moving your pet abroad.
Moving your pet abroad is a decision you should not come to lightly, the process is time consuming and expensive. It also requires a lot of foresight. Considerations must be made and it might not be the best option for your animal depending on their age, health, and ability to deal with stress.
Our cat Wednesday has been mine since birth and has been residing with me since she was weaned off her mother at six months of age. She is also fairly young, it's just a few more weeks now till her fourth birthday. That didn't make the decision to bring her to New Zealand easy, quite often I would wonder if I was doing the right thing by putting her through the stress of a plane flight and quarantine.
Everyone's personal situation is different so before taking my advice I highly recommend checking the laws of your adoptive country and also consider the needs and temperament of your particular pet.
Here is what worked for us:
1. Hire a pet relocation service.
New Zealand requires it, but even if you are moving to a country that doesn't it's still a good idea. They hold your hand the whole way through the process and even do a lot of the heavy lifting themselves leaving you to worry about other things. Even more importantly, during the move they will take care of your pet any time they are on the ground, making sure your beloved pet has food, water, and human interaction. We used the aptly named service, PetRelocation.com.
2. Speak Up!
If for any reason you feel that the person assigned to guide you through the relocation process is not keeping in touch or isn't providing details on when benchmarks need to be met, say something! The first person we were assigned left us feeling as though we always had to contact him. He never let us know when we had to take Wednesday for her next check up, nor was he particularly helpful when we had questions about the tests she would need to undergo. It was very frustrating for us at the time and many tears were shed in the waiting room of the vet's office.
Eventually we said something and were assigned a new Client Care Specialist named Keith. Keith was great, not just with keeping in touch with Seth and I, but also with contacting Seth's father who was taking care of Wednesday for the first few months we were in New Zealand. The week of the move, Keith was away from the office so we were attended to by his supervisor Bethany. Bethany gave us constant updates on Wednesday after she was picked up from Seth's parent's house. She even made sure that we received a photo of Wednesday exploring her hotel room during her layover in San Francisco which greatly calmed our nerves. Both Keith and Bethany were wonderful and left us feeling as though they truly cared about us and Wednesday.
This is the type of care you should be receiving, if you aren't, speak up! With the large sum of money you are paying for this service, you deserve top care.
3. Be aware of quarantine periods, vaccinations, and other medical tests.
To move a cat to New Zealand you have to start at least four months before the animal is set to leave. Four months out the pet must be micro-chipped and given a rabies shot and at least three months before they are set to move they must have a TITER test performed to show that the rabies shot is strong and in their system.
Important! Wednesday was up to date with all of her shots, but she had not been previously micro-chipped. In the eyes of a government, vaccinations and medical tests are null-and-void if they are performed prior to the appropriate micro-chip being inserted. Due to waiting periods, this meant that she could not leave the States until four months after us instead of just one month.
There are many different types of micro-chips and they require different readers, therefore, you must make sure that the micro-chip your pet has is the appropriate one for the country you will be moving to. If your pet is micro-chipped, but the micro-chip is incorrect for the country you are moving to they will have to be re-chipped.
4. Know before you go.
We knew what our cat needed before we went for her first check up, but there were specifics that we had forgotten such as when she needed to get her TITER and what type of micro-chip she needed. When you make your appointment fax or e-mail the requirements your pet will need to your vet. It will make things so much easier. Because we were unprepared we spent two and a half hours at the vets which caused unnecessary stress on us and our kitty. If you are unsure of the requirements, check the government website of the country you are moving to. All information should be located there.
5. Get the proper crate.
Most pet carriers are not suitable for a long journey as they can easily come apart if the crate falls and they often don't have enough room for your animal to move around. In order to take your pet on a plane, you must have a crate that screws together, not one that has snaps to connect the top and bottom section. The crate also must be large enough for your animal to stand up and turn around comfortably.
It is also important to get your pet used to the carrier prior to the move so it's not as frightening of an object. You can do this by propping the door open and leaving it in a room your pet often frequents.
You can put a favourite toy inside or, if your pet requires a bit more prompting, play with your pet in and around the carrier as Seth's dad did with Wednesday here.
6. Be prepared to shell out mad money.
Below is the breakdown of what we paid to move Wednesday abroad. This is meant to give you a general idea of how much it costs. Your results may vary, though I think this is probably a fair approximation of the average overall cost.
Physical, Microchip, Rabies Vaccination, & Health Certificate: $180
Blood Draw & TITER Test: $206
Pet Relocation Service: $5,000
Quarantine: $1,686
Taking your furry loved ones with you: Priceless.
