bringing cat into the country - experiences?

[tone]

another random advice question

any of you FG's have the experience of bring a pet through the border?

any experiences with quarantine, customs etc?

[Sarutaro]

I brought my cat from Sweden. No quarantine, just a quick health check at Narita (as long as the preparations have been made correctly). Where are you coming from? There are different rules for different countries.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

I know Cat Stevens had all sorts of difficulties when he tried to get in, if that's any help...

[tone]

hey good to hear

coming from Seattle - that would be ideal. kind of a concern for us at the moment, as the old cat is kind of part of the family now

sweden? nice! we lived in linkoping for 1.5 yrs when i was 6. good memories seeing all those castles and swords and armor as a youngin'

[Sarutaro]

Although the US isn't a "designated country" like Sweden, I think you can get away with only 12 hours quarantine, provided that you have all the paperwork in order. Most important is to get your pet microchipped right away, and then given a rabies shot. You need to be able to document everything so keep all receipts. Basically, I think you can get away with only 12 hours quarantine but you have to start preparing more than 6 months ahead. After 6 months you need to give the pet another shot. The pet will have to travel in the cargo compartment. There is a special seal that will prevent anyone from taking the pet out from its cage during transit.

In short, there are a lot of things to prepare, and it may seem overwhelming, but in the end no one at Narita will really cared to even glance at your paperwork. You will be in the limousine bus heading for Tokyo in no time at all.

I found all information on this page: http://www.maff.go.jp/aqs/english/animal/dog/index.html

You should also check out your local authorities as you need to get a health certificate from an official veterinarian: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/pet_travel/content/wp_c_pet_travel_tips.shtml

[tone]

much appreciated, thanks!

[Coligny]

another random advice question

any of you FG's have the experience of bring a pet through the border?

any experiences with quarantine, customs etc?

From Paris to Nagoya...

Check to have all needed vaccination done in the proper time before the pet arrival (some of them must be less than few year but more than few month like rabbies).

Customs... barely gives a fuck...

!!! YOU HAVE TO RESERVE A QUARANTINE ROOM BEFOREE COMING !!!
places are limited

I had to bring my cat to the quarantine office myself (2 weeks needed), I could have given them any other cat found on the way.
You can visit your pet most of the week. Bring some bandages, my cat was excessively pissed of against me and tried to kill me at every visit. Wear long sleeves, thick clothing and protect at least your neck (jugular), also, put some glasses on, when they can't go for the neck they usually go for the eyes. At the end of the 2 weeks she befriended everybody at the quarantine office. But pissed in my shoes for 2 month straight to make a statement of some sort.

FEW HINTS:
Before the flight:
-Cats are usually travelling with you on cabin, check with air company first, if cabin: buy a small sized pet bag, soft type, without reinforcement of any kind. It will be easier to keep on your knees or at your feets. If cargo bay only... take the boat, they are usually happy to have a cat onboard to keep critters in check... (seriously).
-Ask you vet for cat sleeping pills or anxiolitics. Usually it's not working even with a dose big enough to kill a horse, but at least it makes their reflexes much slower, giving you time to run for cover...

During the flight, dehydratation is a big concern especially for old cats. Buy some 500cc bottle of flat water at the duty free, bring medium plastic syringes WITHOUT NEEDLES, show them to the TSA and explain the purpose. Every 2 hours MAX (could be every hours) bring the cat, water and syringe to one of the plane loo equipped for baby diaper switch. Fill syringe, insert in cat mouth on the side between teeth and cheeks, squirt slowly the water, try to keep the cat's mouth closed or he will try to chew the syringe rendering it unusable.

For the quarantine:
-Before the flight, put on a tshirt, run few hours and sweat like... something that would be known for sweating a lot... after the run, put the wet tshirt in a plastic bag. and bring it in your luggage. You will leave it with your pet in the quarantine room. It's important.
-If you come in summer, ask them to be easy on the aircooling. They don't seem to understand that short of a live fire cats can't apparently be killed with heat. After 2 weeks in aircooled room, my cat came out with her winter fur... in the middle of July...

[tone]

how did you reserve the quarantine room?

is that in the airport? so basically there is a good chance i can have the cat in the cabin of the plane in some kind of travel carrier? then i might have to leave the cat in the quarantine place at narita airport for X hours or up to a few weeks?

what was the reason for the sweat soaked shirt?

hopefully it can be done in 12 hours or less - that sounds ideal

[Coligny]

how did you reserve the quarantine room?

is that in the airport? so basically there is a good chance i can have the cat in the cabin of the plane in some kind of travel carrier? then i might have to leave the cat in the quarantine place at narita airport for X hours or up to a few weeks?

what was the reason for the sweat soaked shirt?

hopefully it can be done in 12 hours or less - that sounds ideal

For Nagoya the quarantine is in the harbour, far from the airport.

Quarantine was 2 weeks

You have to call/fax for reservation, see their website.

If cat is in cabin, usually enclosing soft pet bag is the best.

The -dirty- tshirt is necessary for the cat to feel safe in a new and possibly hostile environment. having the -sweat- smell of family members is the best way to make them feel safe. It should come from the closest member to the cat in your family. For this, they work like babies, a familiar odor/perfume make them believe the person is here with them. (both are not exactly rocket surgeon material... yet...)

[Cyka UchuuJin]

get cat microchipped and blood tests sent off. sometimes they will require a 90 day wait from the date of blood testing. others will be fine with 90 days from date of vaccination.

from america you'll need to get an export certificate, which your vet will have. once you've got that stamped and sealed, you've got 48 hours to travel with fluffy, otherwise you'll have to do the whole malarky all over again.

[wuchan]

Indoor cat(s) from USA to Japan:
1: Begin process more than 180 BEFORE departure. file initial paperwork

2: 1st vet visit: microchip, health check, rabies shot, deworming.

2.5: send papers from first vet visit

3: wait 180 days

4: 2nd vet visit: Health check, another rabies shot, deworming, check microchip, fill out paperwork.

5: Visit the USDA vet: checks animals and stamps paperwork

6: send paperwork and wait for approval.

7: fly to japan with the critters. Go to the fourth floor of Narita to watch the J-vet examine the poor stressed kitty(s) and paperwork.


EDIT: Animals MUST be spayed and neutered before any paperwork can be filed.