rules, but to fly into New York state all they needed was a current rabies jab - mine had theirs in August and we flew in October.

3) This is up to you and the transport company.

4) Correct, a pet passport is not required for importing a cat into the USA.

TWO additional things you need that you haven't listed:

5) Microchip - again I had our cats chipped the day they had their rabies vaccines.

6) A "Fitness to Fly" letter/certificate is needed from a vet less than 10 days before travel. I took our cats down to the vet about 3 or 4 days before we flew.

Our two settled into their new home very quickly and happily.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Brilliant, thanks. Yes this is to NY.

On point one, I heard herbal relaxants were ok (just actual drugs that were not allowed), will try to find out more.

Glad you mention it is dark and they sleep. Our cat gets freaked out when she can see where we're going but put a blanket over travel box and she is much happier.

She has a microchip and I've had it tested by vets recently

Will arrange fitness to fly nearer the time, hopefully there will be no issues there, fingers crossed!!

Is the crate they use suitable for collecting by car to end destination or we need to pick up a new cat box when there?

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Essentially the check is for normal temperature (indicating no infections) and a comb check for no fleas, mites or ticks.

I didn't use a transport company but I would expect a crate suitable for a plane should be fine for the journey to your new home.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Update, our cat is booked for the rabies jab later today - £48 :)

She was dewormed regularly. Good point about fleas, didn't think about that.

Hopefully all will be good (why am I still nervous?)

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Thank you all so much for your responses! I have been away from the forum for a couple of months - I am so sorry for being so rude.

I very much appreciate all of your stories and tips. Ted's carbon pawprint administration is on my to-do list for next week - I will be re-reading everything here while I do my research! Thank you all again for taking the time to share what you know and what you experienced, it has been a massive reassurance.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

How is everything progressing, LouisB?

I know I am going to be an absolute nervous wreck myself, surely moreso than Ted will be. I'm very fortunate in that he travels well, but I hate the thought of him being frightened and alone for 8 hours! I'm quite sure we take on the stress for them.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

I haven't had a chance to read the full thread however I have nothing but praise for the Virgin Atlantic pets team who relocated our cat when we moved earlier this year and would strongly suggest you consider their services.

They were the cheapest who quoted for me, offered me great service and most importantly got our Jake here in one piece!

Re: Cat Relocation
 

That's fantastic! Thank you for the tip, TheMoose. Virgin Atlantic have, by coincidence, been the airline I've travelled with most often and I, too, have only ever had pleasant experiences. I've not done enough research into airlines' own pet services, honestly, so I shall add this - and Virgin Atlantic, especially - to my list. :) Thank you! Even the idea of Ted travelling with them is reassuring somehow.

So glad you had such a positive experience. :thumbsup:

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Hi there KK, I don't know if I've missed this somewhere in this thread, but as your final destination is Harrisburg, why not fly Ted into Philadelphia which would reduce the car journey on the other end of what will be a long trip for him? My kitty flew from LHR to PHL via BA and the operation was pretty seamless. I was especially impressed by the communication from the Philly end of BA who showed some initiative in planning ahead for her arrival in light of unusual weather that day. I was not on the flight - kitty was collected by my daughter and I arrived the next day. But I seem to remember that upon arrival, kitty had to be taken to another part of the airport (not the terminal) to be examined by a vet before being allowed entry. All in all, though, it was no more than an hour after touchdown that she was reunited with my daughter, which is faster than I've managed to get through immigration at PHL sometimes, lol. FWIW I used Airpets and was very satisfied with them. Kitty boarded with them for a few days before flying because I did not want her freaked out by the packers from the removals company and all the upheaval in the house. Using a company like Airpets is obviously more expensive but I had so much to do in those final days in the UK that I found outsourcing that job to someone who knew the ins and outs to be worth the money to me. Good luck, and I hope the stress of your move can be minimized for you and Ted!

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Hi kk, we are leaving for Seattle on 20th April with 3 dogs and 2 cats . They will follow us on the 21st so we can have things ready for them . We are using passportforpets.co.uk who we have seen lots of good reviews for , they use British airways as they seem to be best for transatlantic crossings.

