quarantine or no quarantine? / pets aboard a plane to India

SFtoBLR

Thanks Suzi - I will definitely do that!!

mallikajah

Hi! My daughter is planning to move to India with her two cats. I have spent time with her cats and I love them. But the thought of moving them safely is giving me sleepless nights. I am on the net all the time trying to find ways to move them safely. I will really appreciate a message from you Taijing once you have moved your cats. Do let me know how it all went. By the way I hope you know Air India allows cats in the cabin. But they allow only one pet per person.

mallikajah

Taijing have you managed to transport your cats to India? It's my turn now and I will really appreciate if you let me know how it went and what all formalities you had to go through.

Taijing

Dear all,

I eventually stayed in China. I became, however quite a specialist of pet importation, since I browsed a lot of forums and websites.

I know that India airlines and lufthansa allow one pet in the cabin, and if you ask in advance, plead your case unendlessly and that your 2 cats' total weight is less than 8 kilos, you might be able to take them both in the cabin, provided they can keep the spacy seats in the plane for you three or that the plane is not full.

Do not give them sedatives and refrain them from eating at least 6 hours before the plane takes off. It will prevent them from feeling sick and vomit.
only give them water after take off, in small quantity.

To help them feel safe, you can also put an old sweater or large T-shirt that you have worn a few days in a row in the cat carriers with your cats. Your smell will be welcome in a foreign enviromnent, since you cannot take them out of the pet carrier during the whole flight.

Last, make sure that all importation paper are filled in fully and get the required stamps, and do not forget full body photos of your pets. it will save time at customs.

Good luck !!

Taijing

hello !

get your cats vaccinated for Rabbies in advance. Depending on the country you come from, the duration between vaccinations and moving is between 1 to 6 months. Do not undergo FIP/Fcov vaccination, it is dangerous for your cat - the vaccine can lead to development of the virus, and she will be detected as virus carrier if you do so - the antibodies will stay in her feces and saliva.

Take full body photos of your cat and print them. have description of your cat made by your vet : body length, height, eye and fur color, age, particular signs.
This is for the importation papers as well as a precaution if anything bad happens.

Fill in the pet importation forms available at the consulate of the country you are moving to, India. have your vet stamp or sign all the papers.

I would consider having a cat chipped. If you are not a US citizen, prefer the European chip, it is readable in any country of the world. tatoo is not considered as a proof of identity anymore now.


Good luck!!!

mallikajah

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your prompt response! I hope I can bother you later for more info and some moral support. I am so nervous about the whole thing and we are still 6 months away from the whole process. Thank you once again!

judecg

Hello to all who are interested in flying with cats! I thought I should pop on and add my experiences as they could be helpful.

I brought my two cats from LA to Bombay in November of last year. I did a LOT of research on the web first before flying them as I was very nervous about it. I finally found an amazing company that takes care of the whole thing... and explained most of the pitfalls to me.

Firstly, as humans it's hard for us to get into the headspace our pets are in when they travel. We tend to think because it is a very scary process they will be comforted by our companionship, just as we are by theirs But truly, animals, and cats especially, just get into a mental place where they don't need humans and just 'get on with it'. If we provide them with a safe and calm environment such as the baggage compartment on the plane, they will settle down and probably sleep 90% of the time. It's just the loading on and off and the noisiest bits that are the most alarming.

So consider instead when you put your lovely cat into a tiny tiny carrier, under the seat in front of you. Your feet are crushed up in front of them. They cannot even stand up, stretch, or turn around easily. There is the continuous noise of people and, more scary, the food carts wheeled up and down the aisle serving meals. That is far more disturbing. And you can't take them out to comfort them anyway. They don't really pay attention to our efforts to comfort them.. they're just trying to block out all the scary!

There are many reputable companies that will organise your pet relocation. The utmost importance is to put them on planes that have climate controlled baggage holds (some are even softly lit) and I was assured than in fact this area is just same conditions and noise as we experience in the passenger cabin. Knowing my cats could stand, walk a little, stretch, get a drink if they needed.. was much better than cramming them into that tiny area under the seat that is barely enough room for two feet and a handbag.

My cats were looked after so so well. They were escorted right into the plane, had an overnight stop to be fed, checked over and have a bathroom break, and were looked after by someone from the company through the customs check here in Bombay. Although scared and unsure when they arrived, within 24 hours they were settling in so well and now that we have to send them overseas once again I know we are doing the right thing having a good company take care of it for us. They also do all the paperwork for you... for export and import... which can be a HUGE hassle.

It can all be done yourself... more work of course... so if you do... look online for pet relocation companies. They can advise you how to do that as well. Lufthansa is an airline that has climate controlled holds and gives excellent service.

One caveat... I'm not going to say it's cheap. If there is a way you can fly with the cats and not have them on a seperate flight that is much cheaper (not cargo costs) so maybe you can organise that with the company. But for us... our cats are family and since I'm not Dr Doolittle and can't explain to them what's happening (how I wish!), the best I can do it make sure it's as painless as possible.

judecg

One other thing to keep in mind... for anyone coming from the west with cats perhaps. The range of cat food available in India is very very slim. If you are used to, as I was, the giant aisles with umpteen varieties as I had in LA... you will find it hard. There is really only one or two brands with one or two flavours. I think they are imported from Malaysia or something... can't remember. Anyway... we tried *everything*.. begged and pleaded with our two cats to try and get them to eat... but they just turned up their fussy little noses and refused to eat it. If you are hoping for any of the brands that provide more medically correct diets (for kidney health, senior food etc) there isn't any.

It's not too much of a surprise. Keep in mind that the concept of buying special food for pets is fairly new here. Many people simply feed their animals some of their own food... lots of leftovers etc. It is a very rich luxury to afford the canned food for animals we are used to buying.

In desperation I have had to get my parents in Canada to send care packages of cat food tins... at great expense. Not even great hunger would force these lucky cats to eat the strong smelling cans of fish in jelly. They don't know how lucky they are each day... I sure wish someone had been sending me the food I missed! Sushi anyone?

edwardseco

A wise precaution since it is a scandal how many pets are killed or lost by the airlines. Guess its the same for human passengers but there they have to keep the statistics..