Pet Passport

Currently living in Italy and moving back to California to prepare for my move to England. Bit confusing, I know.

Anyways, my cat has to get a pet passport for her flight from Italy to California. Will this passport be useful when I go to start my PETS? Will I ever use this again?

Seperate from the passport question.... do you think it is a bit much on a cat to fly, say beginning November to California then do a turn around after the PETS is completed and fly back to the UK May-Juneish? I think it might be a bit much so I'm considering doing the Queen Mary 2. So if anyone has done that, information would be great!

Thanks!

If it's an EU Pet Passport it could prevent you from needing to do the PETS scheme in its entirety (I think you have to wait 3 weeks from the time of the passport creation, but that's it). That's assuming you already meet the other requirements (microchip, rabies vaccine, etc.) The pet passport should basically replace the bloodwork/6 month wait/etc, assuming that the rabies vaccination covers the full time period (in this case, through summer 2011).

As for timing, I would think November -> May is fine. My cat was a bit "off" for about a month, but since then he's been his normal (read: generally cute/friendly, sometimes annoyingly whiny) self. Six months should be more than enough time (and given how stressed out he was over 15 hours of plane travel, I don't want to know what he'd have been like with 7 days of boat travel). I know a few people have done/are planning the journey via QM2, though, so someone will probably weigh in.

I would agree with equestrianerd...

I think we tend to project our fear of flying on our pets (I know I do) and think that a flight is going to be "scarier" than a boat. I honestly believe that a cage is a cage is a cage and animals aren't going to know any different, except that on a boat they are in that strange/scary cage for a much longer period of time. This is part of the reason that I don't board my cats anymore when I go on vacation - I find that animals spending a long time in a small/strange space can get very stressed, especially kitties.

For what its worth, I brought my four (very different in temperament) cats over in July and they all did beautifully well after a 15hr drive and then a 9hr flight.

I also know of someone who brought their very old (19yo!) cat over to the UK on a plane and did fine.

Good luck with your kitty!

I honestly believe that a cage is a cage is a cage and animals aren't going to know any different, except that on a boat they are in that strange/scary cage for a much longer period of time.

I completely agree. The only benefit of the QM2 that I can see is that (from what I've heard) you can visit your pets and let them out of their cage for short periods of time. Weighed against the fact that you can't let them out 24/7 and, at a minimum, they'll be in their cage for ~12 hours/day (between sleeping/eating times for you) for 7 days...that's a lot of time.

Sorry for such a late reply!

But I want to thank you guys for the replies... I didn't think much about the 7 day kennel, I was just super excited about seeing her every day. I'd much rather make a quick (ha!) flight instead of a week.

I'm going to have to do some more research with her passport...she just received and we are heading back to California in a few days... Hopefully I can by pass some things with it!

Thanks again!