Ever uprooted and moved overseas?

[wickedkitten]

Originally Posted by furbum

I'll be dragging the cats to the UK in September. I don't have any experience moving them anywhere yet so it is a really big deal. The whole defra pet scheme in house quarantine deal, blood drawing, shots, eurochips, pet passports/certificates, tick and tapeworm treatments, etc, is really a pain but better than having the poor dears go into forced quarantine for 6 months upon arrival!

My biggest concern is the flight. I'm trying to find the least stressful way to do this. I wish I could just put them both under the seat, but it seems that most airlines have a one in-cabin pet per passenger restriction.

Good luck with your move!

If you have a pet passport along with your up to date vaccination cert, and your cat is microchipped and has had a blood test, you shouldn't even need to quarantine them in house now or worry about tick treatments if you are moving here.

I've moved overseas quite a bit in my life. From the US to the UK when I was 3 (dad is Scottish), back to the US when I was 18 for uni, and then back to the UK when I was 22 (met a bloke who I've been with for the past 8 years almost) followed by moving to different countries in mainland Europe.

I actually consider myself quite lucky to have lived in as many places in as many countries as I have considering I've not even hit 30 just yet!

 

[whisky'sdad]

Whisky has always been a pretty calm cat. I'm going to try to get him in the cabin with me. The problem is he is fairly large cat and I wouldn't want to be cramped in a box for 14 hours! I might end up having to put him in the baggage hold so he can get a bigger kennel. The in-cabin measurements are 22" l x 14" w x 9" high. I've heard that sedation is generally frowned upon, especially in older cats.

 

[pushylady]

Well, the baggage hold doesn't sound so bad after all. Given how hard it is to squeeze my carry-on under the seat, I can't imagine squishing one of my cats under there! A bigger kennel will give him some room to stretch out in - hey, he'll probably have a more comfortable flight than you!
Personally, I'd go with British Airways as they do have a very good reputation generally.

 

[icklemiss21]

I moved from England to Canada and do intend to move back home at some time. You do learn a lot by moving abroad to study / work / live and I wouldn't give up the opportunities I have had abroad for anything, but 5 years later I am still homesick