i recently moved to italy from the US i am having my pets (dog, cat) shipped here.?

Question

my cat is scared of everything she hids when anyone is over and doesnt let anyone touch her. im really worried about how she will do on such a long flight. the cargo area is temp. controlled and pressurized. im wondering if anyone out there has shipped their pets before and how the animals did

Answer 1

I would suggest giving her a light sedative before her flight. Speak to your vet and see what they advise.

Answer 2

Your best way to find this out is to talk to your vet and the airlines. Some animals do well and
others don't . Your cat sounds very skiddish and likely wouldn't eat or drink during the flight.
If your information leans toward negative responses - it mught be better to leave her with a relative or give her to a friend that will have her. An anti-social cat is not a great pet.

Answer 3

It's too bad you didn't bring them with you when you came. You could have checked with the airlines to see if there was any available space on the plane to carry her with you. They allow one small pet in coach and one in business/first class. Italy does not have any quarantine for animals entering from the US, but you will need a "certificate of good health" from your vet which is dated within a week before the flight. I live in Italy now and brought my Maltese with me from the US. We sat in business class together and the pilot even came out to meet him! There was absolutely no problem the whole way.

Answer 4

We transported our cat from Germany to USA a few years ago. She was in her container for 24 hours. She used to be very very scared of strangers before the trip, but has seemed to mellow a bit after. I was very surprised when she jumped up on my stepfather's lap to be petted shortly after arriving in USA. She had never done that with someone after only a couple days. She still doesn't come out to meet strangers. But if it is dinner time and a person whom she may have seen a few times fixes her dinner, she becomes friendly.

When your cat arrived in Italy, put it in a room and be careful it doesn't escape. Keep it in its container when you go out until you get a permanent address.

As for your dog, the first thing to do is to take it for a long walk. Your dog will be calmer after its walk. In fact you should walk your dog daily for at least 30 minutes. It is good for the dog and good for you. Make sure you walk ahead of your dog as you are supposed to be the dogs leader.

Answer 5

I personally dont like shipping dogs.
MY nephew does ship, but he gives them shots to sleep most of the way there.. Because the noise is still there no matter whats done on temp & pressure..


In a relatives case, she actually moved by boat...
she drove to england-everything and then took the boat over to USA. But she has prize winning expensive dogs..so it makes sense.

Answer 6

For many countries you have to put your animal into quarenteen for 6 months. I don't know about Italy but most first world countries have simular rules. I would recomend not having your animal sedated unless it is only very lightly sedated, sedation plus air travel can cause death in animals.

Answer 7

hi, Listen, im from the US and I moved to Italy also! Can you email me or something so we can exchange stuff about italy and things? Anyway, I brought my dog under the airplane and my cat came in the cabin.

Answer 8

We moved to Spain some years ago and we brought out pets along with us. They very well as if nothing has happened, you will most likely have more stress over this then them. Relax they will be fine.

Answer 9

You should fly them on a plane or leave them with family in Italy. Would you fly yourself as cargo? They are living creatures, not cargo.

Answer 10

Have your doctor write a letter saying your cat is used for therapy for yourself...the airline will let her ride up front with you. Someone I know just did this with her dog!