Medication To Carry for Your Cat When Relocating

While you may imagine carrying an entire medicine pouch while travelling internationally with your cat, the reality is far from it. You only need to carry medication with you if your cat has a chronic condition or currently on medication. You don’t need a lot of medicines to travel, but your pet will need a clean bill of health before you can embark on your journey together.

The basic requirements remain the same, regardless of the various import requirements imposed by different countries. Your cat’s vaccination record, a rabies titer test, and a health certificate are usually the basics. However, some countries require your cat to be fully immunized, which means getting the basic group of vaccinations:

• FVRCP - Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, Panleukopenia
• FelV - Feline Leukemia Virus

Some countries also require parasite treatment, internal and external. Different kinds of worms need to be treated for shortly before departure, and you’ll need to check for and treat ticks and fleas. Treatment time depends on the country you’re visiting and the testing parameters they require you to comply with.

The validity of a vaccine is also important to remember and consider. Some countries only accept a one-year rabies vaccination, while others accept three-year vaccinations. Some are happy with a rabies vaccination recorded in your cat’s record, others require the vaccination to be within a specific timeframe before travelling, conduct a rabies titer test, and cooperate with cooling periods. Countries like Canada have relatively lenient requirements, whereas Australia requires you to prepare for half a year before you can fly.

Health and Safety Import Paperwork

As mentioned previously, your cat needs clean bill of health before it can travel anywhere overseas. The risks associated with longer-distance flights mean your pet will be grounded if in poor health or injured, so make sure your pet is healthy and fit to fly. Proof of your pet’s health is a fit to fly certificate, also known as an international health certificate. Each country has their own health certificate which you need to get signed and stamped by a vet, who will do so after a check-up.

Keep an eye out for miscellaneous requirements which may go unnoticed in the fine print and can derail your whole journey. An example? the UK requires the rabies vaccination to come from a specific manufacturer, and all other kinds of vaccinations are deemed invalid. Another example is the U.S, requiring the health certificate to be stamped by a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) accredited vet. They also require blood titer tests to be conducted at a Center for Disease Control (CDC) certified facility, failing which, your pet will be returned to the country of origin at your expense. Permits and tests can take time, so do not leave your preparations for later; the earlier you start, the better. 

Your pet can only fly in an IATA approved fiber crate, as these crates are manufactured with the safety requirements of pet transportation in mind. Buy an appropriately sized crate and crate train your cat, so it is less anxious and nervous while travelling than it otherwise would be. Account for ventilation and size your crate accordingly if you have a snub-nosed (brachycephalic) pet. The import criteria are often deemed stringent, but they are in place to safeguard the ecology of a state or country. It may seem a bit extreme, but if any import criteria are not met, a country reserves the right to return your pet at your expense.

Once you’re done with the health check-ups and paperwork, you need to comply with safety regulations. Your destination may not list it as a requirement, but a pet microchip is recommended before any travel. A microchip serves as ID proof for your pet, and your pet’s microchip number is their ID which appears on their documentation. Microchips must be of the standard, 15 Digit, non-encrypted, ISO 11784/11785 variety, which are accepted internationally.

Plan, Plan, Plan

Planning will be your best friend during a relocation. Failing to plan is planning to fail, and there’s no such thing as being too prepared for a complicated transfer which involves your pet, your pride and joy. You can take care of most of the regulations by yourself if the country you’re flying to doesn’t impose stringent import laws. You can prepare with relative ease and focus on the specifics of your new life overseas.

However, if the country you’re headed to has stringent import laws, you can prepare to meet them given enough time. If you’re struggling to meet your pet’s travel requirements, you can always hire a professional pet relocation service. Having conducted international pet relocations and being well versed with the international laws, such a company can guide you through the process and shoulder the inconvenience of having to procure numerous pieces of documentation and meet safety requirements. The fee a relocator charges goes towards guaranteeing your journey is hassle-free, and that no detail, minor or major, is overlooked in the preparation process. You may not need a bag full of medication for your cat when traveling, but you do need to fulfil the import criteria, which means a good deal of preparation beforehand you have any queries or concerns about your international pet relocation, contact us at query@carrymypet.com.