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Hi Jellyfish! Thank you for this, and for the good luck wishes. I hadn't thought to consider Philadelphia, simply because whenever I've gone to book my own flights, the difference in price (and number of layovers) between flying to Philadelphia and either EWR or JFK has been extortionate. I will ask about this, though, when it comes to putting the wheels in motion for Ted's flight because, depending on whether we fly on the same day and what the cost difference is, I would definitely prefer as quick and seamless a journey for him as possible!

I'm glad to hear you had such a positive experience with Airpets, and that the tail end of kitty's journey was relatively quick and pain-free. I am of the same mindset, in that paying the few extra pounds to save the stress and anxiety is surely worth it. :)

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Good luck, Tonka! Please do let us know how it all goes!

Re: Cat Relocation
 

An update:

I have just spoken to Virgin Atlantic, who have demystified the entire cat-shipping process and rid me of all confusion and anxiety! :D They have offered me a quote that is significantly cheaper than any I've received from any of the pet-shipping companies (less than half of what I was expecting to pay!), and have reassured me that all I need to do is get Ted an Export Health Certificate from his vet within 10 days of travel, decide whether or not I want him to receive a rabies jab (this is apparently a personal choice when shipping a cat to the USA) and make sure he has an adequately-sized travel box, according to their regulations. There is nothing more to it than that.

From what I understand, these things can vary from state to state, but as far as flying him into Newark or JFK goes (they do not fly animals to Philadelphia - their list of destinations is actually quite small), it is, evidently, extremely simple.

For anyone reading this who had the same questions/concerns as me, regarding how/when to go about booking pet (cat-specific) travel when you don't yet know precisely when you'll be flying yourself: as far as Virgin Atlantic operates, the price does not change whether I book Ted's ticket right now or six months from now; it only increases if I book with less than 7 days notice. And there is nothing I need to do ahead of booking and paying for his flight, aside ensure he has his certificate of good heath. I have been advised that once my visa is ready and I know when I will be travelling, to call Virgin Atlantic in advance to check for space on the aircraft for a cat, then book my own flight, and then call them back immediately afterwards to book Ted on it, too. That's it. That's all there is to it. And there is a mere £50 change-fee if I need to switch his flight for any reason.

No pet passports, no scary documents, no trillions of jabs - it sounds like it should all be a breeze! I've just saved myself hundreds of pounds, it seems, by going directly through an airline. Thank you again, The Moose, for the recommendation! :thumbsup:

Also, for anyone wondering: the prices they quote are dependent upon the time of year you wish to travel and the size of the travel box (this is standard across airlines/shipping companies, from what I understand). The minimum I should expect to pay, based on travelling in ~August with the smallest regulated travel box, is £422. Flying at the same time of year with one of the largest available travel boxes would cost £748. They also have prices ranging between these figures for mid-sized boxes. (For comparison, the cheapest quote I received from one of the pet-shipping companies was £768! Or I could pay £1,156 for their gold service, which included a night's boarding, the vet certificate and the cost of the travel box.) The only other expenses I will have, doing this through an airline, are the cost of the travel box and the $60 US import charge. I will speak to my vet about the cost of the Export Health Certificate.

I hope this information helps someone! I will report back again once everything is booked and will let you know how it all goes/went. :)

Re: Cat Relocation
 

I'm so glad that the service you received was as good as that I received!

You are right in that the destinations they fly to are limited - but the pets go on the same flight as the people so they will only take pets to where they take their other living, breathing cargo!

When we bought our lovely Jake to the USA I did 3 further things:

1. He had his rabies jab
2. He got his pet passport
3. We got him a non-spill travel bowl as well as the one that came with the IATA travel box

1 & 2 were because if we ever wanted to take him back to the UK it would be much harder without those 2 things and in the grand scheme of things they're not too expensive. 3 was because it was a long flight and I was concerned the water in the other bowl would spill and he'd be left with nothing. It wasn't necessary and he probably didn't need it, however it made my wife feel better!!!

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Thank you so much, The Moose. :thumbsup:

I think I will be getting Ted the rabies jab, simply because my understanding of rabies is limited and I'd rather be safe than sorry! There are a lot of stray cats in the neighbourhood where we'll be living - can't be having Ted mix with the dodgy sort and pick himself up a dose of the VD. :eek:

You raise a valid point, too, about the pet passport. I will look into this as well.

