Pet scheme question

If I don't do that, she'll have to be on the plane when I go over. Is that better than some kind of delivery service? Again, I don't have much money. If anyone has used a delivery service, how much did it cost and how did it work?

I am not sure what you mean by "delivery service". Your cat will always have to fly on a commerical airplane, approve route to get to the UK.  The only "delivery service" I am aware of is when people hire a company to manage the process for you - they will do all the leg work, but your cat will still fly the same way.  There are also companies who will pick your cat up at the airport and drive her to you. 

My friend keeps saying things like "Oh [your cat] probably won't even make the trip" and "You shouldn't even bother taking her" all because she's 14. If the vet says she's healthy enough, this shouldn't be a problem, right? My cat seems nothing like a stereotypical 14-year-old cat. She's very agile and playful and I've seen really no change in her as she's aged. So, maybe I DON'T trust my friend to prepare her for travel if she doesn't see the point Honestly, even if my cat only lives a year after I take her, it will be worth it to me.

Ew, that's really jerky.    We moved our 2 cats when they were almost 13, and they're none the worse for wear.  I asked the vet to be completely, brutally honest with me about any concerns about them flying, and she said she had no reservations about either one. 

They flew over with a 13 year old dog.  It was the geriatric pet express that day.

 

My UK passport still hasn't come in, though I've been charged for it. For some reason, the Home Office in London will not give me any status update on my passport application (I've got dual US/UK citizenship) so I don't even know if it's on its way! I just moved (within Seattle) so this is a stressful time for me.

Yeah, I don't think they send updates. I was lucky enough to apply in-person during a down time (i.e. fall, after the tourist season), and got my passport in 3 days, but they didn't say how long it would take (other than normally it's 6-8 weeks) or that they'd give me any progress updates, so I think the passport just shows up in the mail when it shows up.

My friend keeps saying things like "Oh [your cat] probably won't even make the trip" and "You shouldn't even bother taking her" all because she's 14. If the vet says she's healthy enough, this shouldn't be a problem, right? My cat seems nothing like a stereotypical 14-year-old cat. She's very agile and playful and I've seen really no change in her as she's aged. So, maybe I DON'T trust my friend to prepare her for travel if she doesn't see the point Honestly, even if my cat only lives a year after I take her, it will be worth it to me.

Sounds reasonable to me. I just flew my 8yo cat out to NM (from NC) to live with family, and she handled the flight surprisingly well. (Flights, actually, she had a layover in Dallas.) She's had a bit of an adjustment period since getting there, esp. with regards to my relative's other cat, but overall has been in good shape. (The reason she went to NM instead of England with me is that she's pretty nervous and has chronic sniffles so I decided the desert would be a better climate than England for her.)

If I don't do that, she'll have to be on the plane when I go over. Is that better than some kind of delivery service? Again, I don't have much money. If anyone has used a delivery service, how much did it cost and how did it work?

I'm not sure what you mean by "on the plane", but just to clarify, this won't really be any cheaper. PETS scheme doesn't allow pets to fly in the cabin (which is the cheap option), they have to fly cargo (which is the expensive option). So either way, she'd have to fly in cargo, it's just a question of whether you're on the same plane with her or not. (Some airlines I've contacted said there are extra fees if the pet is unaccompanied, some airlines have all-inclusive options, as well. So if your airline didn't include those fees, it would be slightly cheaper to be on the same plane.)

I haven't looked into the transport service, but my impression is that it's significantly more expensive than just doing it yourself would be.

Can you stress to your friend that it is YOUR cat and she doesn't get to decide what will happen to her? Once you've got the bloodwork done, it's just a question of getting the USDA to certify your paperwork and doing the final vet visit just before the flight, so at least if your friend did watch the kitty, there's not a whole lot for her to do.

Good luck!

So, I've begun the Pet Travel Scheme -- I got her rabies vaccination and microchip last week (she already had a microchip, but they said it was the wrong kind). We're doing a blood draw next week.

My UK passport still hasn't come in, though I've been charged for it. For some reason, the Home Office in London will not give me any status update on my passport application (I've got dual US/UK citizenship) so I don't even know if it's on its way! I just moved (within Seattle) so this is a stressful time for me.

