Taking cats

[Graham Cross]

We have got two cats and they are house cats. age 12. we haven't been allocated a case officer as yet but we have sold our house and have had our application etc in since May this year. we are hoping to take our cats with us and would like some advice on how to go about it and who to deal with etc. We have got family over there who will be able to collect them and put them in a cattery until we arrive but we are wondering if we should get things moving e.=i.e. chipping and injections etc so that when we get the go ahead we won't have them to worry about

[Lara Croft]

Hi Graham.

We also have cats (7) that we are planning to take with us, and there is a long list of stuff that has to be done (vaccinations / chips / forms etc). I had a ballpark quote from a pet shipper (can't remember the name at the moment...), which came in at under £3k for all 7, with some sharing boxes. Anyway, they included a very helpful list of requirements to go through with our vet.

We are hoping to go in spring next year (if not earlier), so I need to dig out the quote and start making vet appointments! I seem to remember thinking it will take around 3 months to get them all ready for the move.

There are 2 things worrying me about the trip. Two of my moggies are old (1 is 12, and 1 is 11) and they get very stressed even going in the car, so I am anxious about how well they will cope with the journey. The other worry is about finding a pet-friendly rental when we get there!

If anyone has any suggestions for pet-friendly rentals in the Christchurch area, please let me have them, to add to my database of contacts!

Regards,
Jane

[Alison&Stephen]

Hi Graham,

We have 3 cats (and 2 dogs) we are hoping to bring over with us (if we get the yes from London! - decision pending).

There is more vet stuff to do with the dogs but you do need to get in touch with DEFRA Animal Health Office (that's what it's called up here in Scotland)to obtain application forms for Export Health Certificates for your cats. Yes, they need micro-chipping and have their vaccinations up to date, and you will need to submit 2 faecal samples (via your vets), 14 days apart and no more than 30 days before export date - this test is for hookworm. They will also need worming and flea treated (shippers should do this).

Best advice is to have a chat with your vet who will go through it all with you. Ours was wonderful, giving us a full run down on everything we needed to do.

Best wishes and good luck,

Alison & Stephen

PS - Jane, we too are V worried about rentals and pets. One estate agent said cats were usually ok, it was the dogs...

[Lara Croft]

Hi Alison. Whereabouts are you hoping to move to?

Jane

[dilanium]

Graham,
I assume you're moving from the UK? If so it will be fairly easy for you, but check with NZ biosecurity to make get all the necessary requirements out of the way.

[Alison&Stephen]

Hi Jane, hoping to move to the Auckland area (no idea where is best) as that is where OH's job will be. The recommended where to live in Auckland book should be arriving soon which, hopefully, will give us more of a clue where to look.

Regards and good luck with everything,

Alison.

[Lara Croft]

Thanks Alison, same to you!

If I come across any Aukland-based pet-friendly rental links, I'll post them for you!

Regards,
Jane

[Lara Croft]

Hi again Alison.
Do you go on the BritishExpats forum at all? I just did a search for pet friendly rentals and had a few hits, including:

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...iendly+rentals

and this one...

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...iendly+rentals

Hope this helps!

Regards,
Jane

[M&J]

We found that our vet, even though she was a kiwi didn't actually know very much about what was need to ship our dog. We used Golden Arrow who were great told us everything we needed to do on what date and always on the end of a phone if you had any questions.

Just ring them up, they are based in Shropshire.

[Pip]

Definitely try Golden Arrow. We shipped out our cat with no problems and they did everything and she arrived in great condition.

If you do a search for Golden Arrow on this forum, you'll find heaps of people who rave about how good they are!

If you call GA (no website sadly), they will send you a free info pack which tells you all the necessary steps, costs etc etc.

Failing that, feel free to PM me and I'll try and answer any questions you have