Relocating to a foreign country involves a journey for the whole family, including your furry friends. Your cat doesn’t realize it yet, but they're about to embark on an international adventure. Therefore, besides organizing the human aspects of your move, you’ll need to plan their trip as well. The secret to a seamless cat relocation is early preparation, so begin as soon as you can. Here are some tips for how to bring your cat when you move abroad.
Make sure your cat is allowed
Before you go ahead and book your cat's flight, make sure they're allowed to live in your new home. Countries such as Singapore, for example, don’t allow cats in certain housing areas, and any landlord anywhere may not necessarily allow pets. You need to know where you will live before you can be sure your cat is welcome.
Additionally, many countries do not permit pet cats with wild ancestry, such as Bengal or Savannah hybrids. While most of us have typical domestic cats, if yours is not, make sure to verify this.
Research the pet import requirements
Each country has their own set of regulations for importing pets. Some are more complicated than others and require longer waiting periods for entry. It's extremely important that you research the pet import requirements for your destination and start working with a USDA-accredited veterinarian as soon as possible to make sure your cat is compliant. Europe, for example, requires a microchip and rabies vaccination then a 21-day wait before cats and dogs can enter the country. However, Australia has a waiting period of 180 days after the rabies titer test before pets may enter the country.
Confirm how they can travel
Depending on your destination and the airline you're traveling on, your cat can either fly with you in-cabin, as accompanied baggage or separately as cargo. Some destinations, like the UK, Australia, and the UAE require all cats to arrive as cargo.
Pets flying in-cabin or as accompanied baggage are booked through the passenger side of the airline on your own ticket. Be sure to check with your airline to confirm the paperwork requirements, cost, and check in time.
If your cat needs to fly as cargo, then this is booked through the cargo side of the airline. In this case, you don't necessarily have to be on the same flight as your cat. Do note that check in is usually on a different side of the airport than the passenger terminal, so you'll want to confirm the location beforehand. Keep in mind that some destinations or airlines require that you use a professional pet transport company to book the flight for your cat as cargo.
Purchase a travel kennel in advance
Regardless of how your cat travels, they will need an airline-approved (also known as IATA-compliant) travel kennel. Cats flying in-cabin can be in a smaller hard or soft-sided carrier that meets IATA and the airline's requirements. This must be small enough to fit under the seat in front of you but roomy enough for your cat to be comfortable.
Cats traveling as checked baggage or cargo must be in a larger, hard-sided travel kennel that is large enough for them to stand up, sit down, lie down, and spin around comfortably. In order to minimize stress on the day of travel, you should purchase the travel carrier well in advance of your trip so you can get your cat well acclimated to it.
Arrange the final paperwork
Each destination and airline requires a health certificate to be completed by a veterinarian close to the travel date. The specific health certificate format and timing of completion will depend on the destination country. In general, the health certificate should be completed by a USDA-accredited veterinarian within 10 days prior to travel. International health certificates also require USDA endorsement at the official USDA office.
Prepare for departure day
Once everything is booked and confirmed for your cat's big adventure, you'll want to prepare them for departure day. As we mentioned above, it's super important to get them acclimated to the travel kennel as early as possible to minimize stress. We also recommend lining the travel carrier with a crate pad (no more than 3 inches thick), a thin blanket, t-shirt, or towel that smells like home, and pee-pee pads (optional). Litter boxes, thick beds, toys, or personal belongings are not permitted inside the travel carrier for safety reasons. Plus, this would not allow your cat enough space to be comfortable.
We also recommend filling one water bowl with water and sticking it in the freezer the night before travel. We have another post about what can travel with pets that might be helpful.
Finally, we understand how challenging it can be to catch cats when they sense they need to go somewhere. Therefore, we suggest keeping them in one room to avoid being late to the airport because your kitty is hiding and you can't catch them.
NEVER sedate your cat
You should never sedate your cat prior to air travel. It is not recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association and airlines will not transport a pet who appears sedated. These drugs can cause more harm than good, putting them at risk of injury and causing confusion that may frighten them. Instead, get them acclimated to the travel kennel well in advance and line the crate with something that smells like home. If you're still concerned about travel anxiety, you can try more holistic options that won't cause drowsiness, like Feliway. Please remember, that this is not a quick fix and usually needs to be used for several weeks to notice any changes.
Starwood Animal Transport has rebranded to Starwood Pet Travel. We are still the same great company with the best team, just now with a slightly different name.