Importation of cat

[goobies 79]

Hi every one , we need advice on how to bring our cat to the USA from uganda

what are the exact requirements

[Coco8 1,042]

The cat needs rabies shot and evidence that you got him/her the rabies shot.

 

I also went with a letter from my vet to my country's "cattle national ministry", the area in charge of animal diseases, and they gave me an official paper based on the vet's notes that the cat was healthy and he had all his shots, including rabies. 

 

I didn't get any trouble with that paper.

 

I also got a container to take the cat in the cabin under the seat.

Edited September 9, 2017 by Coco8

[goobies 79]

Thank you so much! Was the paper from the Cattle National Ministry a requirement or just an additional evidence you took? Our country is not easy to navigate the Ministry offices, and needs a lot of bribery, so if that letter is not a requirement from the USA, we will not bother with it. However, if it is, we will get it done.

 

We would love to hear the experiences of other people! The more we hear, the more at ease we are.

 

Thank you for getting back to us so quickly. I hope your kitty is enjoying life in the USA now. Meow!

[ForeverYoung 26]

I brought my dog to the US (I know, not a cat, but...)

 

I brought her to my vet back home where they certified her rabies shots, and the clinic was kind enough to bring her papers to our Animal Control Bureau for endorsement. Had no problems bringing her to the US, didn't even get a question at customs.

 

Hope you get to bring your cat safely to the States!

Edited September 9, 2017 by ForeverYoung

[SaRy 73]

As others have said, you need all her vaccinations to be up to date and you'll also probably need her blood to be tested after the rabies vaccines to confirm that she has enough antibodies (that she's reacting positively to the vaccines). My country is considered a high-risk country for rabies, so I had to get her blood sample sent to France for testing (I got a certificate for that too). Ask your vet in Uganda for more info on this.

 

I also want to take my cat with me to the USA. I talked to my vet and he also told me that he can provide me with a health certificate but that it also needs to be signed by a Government agency (I'm guessing for that "official stamp").

 

Feel free to read a thread I made a long time ago about cat travel  

 

 

[goobies 79]

Hi you guys! 

Thank you all for answering me. Guess WHAT? 

My husband and our Furr baby made it through the airport with no problems whatsoever!

Since this post is particularly about bringing our cat, I will only talk about that process.

We got her rabies vaccine a month before we traveled and made sure that the vet put the vaccine sticker on the card. Everyone was telling us that Uganda requires an export permit to allow an animal to pass, but it proved almost impossible to get. We figured it was just a way to rip us off, because I had talked with other people who have taken their pets out, and they never were asked for such papers. So, we decided to go with only the rabies certificate. 

Entebbe airport was a breeze. No one inspected her or any papers at all. 

We flew from Entebbe to Instanbul to Houston on Turkish airways, and the total pet fee was only $210. 

On the flight to Instanbul, little Neffie managed to pull the zipper open, and got out! Fortunately, the flight attendant who caught her got a real kick out of it! He just laughed and said, "Please don't take her out again." 

Instanbul customs never asked to see any paperwork, but they did thoroughly check her bag, so I had to hold her while this went on. We were able to keep her out of her bag on her harness and leash the entire layover in Instanbul and no one said a word about it. 

The flight from Instanbul to Houston was 13 hours! Neffie did an exceptionally great job, and only got antsy one time. 

Getting to Houston, no one even noticed that I had a cat until I had already passed through immigration! I told the officer who heard her meow and who was the same guy that scanned me in that I declared her on my form, and he was like, "Oh yeah, I did see that. Oh well. Is she okay?" YEP was all I said. So no one even inspected her to come in to the USA. 

I think we were seriously blessed, because I never expected it to be this easy. 

I would still recommend that everyone get their cat vaccinated and have a health certificate, just in case they are asked for them. But know that bringing your kitty is  not as scary as some would have you think. 

Thank you again to everyone who gave their advice. 

P.S. Turkish Airlines is the only airline that flies from Africa to the USA which does not require a micro-chip and pet passport!

[SaRy 73]

56 minutes ago, goobies said:

Hi you guys! 

Thank you all for answering me. Guess WHAT? 

My husband and our Furr baby made it through the airport with no problems whatsoever!

Since this post is particularly about bringing our cat, I will only talk about that process.

We got her rabies vaccine a month before we traveled and made sure that the vet put the vaccine sticker on the card. Everyone was telling us that Uganda requires an export permit to allow an animal to pass, but it proved almost impossible to get. We figured it was just a way to rip us off, because I had talked with other people who have taken their pets out, and they never were asked for such papers. So, we decided to go with only the rabies certificate. 

Entebbe airport was a breeze. No one inspected her or any papers at all. 

We flew from Entebbe to Instanbul to Houston on Turkish airways, and the total pet fee was only $210. 

On the flight to Instanbul, little Neffie managed to pull the zipper open, and got out! Fortunately, the flight attendant who caught her got a real kick out of it! He just laughed and said, "Please don't take her out again." 

Instanbul customs never asked to see any paperwork, but they did thoroughly check her bag, so I had to hold her while this went on. We were able to keep her out of her bag on her harness and leash the entire layover in Instanbul and no one said a word about it. 

The flight from Instanbul to Houston was 13 hours! Neffie did an exceptionally great job, and only got antsy one time. 

Getting to Houston, no one even noticed that I had a cat until I had already passed through immigration! I told the officer who heard her meow and who was the same guy that scanned me in that I declared her on my form, and he was like, "Oh yeah, I did see that. Oh well. Is she okay?" YEP was all I said. So no one even inspected her to come in to the USA. 

I think we were seriously blessed, because I never expected it to be this easy. 

I would still recommend that everyone get their cat vaccinated and have a health certificate, just in case they are asked for them. But know that bringing your kitty is  not as scary as some would have you think. 

Thank you again to everyone who gave their advice. 

P.S. Turkish Airlines is the only airline that flies from Africa to the USA which does not require a micro-chip and pet passport!

Thanks for sharing your experience! Hopefully mine will be a breeze too  

[Ontarkie 14,320]

~~Moved to Moving Here and Your New Life, from Bringing Family of USC~~

[TBoneTX 45,659]

Thanks for your very useful, complete report.  Congratulations on your successful entry!