moving pets

[selchie]

At least the tissues are made from fluffy puppies - easy on the nose

[bikershaz]

Hi,

I have just been reading this post with interest.

We have a dog, which we are taking with us. He is only 3 and I'm sure, although not nice, will forget about the experience once he is back with us in NZ.

I have to say that I think cats could quite possibly be re-homed and not worry too much, but I really don't think the same could be said about dogs.

Our dog is part of the family and it really would be like leaving a baby behind!

[selchie]

I dunno. Being a cat person, I think the opposite. Though it's probably more of an egotistic thing on both our parts . By all reports my cats miss me for a couple of weeks, but are happy if they are able to cuddle up next to someone else at night the way they do with me. At least they are happy to see me when I return, and don't hide the way they do with strangers.

I think both dogs and cats are adaptable, but I can't stand the idea of leaving my babies with someone else.

[MotherBear]

? ?I often wonder how animals feel about us, their owners/carers/parents. ?Are they really concerned whether they live with us or with someone else, as long as they are well fed and looked after? ?I?d like to think they do care for us at least half as much as we care for them. ?Personally, it would be a tremendous wrench if we were to move on without our 2 cats. ?With our human children grown up and away, they are our kids now (sorry Taffy, it looks like you?re out of the will ? ;) ). ?And it?s surprising how like real children they can be in their mannerisms, habits and even tantrums if they can?t have their own way. ?They have their place in the family, we have ours and together we make up the family unit. ?Whenever we visit our company?s recreational club, there are always several posters up asking for new homes for cats and dogs as people are moving on again. ?New homes may well be found, but what happens in a couple of years when the new owners also have to leave? ?If they can?t or won?t take the animal with them, a new home must be found again and that must be very unsettling for the poor creatures as they can never really put down roots and feel secure.

The decision of whether to take your pets or not is an individual one, governed by how much you care for them and whether you are prepared or able to foot the hefty bill. ?It?s also down to how a pet would tolerate such a trip and whether it would be truly able to cope. ?If you are leaving your pet behind, but are assured that it has a loving home to go to, it can soften the blow, but still leaves a big gap in your life. ?It is a tremendous journey for them to undergo but most seem to come out of it with no ill effects at all, so it can?t be too bad, providing a reliable and responsible carrier is handling them. ?How you manage throughout their ?ordeal? is down to how much you trust the carrier to take good care of them. ?

[selchie]

Another factor that might be considered is whether someone else can adapt to one's pets. I've adopted adult cats in the past, and had some trouble with getting along with their age-old habits. And we've had friends stay with our cats when we were in NZ. One friend eventually decided to stay the evenings with the cats, but go home at bedtime. Our cats would crowd her so that she couldn't sleep well. Not that we do much better, but we are used to it (and allowed it to happen in the first place).

[mollytess]

I have two westies who are so much part of the family there is no way we could leave them behind!!!
It's going to cost a couple of grand to get them over and yes I feel worried about putting them through the journey but I cannot contemplate leaving them. We've decided to take less furniture and buy second hand stuff. When I joked to the kids that we were going to sell the dogs in UK and buy new ones out there (a bit like the furniture!!!) they were mortified!! BUT years ago we had cats and inherited the in laws dog, we didnt get so attached to them, so I can understand people feeling ok about leaving pets behind, and your right they would probably forget us in a few weeks, but I just cant do it. :icon_frown:

[MotherBear]

When you have children, I believe it could help them to settle in a new country if they have those familiar furry faces beaming up at them. There will be changes enough in their lives without having to cope with the loss of their beloved pets. We never intended to have our cats because of having to move about a lot, but fate took a hand and we wouldn?t be without them now. So far, we?ve been lucky that our journeys with the cats have only involved their coming on the plane with us in their cat carrier. They?ve come off the luggage carousel along with our bags and have been no worse for their trip. It will be a lot different when they travel to NZ, as they will probably be travelling separately from us and for a much greater length of time. I would think (hope), being in the darkened hold, they would sleep a great deal of the flight. Our main problem would be finding a reputable shipper in this neck of the woods.

Even if we could find a good home for the cats, I still don?t think we could leave them behind, although I understand that, to some people, it would be a great relief to be able to do so. How we all feel about our pets is very individual, as is the decision about how we would deal with the situation.

Can anyone clear up a grey area for me, please? I?ve heard about pets being kept in quarantine for a month upon arrival in NZ but I?ve also heard about them being allowed to be kept ?under house arrest? i.e. undergoing quarantine at home where they are kept indoors or, at least, in the garden. I?m not sure if the latter case possibly relates to cats that have been microchipped and had their rabies injections.

[mollytess]

Hi motherbear,
I think it depends on the country you are coming from as to whether your cat needs to go into quarentine, from UK they dont have to. If you go to the MAF (ministry of agriculture and farming) NZ web site you should be able to find out there. I am not sure about the 30 day house arrest thing, I've heard this too but I cant find any official info.

[selchie]

The US is a 30-day quarantine country, I believe because of rabies. I recommend checking with MAF. Pets from some countries may face even longer quarantines, but I haven't researched it.

[CrystalLil]

New Zealand MAF recognises certain countries as being rabies-free or well controlled. See MAF website. (I'm afraid I didn't see Oman on their list, MB...) Otherwise, your pet will have to do a stint in quarantine - not cheap!!

If you're lucky enough to be travelling from a rabies-free country, you are supposed to keep it indoors for 30 days but I remember reading somewhere that someone's cat escaped before the 30 days were up and they phoned MAF in a panic, only to be reassured that as long as they knew where the animal was at all times, not to worry. The website says that the 30 day "house arrest" may be subject to inspection but it would seem that, in reality, this is unlikely to happen.

Either way, you must have your pet(s) microchipped, they must not be more than 42 days pregnant and they must be over 16 weeks old. Dogs have to be tested for heartworm (blood tests) and dogs and cats have to be tested for hookworm (faecal tests - nice) at fairly specific dates before they travel. The MAF website provides you with the certificates that you need your vet to complete.

See: http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/impor...omaniic.uk.htm for more info about importing cats and dogs from the UK.

Or www.biosecurity.govt.nz/imports/ihs-search.htm to search for info about importing animals from other countries.

There are some restrictions, i.e. you can't import these breeds of dog: American Pit Bull Terrier;
Dogo Argentino; Japanese Tosa; and Brazilian Fila.

I phoned up a whole load of pet shipping companies for quotes for exporting one cat from London and the range of prices started at about ?630 and went up to about ?900 or ?1,000. I was trying to find out if I could do it on the cheap by completing all the paperwork myself and flying the cat as cargo but almost all airlines will only take bookings from actual pet export companies. In fact, one of them told me that there was talk of making this a regulation by spring next year. Only BA gave me a quote (?430 or thereabouts, as far as I remember) for flying the cat as cargo but by the time you add in all the vets bills etc etc, the cheapest of the pet shippers was probably going to be the best deal.

As you can probably tell, I've done some homework on this! Hope it helps anyone else thinking of taking a pet!
:icon_biggrin:
Crystal Lil.