I'm accompanying my cat to the UK -- do I still need a pet tranport specialist?

Sorry this is a bit of a long post, but I wanted to detail everything so far...!

My cat and I live in the USA and are moving to the UK. My British boyfriend is coming over to bring me and kitty back to live with him in his flat in London, hence my cat is coming with us on the same flight, at least that is what we plan to do, and we have even let our travel date be determined by his completion of his six month wait following his blood titer.

I have already started my cat on his steps toward being admitted without quarantine -- I purchased his FAVN rabies titer form, plus the vet certificate 998 from PetTravel.com, plus the certificate for the tick and parasite treatment. These forms arrived with full instructions on each step needed for successful acceptance of the pet to the UK.

So, already microchipped prior, my cat got his rabies booster vac then 2 weeks later his blood drawn, and four weeks later the stickered certificate came back from Kansas and all is well, passed with flying colors, so now he has completed two of his six month "countdown" to departure (my man and I based our travel date entire on the date that kitty will complete his six months while still in the US).

All that is left for me to do is:
Purchase his crate
Get the necessary stickers I understand need to be on the crate
Get the necessary import permit/license?
Book his "ticket" / place in cargo on my outbound flight to the UK
Take his forms to my local USDA office for stamp of approval (just downtown from me)
Get his general health certificate from my vet ten days before travel
Get his tick and parasite treatment within 48 hours of travel

And finally, take him with us to the airport, check him in, and take him through the procedure upon arrival at Gatwick... then hopefully bring him home with us.

Do I still need to hire the services of a pet relocator/transport company to take me through the "end stages" and to take my cat to the airport plus have an agent take him throught the Gatwick procedure?

I won't need "door to door" because for one thing there will be nobody home at my man's place -- we are going to be on the same flight as my cat and as long as he is not detained, we hope to leave Gatwick with him ourselves, to take him home.

But should I still get some of the process helped along by a specialist?

Has anyone else who had their cat on the same flight used or not used a service -- did anyone just do all of the prep themselves, successfully? (ie: can it be done, lol?!)

I've done so much research I feel I've got it all down, but having never brought a pet to the UK before, I realize the last thing I want is to have made a mistake.

Any input is greatly welcomed.

It doesn't sound like you need one. Some airlines flying from certain locations require it. But don't always go by what DEFRA says. The site says that it's required by BA when flying out of Dallas, but when we rang BA they said that's not true (though it is for some locations, like Seattle).

You will already be paying for an agent to check the cat through at Gatwick, this is either included in the up front costs of the airline ticket, or something you will pay when you get to Gatwick (it depends on the airline when you pay)

I think you've done all the work, and seem all set to go. Good luck.

Thanks for your reply, across, I appreciate it. I will call the airline/airport and check with them -- we haven't actually chosen which route and which airline to take, but now that you've told me this, it will definitely factor in.

I have second question:
I have been looking for a post I once saw here, where someone mentioned an airline that specifically did not take the animals out to the tarmac until necessary, and therefore the 85 degree rule about climate issue was not an issue....since I'm flying from either Dallas or Houston in July, this will be factor also!

Can anyone recall which airline did not just leave them out on the tarmac for hours? (!)

Thanks for all the help here.

I'm flying out from Dallas at the end of May. I know British Airways is the only flight you can take, and though DEFRA says that it's Gatwick you will be flying into, the flight is actually changing to Heathrow at the end of March. Though Defra hasn't confirmed this change will still be approved, they say it's very likely.
On that note, British Airways has a heat embargo after May, and will not fly your pets out of Dallas after May 31st. I'm not sure when the heat embargo ends. I would guess that Continental would have a similar embargo for flying out of Houston.

If you really have to leave in July, you might consider flying further north, possibly even Canada, first. Your pet can fly in cabin with you on that flight, and then switch to cargo on the approved non heat embargo route.

Oh man. This is pretty bad news.....

