Pussy cat quarantine laws for Australia

[doctorspepper2]

Originally Posted by Kiwideus

I used this company: http://www.iptlax.com/

Ohh. Nice. Boyfriend and I are most likely moving to Australia, and we had heard about iptlax. What did you think of the company? Did they handle everything very nicely?

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Yikes! That's quite a process. I'm sure your girls will make out just fine; but still.

It's good to know several people here have been through it too. That's always comforting to me.

 

[kiwideus]

Originally Posted by DoctorsPepper2

Ohh. Nice. Boyfriend and I are most likely moving to Australia, and we had heard about iptlax. What did you think of the company? Did they handle everything very nicely?

They were very good - I had a lot of anxieties and they were so helpful in keeping me calm when I was worried. They give you a checklist and what you need to do ahead of time and how long before you leave etc. If I had to use them again, I would!

 

[starryeyedtiger]

Awww sweetheart, you're beautiful kitties are going to be just fine if you need to transport them! Try not to stress soo much (I know it's only natural when our furbabies are like our children, but I have no doubt that they will be just fine!).

If you need to ship them, I have no doubt they will do well since you're planning ahead, not to mention they will be with their loving owners in the end...which is the best thing for them!!

It's amazing how resiliant cats are; an airplane ride and a short period in quarentine should not be too bad, especially if you're able to visit them once you get moved! We did transport all of the time when I worked for animal control- we shipped out some of our lovely animals to homes and other rescues all over the country- sometimes very long trips! They all eventually adjusted well and did just fine

It sounds like the kitties will have lots of room to run and play in the quarentine enclosure you described. In the event that you do wind up moving, that is very good to know that they will have a nice amount of space for their stay there.

A few suggestions- definitely do what you were planning on and go ahead and get their papers,vaccinations, and tests squared away so that they need to spend less time in quarentine should you move soon. It would also be great if you can call around in Australia to make sure that all things will be ready to go legal wise when moving them from the US to Autralia. I would also do what you said as far as getting a large carrier for both of them- one with spill proof food/water dishes and a grate so that their urine/feces can fall through the grate and they're not laying in it (or if there is enough room...add a small litter pan).

If you put bedding in their carriers that smell like you that will help with potential travel stress. You can also spray feliway in their carriers as well to calm them and make them more relaxed for the flight. I would also talk to the vet about tranqualizers to make the trip easier on them.

Try not to worry too much sweetie, they will do just fine if you need to ship them! You've got enough to worry about with a potential move, new house, and a beautiful baby on the way...your kitties are going to be just fine! Lily and Smudge have an excellent meowmy who is planning ahead of time to make any potenital move easier on them

That alone will make a world of a difference!

 

[persi & alley]

Originally Posted by sarahp

Hubby's getting sick of work, so we're considering moving back to Australia in the next year or so, depending on what happens with his work in the next 6 months.

So we've started looking at what's required. Crikey!!! So you need a rabies titer test which must be done by a US Govt. approved vet, and there needs to be 180 days between that test and the cat leaving Australian Quarantine, and minimum of 60 days from the test. So if the test is done and you fly them over 60 days after the test, they need to spend 120 days in quarantine. If you get the test done and fly over 6-12 months after the test, they only need 30 days in quarantine.

So you really need to do it minimum 6 months before when you plan to leave. So I'm most likely going to find a government approved vet so I can get the testing done on all cats ASAP just in case we do move back, then we'll get the testing done every year to be sure that requirement is up to date.

Once that is done and we have a date to go back, we apply for an import permit online, book them in to a quarantine station, book their flights, make sure all other vaccinations are up to date, then within 4 days of flying get them checked over by a Govt. approved vet to check for ticks, fleas etc and a general health exam. Then the day you fly you get another check done, and put them on a plane. They probably end up spending close to 24 hours in their carriers, and they sit in their pee/poop until they get unloaded at the other end

It breaks my heart thinking about how scared they'll be

And it scares me thinking about how much it'll cost!!!

Last year I drove our SUV to southern Mexico with our two cats. All I needed was a statement from our vet when crossing the border. It was so easy. I am sorry that you are having such a time with this, if Mexico will honor my vet's statement, why will not Ausralia? Terrible. I can certainly smyphatize with your frustration over this.

 

[sarahp]

This is actually an old thread that got brought back up because another member had a question. We're not going to be moving back for a few more years so I don't need to worry for a while yet.