Bringing Pets From the UK

[Mickitwin 0]

Hi~

I just got back from a 10 day trip to see my sweetie! While there he had his medical which went smoothly.

We now have a dilemna --his mother passed away recently and we were sitting there one night wondering what to do with Whisper the cat now. We really don't want to give him away and his sister has a cat already and they don't get along. So my question is has anyone brought a pet with them and what was involved in the process. I've looked up on the US Customs website and it seems straightforward as long as he has his shots and is healthy. I just wanted to get an idea of how to travel with them, etc...

Thanks

Micki

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

Jeraly's planning on bringing her cat, maybe she'll know what's needed etc.

[pucklechurch 0]

Yes.

I flew over with Henley a couple of years back. He had his shots and got a clean bill of health and his pet passport from our local vet in Oxford.

I phoned up United Airlines and they booked me a seat and Henley as 'excess baggage'. When I got to Heathrow I checked in and then checked him in at the excess baggage counter and he was taken away to be screened by security and I went through airside. When I boarded the plane Henley was already in there, I half expected him to be on his second complimentary champagne and being doted on by the female cabin crew but he was still in his Sherpa bag looking a bit nervous. He then sat on my lap in the bag for the flight to Chicago and upon arrival I showed my documentation and his pet passport without any problem, then had to carry him from T5 to T1 for another flight to Kansas City. The only major problem was the security at Chicago's T1 where I had to take him out of the Sherpa bag and walk with him through screening. He dug his claws into me and had a bit of a angry miaow!!

It was a certainty that my wife and I wanted Henley with us but I wouldn't look foward to travelling with pets again.

[*julez* 124]

Also, you can check with Mags who brought over 2 cats about a year and a half ago. She had a pretty detailed write up about it but I just can't seem to find it for you!

[Mickitwin 0]

Thanks for the info! I looked up on BA and they will fly them as cargo which might be a little easier than in plane. I could just picture him meowing and driving everyone crazy. It seems a lot easier than years ago when you had to quarantine your pets for soooo long!

Thanks again guys!

[Eli the Barrowboy 16]

We are bringing our dog over. It's a real pain to be honest - rabies shots, blood tests, passport, etc etc etc.

Plus, there is an animal embargo in place from May to September on US airlines as it gets too hot to have the dog sitting on the tarmac while the plane taxis.

We might have to fly to JFK and drive over to Oregon or shove the poor wee thing into a dog cage that fits under the seat in front. He's a Dachshund so he'll fit in the cage but he'll bark all the way no doubt.

Just adds to the already huge stress ... oh well.

R

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

Yay, Road trip!!!

I love road trips, you should do it just for the fun!!

Course why do they think it'd be kinder to have a dog couped up in a car for weeks on end than on the tarmac for an hour or two? doesn't make sense

[redkitty 0]

I brought my dog over from San Francisco in 2006 and she is now returning home with me this summer. We are flying home on Virgin and there is no heat embargo for any of Virgin's destinations (I just confirmed this on Friday). It was much more time consuming to fly her into the UK. Flying back to the US is much easier, but just as expensive! (£975 one way to fly back to SF!)

You will have a much easier time with a cat, and way less money!

[Eli the Barrowboy 16]

You will have a much easier time with a cat, and way less money!

Say Hello to my, errr, cat!!!

Edited April 22, 2008 by Eli the Barrowboy

[Eli the Barrowboy 16]

Thanks for the Virgin tip redkitty,

I'm going to go to London to fly to JFK to get the EAD as if I go through Dublin I get stamped there and no EAD.

I might bring him over as we are doing Virgin anyway, then fly virgin to SFO and take a road trip from there to Eugene, OR.

Pricey business isn't it?

R

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

@ your cat

Virgin don't fly out of Dublin anyway, so it wouldn't be an option

By the way, I know you only need a one way, but I've noticed that with virgin it's almost always cheaper to book return and and not use it than buy a one way.

[redkitty 0]

LOL! I was talking about Micki's cat!

Yup, I'm having to buy a r/t ticket on Virgin. I want to fly with my furry mutt so trying to find a cheaper ticket on another airline just isn't an option. This is the last time I'm moving out of the country until we retire in Spain!

[Mags 112]

Also, you can check with Mags who brought over 2 cats about a year and a half ago. She had a pretty detailed write up about it but I just can't seem to find it for you!

I'll dig it out for you! (see below)

Thanks for the info! I looked up on BA and they will fly them as cargo which might be a little easier than in plane. I could just picture him meowing and driving everyone crazy. It seems a lot easier than years ago when you had to quarantine your pets for soooo long!

Thanks again guys!

Seriously, in-cabin is way better. Less noisy, better temperature, and you're there to reassure the animal. I took 2 in cabin and I highly recommend it.

Okay, here is a piece I wrote about my experience, a couple of years ago:

Many of you will know that I brought my two cats with me from the UK last year. After some major panic attacks about the lack of information out there regarding it, it actually went incredibly smoothly in the end.