I knew about the heat requirement, but I thought it could be gotten around by flying early enough in the morning that it is not yet 85 degrees or above. I also heard that pet transport companies can get around it for you too. That was my other question about waiting on the tarmac -- I had read that it's only the tarmac wait that the heat embargo applies to, but if you can have the animal loaded at the last minute, it doesn't matter about the outside weather-temperature. The animal cargo is climate controlled so surely it is only the tarmac-waiting that this rule is about?

The only reason it has to be July is that it's the earliest time my cat comes to the end of his six months wait. My boyfriend and I are just desperate to start our life together over there, as being apart is tearing us apart. We started the cat in January which was the earliest moment we could get all the info together and begin the process.

Problem is, of course, Texas stays hot until well into late fall. To think that I may have to wait until then, and my cat may have to go around again with the titer.....this is really bad news for all of us. I"ve already been sweating bullets over this entire thing. I"m not even going to say how upset I feel right now.

Somebody PLEASE tell me I can still travel in July. I have heard quite differently about this being so despite the heat regulation.

Somebody PLEASE tell me I can still travel in July.

across just did:

If you really have to leave in July, you might consider flying further north, possibly even Canada, first. Your pet can fly in cabin with you on that flight, and then switch to cargo on the approved non heat embargo route.

I really, really doubt that you're going to be able to fly a pet from Texas in July - but I'd call the airlines and make sure before you start to panic. 

Your cat isn't going to have to go through the vaccination/titre process again - if the vaccination was in January, he won't need another vaccination until next January.  As long as he's continuously vaccinated, he won't need another blood test.  See here:

Further blood tests

No further tests are required after the first test which gives a satisfactory result, provided the pet is subsequently revaccinated against rabies by the “Valid until” date on the PETS certificate, EU pet passport or third country official veterinary certificate. If there is a break in the specified vaccination programme, a further blood test will be required after re-vaccination and the six month wait (see below) will apply.

The 6 month rule for entering or re-entering the UK

Pets may not enter or re-enter the UK until 6 calendar months have passed from the date that a vet took the blood sample which gave a satisfactory test result. Your pet requires only one blood test and 6 months wait provided all subsequent rabies booster vaccinations are given by the required date.

Link here:

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/pets/procedures/support-info/blood.htm

I understand that you are eager to end the long-distance nature of your relationship; however, if you plan to take your kitty with you, you're going to have to abide by the heat embargo rules.  They're not trying to inconvenience you - they have your pet's best interests at heart.

If you don't want to try the "flying north first" option, and you must leave in July, might a friend or family member be able to look after your kitty until the heat embargo has lifted?  I flew out of Atlanta at the beginning of October with no problems whatsoever, despite the temperatures being around 80 degrees that day. 

Thanks for your reply; my cat's titer result is valid for entry to the UK only for four months after the six months, I believe. This would mean I have until November to travel, after which I'm assuming the titer would have to be done again and another six months waited out.

I was sure I read in the literature of one pet transport company or another, (I've consulted three shopping for prices) that they have a way around the heat embargo because they keep the pet in a climate controlled area within the airport until loading, therefore making the heat a non-issue as the animal is not exposed to it.

If I have to fly north I guess I have no option, but we were hoping very much to avoid any connection flying. The cabin-flight-then cargo flight is a good idea, except for one thing, my cat's cargo crate will not fit under the seat as cabin-rules require -- not sure how to get through that one...

Please forgive my getting upset....this has all been an incredible strain already, all the way around. I want what's best for my cat, which is why I'm striving to avoid quarantine at any cost. But my man and I are also sick and tired, and I'm a Brit ex-pat desperately homesick. We are doing everything we can to get me over there but we have no other options than to have the cat with us. I have no-one at all who can keep him for me.

Thanks for your reply; my cat's titer result is valid for entry to the UK only for four months after the six months, I believe. This would mean I have until November to travel, after which I'm assuming the titer would have to be done again and another six months waited out..

I think you might be getting the "pet passport" entry validity confused with the titer validity. Meg is correct in that once your pet passed the rabies titer, as long as they get a booster every year, they are free the travel. You would only need to redo the Veterinary certificate.

