Another PETS question

Re: the tick and tapeworm question. I just arrived last week, New York/Kennedy to London/Heathrow, and my vet used Frontline (a liquid applied to the back of the neck, made by Merial) for the tick treatment and Drontal (in a pill form; made by Bayer) for the tapeworm, and I got through just fine. Keep in mind these are two different treatments, and there are two different sections to be filled out by your vet on the paperwork (one for tick, one for tapeworm).

A few other tips, from my recent experience:

1. Do not rely on what the airline tells you about the PETS scheme. I was given incorrect information by British Airways and it cost me time and money when I landed. If you have questions, go straight to the horse's mouth: DEFRA.

2. Someone upthread asked about flying their pets in through unapproved routes. Personally, I think this would be madness. Once you land, the quarantine people have your pet, and they can refuse to release it to you if they so choose. They can also make you pay extra fees, or make the pet stay longer. I know it's a pain if you're not near an approved airline or city on either side of the pond, but I would not risk it. They are serious about these regulations.

3. If anyone suggests that you no longer have to have the paperwork signed off by a USDA vet -- and I don't mean your regular vet, who can fill in the individual sections, but an actual EMPLOYEE of the USDA -- they are wrong. This is what BA told me. It cost me an extra 4 hours and 60 quid on the other side to have an official vet sign off on the paperwork once I got to London.

4. MAKE SURE YOUR CRATE IS THE RIGHT SIZE. When they say that the animal's extremities cannot touch the walls of the carrier, they mean it. When I got to BA cargo at Heathrow, they took one look at the (very large) cat carrier I was using for my 16-pound cat and said "no way." Luckily they had a dog carrier there and I was able to trade my original carrier for it, but it tacked an extra $500 onto my cat's ticket because of the extra volume and weight. Better to err on the safe side.

5. Ask your vet to write out dates instead of using the numbered shorthand on the paperwork. For example: October 3, 2005 instead of 10/3/05. In the British shorthand, that date would be 3/10/05. Writing out the actual name of the month saves on confusion.

Not to be a complete idiot...but I have a few questions about this (as I want to be certain when I get things rolling next month with the vet(s) here.)

A few other tips, from my recent experience:

3. If anyone suggests that you no longer have to have the paperwork signed off by a USDA vet -- and I don't mean your regular vet, who can fill in the individual sections, but an actual EMPLOYEE of the USDA -- they are wrong. This is what BA told me. It cost me an extra 4 hours and 60 quid on the other side to have an official vet sign off on the paperwork once I got to London.

4. MAKE SURE YOUR CRATE IS THE RIGHT SIZE. When they say that the animal's extremities cannot touch the walls of the carrier, they mean it. When I got to BA cargo at Heathrow, they took one look at the (very large) cat carrier I was using for my 16-pound cat and said "no way." Luckily they had a dog carrier there and I was able to trade my original carrier for it, but it tacked an extra $500 onto my cat's ticket because of the extra volume and weight. Better to err on the safe side.

In regards to #3...
Does that mean I should take the cats to my regular vets to have the microchipping, blood testing, and tick testing and deworming done and then after all that bring it to the "local" USDA vet person? or Does the USDA vet have to do the whole gammut (what exactly do they have to sign if the "regular" vet is doing everything (I just want to be sure so when I call to make appts that they don't get irritated with me for not knowing)?

About #4...
I was reading on one of the airline /cargo sites and they said that the cats shouldn't have a carrier with a mesh or metal front of side that the cats can fit their paws or tails out of...My boy, Max, is a Maine Coon (4 years old) , and he's usually brought to the vets in a medium size dog carrier. If he wants to he can stick his paws through the metal bars in the front (it was after all made for a dog which I guess wouldn't be as inclined to such behavior) do you think that's acceptable?

About the size--when they say "extremities cannot touch the walls of the carrier" does that include ear tips?

Max, when he sits upright he's about 21 inches high (at rest not like reaching for something) does that mean I need to get a carrier with a roof more like 24 inches or so? And when he stretches out (usually across my body, pillow or other handy place--he literally takes up 2.5 feet! but when he curls up he is normal cat size...

Also, is there any restriction other than the airline/cargo company to say you can't put more than one cat in a carrier? (not for Max, but pudgy and skinny are my older cats (12 and 13) and have been togther for more than a decade...pudgy is about 9 pounds, and skinny kitten is 6)
If they have all their clearance papers (mentioned above) should it make a difference if they are in a shared carrier?

Any help on these clarifications would be great!
thanks!

Also, is there any restriction other than the airline/cargo company to say you can't put more than one cat in a carrier? (not for Max, but pudgy and skinny are my older cats (12 and 13) and have been togther for more than a decade...pudgy is about 9 pounds, and skinny kitten is 6)
If they have all their clearance papers (mentioned above) should it make a difference if they are in a shared carrier

Even if it was allowed by DEFRA standards, no airline will fly more than one animal (mammal) in a container unless they are very young kittens or puppies.

Even if it was allowed by DEFRA standards, no airline will fly more than one animal (mammal) in a container unless they are very young kittens or puppies.

I found this on the BA cargo site:

"A maximum of two adult animals of comparable size (maximum 14kg each), that are used to co-habitating, may be shipped in the same container. Animals exceeding this weight must travel individually."

Does that mean I misunderstood?

It is my understanding (which could be wrong) that under the PETS scheme, only one pet per container is permitted. If you find something different is true please post it. Thanks.

Liz, you are correct. The PETS Scheme prohibits the sharing of crates and accomodations except for very young kittens and/or puppies.  Even if animals are used to co-habitating, it is better for them to be crated seperately as travel is very stressful for animals and they can often have aggressive behaviors, even towards animals they are used to. Remember, too, that if your animal need to void in flight, they will have to use their crate for a bathroom. This will create an uncomfortable situation for just one animal, let alone two.

Not sure if this helps, we used Continental Airlines for shipping and they were fantastic! The costs were almost a first class ticket, but they took real good care of the dogs (We call kids). People will tell you it isn't worth the trouble, but in my opinion it is.

Good Luck - You can do it, we all did!