First of all, I brought my cats over in Sherpa carriers, which are airline approved. They fit (just) under the seat in front of you and come with a little faux sheepskin blanket to keep the pets warm and cosy. They are of very solid construction, have two access points; one at the front for you to get your pet in and out, the other is a smaller opening which enables you to put your hand in to pat the animal without an increased risk of the animal getting out!

I got mine from Pet Planet, in the UK.

http://www.petplanet.co.uk/search_adv.asp?mscssid=

The carriers do come in different sizes, so check with the airline before buying what their approved dimensions are.

I flew with Delta, who allow up to two animals to fly in the economy cabin, per flight. This is a pre-arranged agreement. You MUST book it with them at the time of your flight. If there are already 2 animals on board you will have to fly on another day, or make additional arrangements. You are only allowed one pet per person aswell. If you have more than one animal and it is only you flying, the animals will have to fly in the luggage hold.

With Delta you actually pay at the airport for the pets, not at the time of booking. It was $30 per animal, which I thought was very reasonable.

Delta don't actually require that in-cabin pets have a "fit to fly" certificate signed by your veterinarian, but I got one done anyway. I phoned them 3 times and got three different answers, so to be safe I got the certificate anyway. To be valid it has to have been done within 10 days of flying (5 for some other airlines). The vet is really only checking for communicable diseases and heart problems. If your pet has heart problems there is a very high chance that it will not be allowed to travel.

Vaccinations for rabies (if flying from the UK) are not required for entry into the USA. There is alot of misleading information around regarding this and it is something that took me over a month to get a definitive answer for.

I eventually spoke to the agency responsible for imported domestic animals and the State Veterinarian, they both confirmed that felines DO NOT need to be vaccinated against Rabies to enter the United States if flying from the UK. What they DO need, is to be vaccinated once you have moved into your new home.

Regulations vary from state to state, so an appointment with your vet once you arrive is something that must be arranged.

Here are the emails I sent and received from the CDC/NCID confirming the above:

:

I have been referred to you by Catherine Smith at APHIS regarding bringing my cats into the USA. I will be entering the USA in November on a visa. I would like to bring my 2 cats with me but have recently found out that the Rabies vaccinations and subsequent blood tests will take over 8 weeks. This does not fit into my time frame.

As I come from a Rabies free country (UK) can I bring my cats over and get the vaccinations done once I am over there in the USA? They are indoor cats and are up to date with all other vaccinations and are microchipped.

Any help you can provide will be very much appreciated. Current information available is very confusing!

Many thanks for your time.

:

Dear Ms. XXXXX,

We are glad to reassure you that there is no quarantine for cats entering the United States, nor are there entry requirements for rabies vaccinations, microchips, or health certificates. Cats are subject to examination at the port of entry to rule out any zoonotic diseases (diseases that can be transmitted to humans) and may require veterinary medical examination, treatment, and/or quarantine if they appear ill.

Although cats are not subject to rabies vaccination regulations, once they have entered the country all pet cats are also subject to state and local vaccination requirements, links to which are found at this website:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/sregs/

Also you should inquire of your air carrier about any requirements they may have for your animals during transit.

We hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,

Division of Global Migration and Quarantine

National Center for Infectious Diseases

My actual trip with the cats was uneventful. I arrived at Gatwick and queued as normal. Upon reaching the counter I explained I had the cats with me and the Airline Rep confirmed the booking. She held my bags and the cats at her check-in desk whilst I went over to the Information Counter and paid for them. By the time I got back she had sorted out the boarding passes, the cats' labels for the carriers and my excess baggage.

I was then instructed to take them to the Outsize baggage area and there they were taken from me to be X-rayed. They were returned to me once I had boarded the plane.

The actual flight was uneventful. There were no "accidents" from either cat. It is recommended that you don't feed them for 12 hours before the flight nor allow them water for 7 hours beforehand. I did, however, dip my fingers in water and allow them to lick that off during the flight. They might even have had a little lick of ice-cream at some point too.

Arrival at Cincinnati was no different to normal. I went through all the regular channels. No one mentioned anything to me about my having cats with me and they weren't examined upon arrival. When my baggage had to be x-rayed I was allowed to take each animal out one at a time. The security guards were mostly female and they oohed and ahhhhed at the cats, it was quite comical.

Overall, it was a very easy thing to do, the cats seemed pretty relaxed once they realised they weren't allowed out of the carriers and they didn't make a sound throughout the whole process. Airline, Immigration and Security Staff were all excellent and I highly recommend this method of bringing your cat(s) to the USA if you can.

Edited April 22, 2008 by Mags

[*julez* 124]

Thanks Mags! I really think this topic ought to be stickied as it comes up so often! Maybe we could merge the 2 medical stickied threads and add this as a separate topic so there aren't a million stickied.

Also, we could put this into VJwiki. (hint, hint Poiteen you wiki guru!)

[VisaJourneyLady 33]

merging the two medical theads is a great idea, I'll see what i can do about the wiki entry...