What should you pay attention to when taking your pet cat abroad?

If you want to travel abroad or move abroad, or if you want to foster your pet cat with relatives and friends abroad, you need to take the cat out of the country. It is not easy for pet cats to travel from one country to another. Let’s take a look at some common sense about cats traveling abroad.

Turkish Van Cat (details)

In order to minimize the spread of diseases, cats entering other countries from one country are usually strictly controlled by the governments of each country. Especially countries that have eliminated rabies, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, have very strict isolation management regulations. Ignoring these quarantine procedures will result in heavy fines, return, or even destruction. Therefore, any attempt to smuggle cats into other countries in violation of regulations is extremely irresponsible.

1. Necessary procedures for leaving the country

If you want to take your cat to live abroad, you must leave enough time to obtain the required certification materials. First, contact the relevant departments, apply for inspection at the animal and plant quarantine office at the port of departure before leaving the country, and provide relevant documents (such as vaccination certificates, etc.). If the cat passes the quarantine, the port animal and plant quarantine authority will issue an "Animal Health Certificate" as a quarantine certificate when the cat exits customs and enters the other country. Then, contact the other country's embassy to verify that country's exact requirements.

It is necessary to have your cat examined by a veterinarian before leaving the country. In most cases, cats need to be vaccinated against rabies.

　2. Transportation

Most cats leave the country by air. Even so, you should contact the airline you are traveling on to ask for special requirements and administrative details in this regard. Traveling with your cat on the same plane is much easier than other options. According to flight requirements, cats must be placed in a box of a specified size. If you want to change the volume of the box, you must contact the cargo department of the flight you are traveling on to inquire about the precise diameter (including the location of the air holes on the box).

Bringing cats into China via direct flights is relatively simple in terms of the preparation of supporting documents. Sea transportation can also be used. At this time, you have to contact the shipping company to learn about the special requirements. It's usually okay to put your cat in a suitable box, but there are no strict rules about the size of the box. During transportation, cats must stay in a box. If a person travels with a cat and the cat is packed in such a box, no one will usually take care of it. When the ship is docked, if everything meets the requirements, the customs stamps the official document with a large stamp that is essential for the cat's entry.