Thinking of taking our Cat with us!!??

[Guest fatman]

:daydreaming:

We have a very much loved family cat, she is just an old Moggie nearly 11 yrs old... never had an illness yet. She (Charlie) is very precious to us.

Wondering if anyone out there has taken their old cat with them?

Do you know approx how much it would cost to take her?

 

Graham & Janis Price

[Guest guest3462]

Well, I am really sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but to transport a pet costs an absolute fortune!! You would be looking at several thousand pounds for the flights, quarantine fees and vet checks, then on top of that have the worry that poor Charlie will cope with such a big move (the flights, quarantine away from her routine, huge change in weather and environment, spiders & snakes etc etc) she is an old gal after all. I'm not sure if your pet insurance will cover loss or injury caused by trauma from flying abroad.

also once here pet insurance is a lot more expensive than UK brokers and vet costs are extortionate. I don't know how old cats live to be, but I think you would have to have a serious think about whether it would be best for everyone to rehouse her in the UK?

We had to leave our beautiful black labrador behind when we moved here as we simply could not afford to bring her. It was an emtionally terrible decision, but one which was the best for our family and for her in the end as the money we did not spend on transporting her definately helped to set us up once we arrived...we were daft and didn't bring any white goods or furniture instead naively opting for the "new start new home" pathway.

Good luck in your decision, all the best

JC

[Guest smurph]

we brought two cats over with us they cost 1500 pound for the two and it didn't bother them at all they both are 9 years old are very timid cats and they were and are still fine. due to there age, insurance companies wont touch them or charge an absolute fortune after the age of 10 anyway (but i am sure this was the same in the uk) so you probably wont be able to get insurance for them....vets i find ok they have to earn a living the same as any other profession, i just paid $72 each for there annual booster injection i cant remember how much i used to pay in the uk...and as they are indoor cats i dont have to worry about snakes, i pay $10 per night per cat to put them in a cattery when we go away so again i don't think that is too bad..if you need details of the business i used let me know, i can pm you there details.

[Diane]

11 isn't all that old surely? We had a cat in the UK lived till 17, and was healthy right up until the last few weeks. Unless she's an indoor cat though, you do have a few more worries over here. Our Duke (7 months) has already cost us $1200 when he decided to play with a brown snake a couple of months ago, and still has a fascination for reptiles - I rescued one blue tongue and one other 12 inch long lizard from him yesterday. Husband doesn't think he'll make old bones....

[HEAPS GOOD !!!]

We brought our cat with us Mr b he was called he cost a small fortune to bring him over....but we had to he was family...unfortunately he is no longer with us...he had a habit of climbing inside the wheel arches of cars....and he did one too many times....we miss him dearly.....

 

although we now have 3 cats.....

 

HG

[malkitek]

:daydreaming:

We have a very much loved family cat, she is just an old Moggie nearly 11 yrs old... never had an illness yet. She (Charlie) is very precious to us.

Wondering if anyone out there has taken their old cat with them?

Do you know approx how much it would cost to take her?

 

Graham & Janis Price

 

Thanks for posting this, have you decided yet? We have a 8yr old cat, and I can't decide what to do!!?? My vet says it is as stressful to rehome her (hopefully with my brother) as to take her. She is such a nervy wee thing who is often half bald from anxiety overgrooming, and has a titanium pole in her leg (£2500 paid by tesco insurance, very impressed), but she is ours and can't really imagine being without her and do belive you take animals on for life, but it does seem a huge amount of money! OH not as keen to take her cos he's not sure how long it'll take him to get work? He says we should lodge her at my brothers till we get settled but think this is him trying not to take her! How ridiculous am I to feel so guilty!

Gill x

[snifter]

Cats cost a lot less to ship than dogs as its based on the crate size. I think the person who posted about £1500 for their two is about right. I'd think you would be looking around the £1000 mark, give or take a bit either way, plus vets fees and then 30 days quarantine and transporting to Adelaide from one of the 3 quaratine points (Sydney, Melbourne or Perth iirc). I know for a dog recently the 30 kennel fee is $800 AUS, so less for a cat I'd hope.

 

Personally, if she is a much loved pet I'd bring her. I think its a bit of a myth about the flights being really stressful. If you give her time and get her used to her travelling container for a couple of months before moving she should feel settled in it for the trip. If she has a blanket that smells familiar etc it will help. My understanding is that once they are in the containers most animals tend to settle well and bed in for the duration.

 

She won't be allowed out of the container till she reaches Australia. Once she goes in it before being flying out from the UK they leave them in the continers to ensure they stay safe. But as your vet has pointed out, rehoming via a rescue or cattery would be as stressful and she may be in a place like that for weeks before finding a new home.

 

If she is not a really timid nervous type of cat I'd think she would cope well with the flight and 30 day quarantine. No worse than being transported in a cage to a rescue or some such and then spending time in a pen till a new owner is found. And she would ultimately be with you, the people who have had her all these years.

 

I know for our dog, a whippet we have been quoted as little as £1800 and up to £2200 for flying over and its $800 for kennels for 30 days. I don't plan on leaving him behind. He is part of the family and where we go, so does he.