Grand Total: $7,072
All photos in this post are curtesy of Ed Kenlon.
Our cat Wednesday has been mine since birth and has been residing with me since she was weaned off her mother at six months of age. She is also fairly young, it's just a few more weeks now till her fourth birthday. That didn't make the decision to bring her to New Zealand easy, quite often I would wonder if I was doing the right thing by putting her through the stress of a plane flight and quarantine.
Everyone's personal situation is different so before taking my advice I highly recommend checking the laws of your adoptive country and also consider the needs and temperament of your particular pet.
Here is what worked for us:
1. Hire a pet relocation service.
New Zealand requires it, but even if you are moving to a country that doesn't it's still a good idea. They hold your hand the whole way through the process and even do a lot of the heavy lifting themselves leaving you to worry about other things. Even more importantly, during the move they will take care of your pet any time they are on the ground, making sure your beloved pet has food, water, and human interaction. We used the aptly named service, PetRelocation.com.
2. Speak Up!
If for any reason you feel that the person assigned to guide you through the relocation process is not keeping in touch or isn't providing details on when benchmarks need to be met, say something! The first person we were assigned left us feeling as though we always had to contact him. He never let us know when we had to take Wednesday for her next check up, nor was he particularly helpful when we had questions about the tests she would need to undergo. It was very frustrating for us at the time and many tears were shed in the waiting room of the vet's office.
Eventually we said something and were assigned a new Client Care Specialist named Keith. Keith was great, not just with keeping in touch with Seth and I, but also with contacting Seth's father who was taking care of Wednesday for the first few months we were in New Zealand. The week of the move, Keith was away from the office so we were attended to by his supervisor Bethany. Bethany gave us constant updates on Wednesday after she was picked up from Seth's parent's house. She even made sure that we received a photo of Wednesday exploring her hotel room during her layover in San Francisco which greatly calmed our nerves. Both Keith and Bethany were wonderful and left us feeling as though they truly cared about us and Wednesday.
This is the type of care you should be receiving, if you aren't, speak up! With the large sum of money you are paying for this service, you deserve top care.
3. Be aware of quarantine periods, vaccinations, and other medical tests.
To move a cat to New Zealand you have to start at least four months before the animal is set to leave. Four months out the pet must be micro-chipped and given a rabies shot and at least three months before they are set to move they must have a TITER test performed to show that the rabies shot is strong and in their system.
Important! Wednesday was up to date with all of her shots, but she had not been previously micro-chipped. In the eyes of a government, vaccinations and medical tests are null-and-void if they are performed prior to the appropriate micro-chip being inserted. Due to waiting periods, this meant that she could not leave the States until four months after us instead of just one month.
There are many different types of micro-chips and they require different readers, therefore, you must make sure that the micro-chip your pet has is the appropriate one for the country you will be moving to. If your pet is micro-chipped, but the micro-chip is incorrect for the country you are moving to they will have to be re-chipped.
4. Know before you go.
We knew what our cat needed before we went for her first check up, but there were specifics that we had forgotten such as when she needed to get her TITER and what type of micro-chip she needed. When you make your appointment fax or e-mail the requirements your pet will need to your vet. It will make things so much easier. Because we were unprepared we spent two and a half hours at the vets which caused unnecessary stress on us and our kitty. If you are unsure of the requirements, check the government website of the country you are moving to. All information should be located there.
5. Get the proper crate.
Most pet carriers are not suitable for a long journey as they can easily come apart if the crate falls and they often don't have enough room for your animal to move around. In order to take your pet on a plane, you must have a crate that screws together, not one that has snaps to connect the top and bottom section. The crate also must be large enough for your animal to stand up and turn around comfortably. It is also important to get your pet used to the carrier prior to the move so it's not as frightening of an object. You can do this by propping the door open and leaving it in a room your pet often frequents. You can put a favourite toy inside or, if your pet requires a bit more prompting, play with your pet in and around the carrier as Seth's dad did with Wednesday here.
6. Be prepared to shell out mad money.
Below is the breakdown of what we paid to move Wednesday abroad. This is meant to give you a general idea of how much it costs. Your results may vary, though I think this is probably a fair approximation of the average overall cost.
Physical, Microchip, Rabies Vaccination, & Health Certificate: $180
Blood Draw & TITER Test: $206
Pet Relocation Service: $5,000
Quarantine: $1,686
Taking your furry loved ones with you: Priceless.
Grand Total: $7,072
All photos in this post are curtesy of Ed Kenlon.
