Should I take my cat?

[Oldblighty]

Well my visa application is thankfully moving and it looks like within the next few months I will have my medical & visa interview & finally be closing the distance, which is just great...But....

Not only am I in turmoil over moving my belongings to the states but what shall I do with my cat? I've had her since she was a kitten and she's now in her twilight years (14) so I can't imagine her not being with me.
I'm just really worried about putting her through that long flight! About four years back she was quite unwell, she had what the vet thought was a bleed on the brain. She thankfully recovered and was back to her old self in no time. I know I have to get her a health check with the vet 7-10 days before I fly, but the chances are that the vet will give her the all clear.

I've read stories about people moving their animals overseas and a some of the time it doesn't go well. I just don't want to risk losing her.

Over the past year I have been trying to find someone that I trust to take her on, but haven't had any luck so it looks like I'll have no choice but to take her....

Has anybody who's closed the distance gone through this? I would really appreciate some advice on this matter....

Thanks peeps

[ThePiedPiper]

Have you looked into the process of what needs to be done? There's something that going from here to there needs to be done 7 months in advance, so I would look into the requirements.

That said, what about parents? Any close friends? Maybe even a rescue for senior animals that has a good reputation? I'm not completely against bringing her, but 14 years is old, and stress can do a number on older animals, especially if there have been suspicions about significant health problems before.

[kittyo9]

My advisor moved here from New Zealand and brought her cat over with her... she said the tickets to bring the cat over were as expensive, if not more expensive than her own ticket.

Anyway, this might help you a bit. I'm not sure how updated everything is. If you really have no other options and really need to bring your cat, definitely start looking (and saving) now for what needs to be done in terms of veterinary visits and documentation.

[Oldblighty]

Thanks Kittyo9 & ThePiedPiper for your responses re my query, I appreciate your advice.

Below in bold is part of an email I received from a company I contacted here in England about relocating my cat Whisky

Importing pets into the US is extremely easy, “ Whisky “ will need to see a Vet in the UK 7-10 days before departure to confirm that she is fit and well enough to make the journey and if she hasn’t already had a Rabies vaccination this can be done within 14 days of arrival.

So from what I can gather my cat doesn't necessarily need any vaccinations before she leaves, she will just need the rabies shot within 14 days of arrival. I have emailed the company in the hopes they can verify this. I really did presume she would need a lot more checks/vaccinations done before flying to another country but as I'm new to all this I really don't know.

The company gave me a quote for relocating her and it was £518 without the transit kennel and fees I would need to pay customs on arrival in Chicago.

I have been asking friends and family for quite some time now if they could take her on but they've already got animals & don't want anymore. I really don't want to put her in an animal shelter if I can help it, but if the vet decides she's not fit enough to fly I won't have much choice, which just breaks my heart....

[ThePiedPiper]

I cross-referenced with the CDC and you're right, it does seem fairly easy. My recommendation would be not to get the rabies shot if she's indoor-only and you're going to a state where it's not legally required, though. It is in California but it's not in all states, so I'm not sure whether it is or is not in Illinois too.

I would try contacting a rescue before an animal shelter. Animal rescues tend to be a bit of a step up, at least here in the U.S., and I'd assume you'd be able to find a rescue that would take her.

I think the big thing is going to be the stress, then. I had an issue where my old cat got really ill because of the stress of our move, so I'm a little bit anxious about that in general. :/ But I think the big thing would be making sure she's healthy enough to fly and going from there. Have you tried sitting with her and sort of presenting her with the option? I know it sounds silly, but people get gut feelings about when it's time to euthanize their animals, so why not gut feelings about whether or not it's worth it to move them? I know Zephii said she did it once and would absolutely never put a cat through it again, so it's definitely not an easy choice. I would sit with her and sort of see where your gut feeling is, beyond not wanting to give her up, beyond not knowing what's the right thing to do, and simply see what comes to you intuitively. It sounds a bit woo woo, but I promise that sometimes just sitting, being still, and awaiting an answer will allow that answer to finally come.

[Hololz]

I agree that the first thing is to make sure she is healthy enough to fly. If she is I would take her. Moving across the atlantic is going to be stressful for you both, but at least she will have you as a constant. I think it would be much more stressful for her (after 14 years of having you) if you left her in the UK. Without wanting to sound harsh, it may feel to her, as if she had been abandoned... That's just my take on it anyway.

[LilyChiba]

So glad someone asked this in here because I have a cat who is around 4/5 now who is my life. As much as a pet can be. I don't think I could handle not taking her with me and being she is a breed worth $1000 all on their own here, I think it is worth the cost to take her. But I was never sure who to contact or what to look at when it came to pricing to get them over there. Thread came in handy haha.

[Fltricia]

Have your vet evaluate her and see what their opinion is. If the vet thinks she can make it than I would take her. She will want to be with you.

[Zephii]

How well does she travel generally? Does she go in the car much? Is she usually high strung, easily startled etc?

I'm not going to lie to you, the flight is hard on an animal (and freaking expensive but hey, we'd do anything for our furbabies). I put my cat on the 15 hour flight from Oz to Canada because no one would mind him for the year I was gone, and now he's still in Canada and I'm here without him I couldn't make him do it twice. He was very angry with me!

Physically he was good to go, he was young and tough. But I still got him back stressed and coated in his own feces. The only way I'd force him to do it again is if I knew for sure I'd never move countries again.

I have heard that some airlines will allow pets to be taken into the cabin as carry-on, and that I think would be 100x less stressful, so try to find an airline who will let you do that. (Australia doesn't let you do it ever, but maybe the US will)

[13000km]

I had a friend move her cat from Wisconsin to Oregon. Granted it is not nearly as long a flight. But her cat was old..15 or 16 I think? No one would take her cat in so she didn't have a choice. She was allowed to carry her cat as a carry on with a collapsible pet carrier that fit under the seat during take off and landing. During the flight she could pop the pet carrier open all the way and sit it in her lap. The vet had given her cat the all clear and some things to calm the cat but the cat was awake the entire flight and screaming! I personally would try my hardest not to fly such an old pet, but if the alternative was to put it in a shelter then maybe I would. ):

[BlueCat]

If your cat was 5, I'd say go for it, but at 14, I'd be hesitant to, it's a lot of stress for an older cat. Besides the fact that I couldn't because of a no pets allowed policy, I didn't even want to move my 17 year old cat to a house 30 minutes away from my mums, because I didn't want her to have to settle into a new environment when she was so set in her ways back there. Is your cat an outdoor cat or indoor cat? You have to consider that if its an outdoor cat, then it also has to settle in in terms of heirachy of neighbouring cats and there may be fights etc which your cat will likely not fare well in. In any case, if you do move, be sure to do health checks, particularly of the heart and lungs, blood work etc. I would try to get your cat used to plane noises, and its carrier and being shut in its carrier for periods of time. You also have to consider that your cat will be in quarantine for some time after entering the new country.

I hate to hear that none of your family is even willing to take her on, it's not like it's a 1 year old cat that they're going to have another 15 years (then again, your cat might live to 30 :P) I just know that if it was me, someone in my family or one of my friends would do it as a favour to me, since they know how much my pets mean to me.

[Zephii]

You also have to consider that your cat will be in quarantine for some time after entering the new country.

Not necessarily. Canada didn't quarantine my cat, because I made sure he had a rabies shot and his paperwork done before we left. Depends where you're going and where you're from.