If I'm moving to the UK and want to bring my cat, what steps do I need to take?

Question

I'd like to understand my options to minimize trauma for my cat. Thanks!

Answer 1

A lot will depend upon what country you are coming from. The UK has now set up the Pet Travel Scheme as an alternative to having to place your animal in quarantine for six months when you arrive in the UK. You will just need to ensure that your cat is micro-chipped and fully vaccinated against all major feline diseases especially rabies.

DEFRA is the government department in the UK that deals with pet travel and if you check the link below, you will find all the information that you need direct from the official source.

I moved abroad from the UK several years ago, and can highly recommend the Pet Travel Scheme. It's not particularly cheap, but it saves the trauma of separation for both owner and pet. Just a word of caution from my own experience, some times vets in other countries are not fully up to date with how the scheme works, so make sure you print off some information from the DEFRA website to guide them. Good luck.

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/pets/index.htm

Answer 2

You are lucky, I just found out that the laws about bringing animals into the UK have changed for the better. it used to be that they had to be in quarantine for I believe 6 months minimum as there was never any rabies in England, and they wanted to keep it that way. Now the laws have losened up and with a passport of some kind you can bring an animal into the UK. Best suggestion is to go to or start by calling a UK consulate to start all the paperwork. i was just talking to a friend from England who did tell me that there is no longer the quarantine, so you are in luck, but you do have to have all kinds of shots and proof of such. Get the forms from the consulate. I don't know if you are in a major metro area where you can get to one easily, but there will be one in NY, in DC and probably most big cities.
As far as going on the trip, book your flight early as they do allow a limited number of animals to fly in the plane with you. it is certainly better for the animal. Also, go to the vet and find out if there is some kind of sedative that can be given to the cat for a long trip. Vets don't like giving pills for trips, but for a long one they may help you out with something. i used to fly back and forth with one of my cats, many years ago, from mexico to NY and I was given phenobarbitol which worked very well. Do not under any circumstances self medicate the cat. You don't know what a cat is allergic to (like asprin) and what kind of a dosage they would need as they are so much smaller than we are. Also, there are special carrying cases made for bringing cats on to the plane. I'm sure you can find a good one if you just google pet supplies on line.

Answer 3

The UK has strict laws about bringing animals into it from other countries. Most countries allow you to bring in an animal if it has a note from a vet saying it is healthy. To bring it in the UK means that it will need a 6 months in quarantine. This will be incredibly hard on your cat.

It might be better to leave it with a friend or relative.

Answer 4

you need to call the consulate (british) in your area or look it up on line but I believe there is a 6 month quarantine for animals coming into their country.

Answer 5

what you need to do is get sertan shots like cold shot bc of the low tempatures and check the laws in the uk