I decided that it would be silly to spend more money on my friend taking care of my cat because my friend lives in another state and I'd have to pay several hundred more to transport her, then she'd have to stay there a few months and then be transported again.

My friend keeps saying things like "Oh [your cat] probably won't even make the trip" and "You shouldn't even bother taking her" all because she's 14. If the vet says she's healthy enough, this shouldn't be a problem, right? My cat seems nothing like a stereotypical 14-year-old cat. She's very agile and playful and I've seen really no change in her as she's aged. So, maybe I DON'T trust my friend to prepare her for travel if she doesn't see the point Honestly, even if my cat only lives a year after I take her, it will be worth it to me.

If I don't do that, she'll have to be on the plane when I go over. Is that better than some kind of delivery service? Again, I don't have much money. If anyone has used a delivery service, how much did it cost and how did it work?

I kind of wanted to go to Scotland as soon as possible, though...I'm in a bad living situation over here.

I can tell you that I got a quote for a "pet moving company" services.  They would be with my dogs as they had a connection from Atlanta to Newark to London.  They went on and on about how great there service was and how they would take care of all the paperwork and properly prepare the crate and such.  I was quoted for my 2 dogs - $3700!!!!

Like you, I didn't have a lot of extra cash to give out.  I ended up paying $1700 directly to British Airways.  I waited in the office with someone from one of those pet moving companies.  He didn't do anything any different than I did.  The paperwork and leg work I did was the same he did.  Yes, it was a pain in the butt, but not worth all that extra $2000.

I like you, wanted to move much earlier than I did but waited for the dogs.  I was not in an ideal situation but it worked out in the end for me.

With the insight from this website, you can prepare all the paperwork yourself. Just thought I would share my story.

Best of luck to you

Visit 3: (I did this about a month before travel)  Go to the vet to have them fill out the EC998 form.  This is a VERY important part!  The form should be filled out in blue ink and MUST be dated in European date format.  Your friend will probably have to watch the vet like a hawk and talk him through filling this out if he is anything like my vet.  After this form is filled out, your friend will fax it and the titer test results to your local USDA office and they will let her know if it is ok to bring in for endoresement.  Get this stamped by the USDA office and keep it with the titer test and rabies certificate
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mirrajay-now i have a question about this visit 3......i thought  my USDA stamped the EC998 form.....ive read no where about the blue ink and the european date format.....oh now im really confused......sorry 

mirrajay-now i have a question about this visit 3......i thought  my USDA stamped the EC998 form.....ive read no where about the blue ink and the european date format.....oh now im really confused......sorry 

Your vet signs off that the various procedures were done (microchip, bloodwork, etc). Then the USDA signs off on them as well. Ideally, both signatures will be in blue ink. (My vet signed in black, but the USDA vet signed in blue.)

The pets can travel for 4 months after the USDA vet signs off on the form. I don't think the USDA vet will sign off on a form that's not also signed by your USDA approved vet, but I could be wrong.

hey i just noticed that youre in nc......where are you at......im in asheville.......and now im really screaming.......so my usda certified vet will sign off then we are mailing in for usda office to sign too.....am i correct in that.......i gotta reread all my papers tommorrow......steff

so my usda certified vet will sign off then we are mailing in for usda office to sign too.....am i correct in that.......i gotta reread all my papers tommorrow......steff

I was in Durham until this week, now I'm in Maryland until I head off to England in a couple of weeks.

I'm pretty sure you can mail in the forms, I went in person just to make sure there weren't any problems.

Here is the website with contact info for the NC USDA vet. The people I talked to were very helpful with info, so I'm sure they'll be able to tell you what your options are. If you do decide to go in person (which would be a long drive, I know), I was there for about 1 1/2 hours, including waiting to be seen at all for about 30 minutes. They took my paperwork, came out to say I was OK and collect payment info, and handed everything back again.

i have a friend in raleigh so i will just go for a visit for the day......im sure glad i read all these posts tonight for i had no idea......i dont know why things have to be so complicated......kicking my foot into the wall.....lol.....thanks again for the info