 

If you can be happy leaving her behind then consider it. But if you know you will miss her, that she is a part of the family, then do what you need to bring her with you. Contact some companies that arrange animal transport and ask for quotes etc to give you an idea. I don't think it will be as much as some people think it is.

[LisaWebster87]

im coming over in feb and i have made the decision to leave my baby girl (cat)

 

after speaking with the cat protection its just not fair, for example i moved into temp accomodatin recently as we sold the house in preperation for the big move, it took 3 weeks for my cat to settle and that just moving round he corner.

 

it costs something along the lines of 1500 for the flight alone then around £24 per day in quarentine

 

i know its hard but maybe it would be better for you and the cat as im sure it would be stresfull for you not knowing what is going on in quarentine as well as if ur cat is going to survive

 

xxx

[Guest sarahtwinn82]

Hi we bought 2 cats over in August this year, we used a comapny called Ladyhaye. We paid Ladyhaye £1500 for flights, relevant paperwork and checks and the travel box. We paid quarantine $1900 so it will only be half that for 1 cat. I think Ladyhaye said 1 cat would be £900. They are both fine and 1 is an outdoor cat and he's not bought any pressies for us as yet. Hope this helps.

[Guest katsmajic]

We used jets4pets for Mr B, cost £1200, plus $600 quarantine in Melbourne, plus $120 flight to Adelaide. Absolute bargain if you ask me, just wished we had kept him in all the time instead of just nights.

He made us all feel so happy and complete when we bought him home, he loved the sunbathing and chilling.

Our 3 feline friends are all proper house cats, jabs/boosters approx $70 each.

Bowwowwow is good for insurance, but dont think theyl cover 11yr old.

[Damms]

Hi Fatman

 

If you can afford it then I would bring Charlie, the stress of re housing in UK would be the same as the stress of coming to Oz so what really is the difference except she will be with the family she knows, I agree you have to be a bit more careful here with the wildlife but it depends where you will be living and if she likes to explore...

 

We left our dog in the UK, it wasn't a financial decision but more to do with the climate, we had a really hot summer in the UK the year before we left and she really suffered so we thought that Oz would be even worse... but we didn't realise most of the time is is a lot less humid here so she probably would have coped well, apart from the really hot days but then that's what air con is for.. we did regret it although she did settle very well with her new owners.

 

Its a very difficult decision and to be honest probably only you can make it as you know your cat.

 

Generally renting options with an animal isn't too bad either, further from the city tends to be better.

 

Good luck with what you decide

 

Kim

[Guest Messua]

We couldn't bare the thought of leaving our precious feline friend with anyone else. He came with us and it cost a fortune, but we adored him! He was 2 years old at the time and we didn't believe the advice that it could shorten his life span. Sadly, the stress of the journey did take it's toll later on. He developed a few behaviours that were stress-related. He was eventually put to sleep last year at 12 years old, after suffering multiple organ failure. Get advice. It might be that vets think 11 is too old to make the traumatic journey.

[Guest hel&sam]

we brought our cat, came to about $1200 with everything, she was only 5 though. settled well, no probs, glad we brought her although it was a matter of much discussion!! from the husband.

[malkitek]

we brought our cat, came to about $1200 with everything, she was only 5 though. settled well, no probs, glad we brought her although it was a matter of much discussion!! from the husband.

 

OOh that seems very reasonable, can you tell me who that was with?

Gill x

[Guest HannahandRick]

Hi,

We brought our cat (Oscar) with us and he was 13 at the time. He was always very timid/nervous so I wasn’t sure how he would cope with the flight/noise/quarantine etc. We spoke to our vet who said although he was a 'good age' he was fit and healthy; also it would be far more stressful to rehome him. Anyway we used Airpets.co.uk (based next to Heathrow airport) they were great and very professional. We dropped the cat off in the morning (they also offer collections) and he flew out that night. I can’t remember the exact costs but if you contact them they will provide an individual quote. The service includes the crate, import license etc. I was able to contact Spotswood quarantine to check that he arrived ok and there after on a weekly basis, they were great. We then used Petcarriers.com.au to transfer from Melbourne to Adelaide; again we were really happy with this service. The whole process went better than expected and although Oscar was somewhat anxious when we collected him he soon settled down and was just happy to be with us. He is still very much an indoor cat and is not too bothered by the heat. The whole experience doesn’t seem to of adversely affected him in any way and we are glad that he is with us.

Good luck and all the best!

[Guest hel&sam]

we used golden arrow from the uk to melbourne (brilliant) then All creatures Air Road, from melbourne to adelaide, also brill.

[Guest BAZnDAF]

Hi,

 

Just read your thread, a bit late to reply - sorry we've been packing.

 

We were in the same position re bringing our 2 cats who are both 7. We had to make the painful decision to re-home them (together) as they are very shy & sensitive and would have hated the travelling process. I advertised them free on pets4homes and also Preloved. They have now been in their new home for over 2 weeks with a very loving family who text me photos of them regularly. I was broken-hearted for at least 10 days and still miss them dearly:sad: but I visited them a couple of days ago and they didn't even want to know me! They have moved on now and so must I , knowing that they are very happy & settled.

 

Hope you manage to sort things out

 

Daf x