I don't think there is any special tarmac rules. British Airways only loads the pets in the climate controlled cargo hold right before the plane loads, but they still have a heat embargo. I don't see how pet transport companies can get around this. But I've not done any research on this, so I claim no authority.

If I have to fly north I guess I have no option, but we were hoping very much to avoid any connection flying. The cabin-flight-then cargo flight is a good idea, except for one thing, my cat's cargo crate will not fit under the seat as cabin-rules require -- not sure how to get through that one...

They can also fly as access baggage?? I don't know if heat embargos apply to that.



Edit: I think the embargo probably would apply to access baggage as well. You could check the crate as access baggage though?
I know your freaking out now, so please don't take my word on this. Airlines all set their own rules, and there might be exceptions. Your best bet is simply phoning up the airlines and asking.

Thank you for taking time to reply to all this, and to a freaked out cat owner, lol. I'll be doing a lot of calling around tomorrow morning, yes!

It's that we had our hearts set on the very day my cat's six months was complete, and when I brought up the possible July heat problem with the transport companies I had contacted a while ago, one if not all stated that the heat embargo was not going to be an issue -- I think one mentioned a reserved lounge area followed by a climate controlled ride to the plane being how they got around it.

I'll be calling them, the airlines, and the airports as soon as business hours start tomorrow.

I think you might be getting the "pet passport" entry validity confused with the titer validity. Meg is correct in that once your pet passed the rabies titer, as long as they get a booster every year, they are free the travel. You would only need to redo the Veterinary certificate.

[...]

Your best bet is simply phoning up the airlines and asking.

Agreed, on both points.  The link I provided clearly states the rules regarding titre validity; regardless of what you've read on this site and elsewhere, ultimately DEFRA are the ones who allow your kitty into the country, and their requirements are clear.

Regarding the crate size issue - fly with your cat, in-cabin using the appropriate sized crate, to whichever northern airport you choose as a departure point, and check the international crate as excess baggage.  You'll need to allow approximately four to six hours connection time in order to check in your cat with the airline for your international flight.  It's really not as difficult as it sounds.

Thank you for taking time to reply to all this, and to a freaked out cat owner, lol. I'll be doing a lot of calling around tomorrow morning, yes!

It's that we had our hearts set on the very day my cat's six months was complete, and when I brought up the possible July heat problem with the transport companies I had contacted a while ago, one if not all stated that the heat embargo was not going to be an issue -- I think one mentioned a reserved lounge area followed by a climate controlled ride to the plane being how they got around it.

I'll be calling them, the airlines, and the airports as soon as business hours start tomorrow.

The primary issue at hand is one of cost, really - would you rather pay twice as much money so that you can depart from Texas in July using a pet transport company, or pay a couple of hundred extra dollars for a flight to somewhere without a heat embargo?  Considering that I paid $1800 in shipping costs alone to move my two guys to the UK in October 2006, and that the cheapest pet transport quote I was given was for twice that amount, I chose to wait an extra few weeks and save nearly $2000.  It's really up to you, though.

I don't think there's a cat (or dog) owner on this board who wasn't freaking out at some point or another - I know I was!  Good luck with your calls tomorrow.

We were actually going to fly Air Canada, since I found a great deal on one way tickets from Dallas to Heathrow. There is a lay-over in Toronto, with enough time to get the pets checked into the cargo hold of the Toronto to London flight. It's also a lot cheaper for the kitty's tickets than BA.

The heat embargo applies by airline only - so Delta has one, but Continental does not. Check the airlines and see what the rules are, but you should be able to find one that will fly in July.

Also confirming that Continental does not have temperature requirements.  We're using a vet who is an IPATA shipper as well.  They also told us that pets didn't have to be accompanied from on Continental.

Thanks andrea and Eruname for the mention of Continental, yes -- the update is I've been in touch with Sandy at VIP Pet Transport, and she says she can ensure a safe and non-heat-exposed departure for my kitty in July/Houston. I'll be hiring her services most likely; I think she has Continental in mind sure enough, but in addition her company apparently does something like keeping the animals in climate control until boarded. It's looking possible now with no harm to kitty.