It sounds as though your wife and I might both be affected by similar cases of Only The Best Will Do For My Cat. Off to research no-spill bowls and comfy travel boxes I go!

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Yes, she suffers from that disease also!!

This is what we bought:

Travel Kennel
Travel Bowl
Brackets

Trust me when I say the small bowl is big enough - we went for the large initially...he could have swam in it!!!

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:goodpost:

You have been a fantastic help. Thank you so much!

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I just want to give another recommendation for the Virgin Atlantic team. I bought our cat Samson over with us to California when we moved from the UK 4 years ago. I was all ready to get into it with a professional pet transport company and had convinced my husband that £1200 was a bargain for Samson's comfort, until I called Virgin Atlantic directly. The guy I spoke to totally calmed all my fears, confirmed that they had a 100% success rate and that although Sammy would probably loudly object to being transported in the hold, it would be a special area lit and heated for his maximum comfort and that once he realised no-one was coming, he would nap for the duration of the flight.

When we got to the Pet Reception at LHR to drop him off, the greeting was wonderful, the staff were so awesome with him and made a huge fuss over him. We had to wait while he was x-rayed (because of drug-smuggling - I nearly collapsed into tears at the thought of it) but after that we left him there to check in for the flight. Once we were on board, the cabin crew found me to confirm Sam had been loaded into his special area with fresh water and we were off! (Apparently sometimes the Captain will give a name-check to the furry friends on-board, but we didn't get that, sadly!)

Once at SFO we drove around to the Cargo arrivals unit, confirmed he was in one piece and took the paperwork around to Customs, where my hard-won paperwork (passport, vet's letter of approval for travel, rabies certificate) was all basically waved through and merrily stamped almost as an aside while me and the Customs agents exchanged pictures and stories of our pets. We drove back to the Cargo place with our stamped paperwork to collect Sam - he was fine, although he had pee'ed in the crate, but hey, who can hold it for 10 hours?

If we have to take our boy back to the UK in the future, I won't think twice - Virgin Atlantic are my go-to. I am confident you'll have no problems at all, and hope everything goes really well for you!

Re: Cat Relocation
 

What a wonderful experience you had, Princesspolly! I love the idea of a little shout-out to the furry friends on board. :lol:

Thank you for the good luck. I am feeling so much more confident and reassured about this part of the process now.

Another thing of note, for anyone else reading this who's researching cat relocation: my (Ted's?!) vet does a package deal for the passport, rabies vaccination and Export Health Certificate, which is going to set me back £65. I am sure this varies from practice to practice, but I hope that gives a ball-park estimate of what to expect to pay. I was very surprised by how small that number is! :blink:

Re: Cat Relocation
 

Ted, as you can see, is utterly thrilled with his passport.

Attachment 127293

All went extremely smoothly at the vet - he had the rabies jab, was given a general once-over and then we completed the paperwork for his passport, which took no more than 20 minutes. It cost less than I was originally quoted, at a mere £57 for the lot. Everything was then linked up with his microchip, and now we just wait! Within ten days of travel we'll need to go back to obtain his Export Health Certificate, and until then it's just a case of waiting on my visa so that I can book our flight, which I still intend to do with Virgin Atlantic. The vet advised me to keep an eye on protocols for pet shipping as it can change very quickly, so we'll make sure to keep checking the rules regularly between now and when we leave.

I purchased the exact same carrier that TheMoose recommended! It's four times the size of his usual little carry-crate and I'm leaving it out and open so that Ted can become acquainted with it. So far he doesn't give a single damn that it exists.

I hope this thread will be of reassurance to anyone else going through this! It has been a lot simpler than I ever anticipated, and I did a lot of worrying over what turned out to be nothing horrible. I'll continue to update the thread as and when anything of pet-shipping note occurs. :thumbsup:

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Sounds good. Well done!

Our Jakey got a Gecko this evening. Not quite like mice - they bite back!!

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:ohmy: My husband would have wanted to keep it!

I doubt very much Ted will find many geckos in central Pennsylvania. :lol: Squirrels, on the other hand...

He's quite the proficient hunter. He once carried an enormous hare into our back garden, and the landlady's labrador ate it! I shall be cautiously anticipating the day he comes home with a possum.