Taking cat to London via Paris

Hi everyone!

I've been lurking around the pet moving threads, trying to find information on moving my cat over to London in a few months. After looking at all the options, I'm pretty set on going via Paris to save some money and prevent headache with the cargo bookings (I can also keep her with me and sedate her so she's more comfortable and less anxious).

In my research so far I've found I can take her on the domestic trains (within France and on National Rail), but not Eurostar. So I'm kind of in a bind on whether to find us a ride on the Eurotunnel or take a ferry. My boyfriend was thinking of asking someone to collect us so we can go via Eurotunnel, but I'm not averse to taking the ferry. Only I just checked one ferry and they don't allow pets with foot passengers... And I'm wondering if I use the same pet check-in reception for both routes. I'm also concerned about distance between train stations and channel crossing stations. It seems like a no brainer that different modes of transport for major inter-Euro routes ought to be close to one another, but I don't like to assume. :p

Hope these questions aren't confusing. It looks like the trickiest part of this whole thing will be channel crossing.

Any advice or input would be so helpful! I asked for a quote for having a company courier service do everything, but it's just as expensive as all the others ($1100 >.<).

I can't help you with your question regarding the channel crossing except to say that I think your boyfriend's idea of having someone meet you is a good idea.

It is definitely recommended NOT to sedate your animal for a flight (respiratory depressant, they can die).  Please don't do it.

We flew United and they won't accept an animal if they suspect it has been sedated, I expect the other airlines are the same.

There is a lot of debate over the whole, cabin vs hold issue for small pets. (Only relevant when flying into mainland Europe, they have to travel as manifest cargo to the UK)

We flew straight into the UK so our cats were in the hold, but given the choice, I would put them there rather than in the cabin.

In the cabin, your cat will have to be in a small carrier, the lights will be on, there will be a lot of noise, other people and bustle whereas in the hold, they will be in a large carrier, with just the lull of the engine for company. They will be likely just to sleep through the journey. Put an old t-shirt of yours in with kitty for comfort

I called the airline (Air Canada) and they have no rules against her being sedated if she's flying with me in the cabin. I plan to talk to my vet about it tomorrow when I bring her for her rabies shot. I would never feel safe self-dosing her with over the counter methods, and I would only sedate her if expressly sanctioned by the vet with prescription medication. I'm hoping it will be an option for her as she is an incredibly anxious traveler and will cry and cry non-stop for the entire flight if she is not sedated. There is no comforting her with smells.

I found a cab company that offers a service for taking Eurotunnel from Calais to Folkestone and may use that...

Can your boyfriend hire a car and come pick you up in Paris?  I think that's been the most successful, stress free way others have done it in the past.

I wish! He doesn't drive himself as he's been a Londoner for decades. :p I've asked him if he might try to pass his test for this occasion since he's been meaning to anyway, but he's worried he won't have enough time to learn and pass the test. I can ask him to look into car hire services, though... Are there any specific companies you know of?

I called the airline (Air Canada) and they have no rules against her being sedated if she's flying with me in the cabin. I plan to talk to my vet about it tomorrow when I bring her for her rabies shot. I would never feel safe self-dosing her with over the counter methods, and I would only sedate her if expressly sanctioned by the vet with prescription medication. I'm hoping it will be an option for her as she is an incredibly anxious traveler and will cry and cry non-stop for the entire flight if she is not sedated. There is no comforting her with smells.

It's only such a dilemma because we love them so much!   

It's only such a dilemma because we love them so much!   

Ugh. It's true. She's a weirdo, but she's my baby. <3

Why do you think Eurostar wont take pets?
http://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/tickets/travelling-with-your-pet/

Why do you think Eurostar wont take pets?
http://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/tickets/travelling-with-your-pet/

I think she means not without being in a vehicle.  She doesn't have a ride yet.

Yes, that's exactly it. To take the Eurotunnel one has to ride in a car to cross the channel. I was wishing I could take the direct Eurostar train from Paris to London, but we have to take a more indirect route because they don't allow pets except for service dogs. I've been tallying up the numbers to see how much this will cost compared to just flying direct to Heathrow using cargo options (which costs between $600-1000+ depending on the carrier). I got quotes and transition times for travelling via Paris which I anticipate will happen around mid-April (The cost of my plane ticket isn't included as I consider that a separate budget):

Cat as carry-on from Montreal to Paris (Air Canada): $100 6 hrs
TGV train from Paris to Calais $50 (About $40 for human ticket and $10 for cat ticket) 2 hrs
Calais to Folkestone Eurotunnel Shuttle $245 About an hour
Folkestone to St Pancras National Rail $42
+Additional transport from St Pancras to Tower Hamlets
So it's an extra few hours of travel, but comes to about $437--a significant savings. If we can find a friend of my boyfriend's who might be tempted to do a wine run to Calais anyway, we can even further reduce the cost. As you can see, the channel crossing is the most expensive leg--and also the shortest. So that's the only thing to really coordinate.

We went to the vet today. BB (my cat) got a brand new ISO-compliant microchip and a rabies vaccine so she will be good to go in 21 days. I probably won't need to go that soon as I still have a lot to do before I head back again, but we at least have that part of things situated. My vet talked to me about all sorts of options for helping to cut her anxiety during the trip--most of which don't require full-on sedation. I'm really eager to get this over with. I don't plan to bring a whole lot with me (I'm a minimalist and live in a studio apartment) and I feel like this is going to be the hardest part of the whole moving process...

That's a whole lot of logistics!   I do hope you are able to get a ride.

Glad it went well at the vets.

I'm guessing it would be very expensive but what if you rented a car in Paris and returned it in London?

Unless the poster is experienced driving in Europe, picking up a rental car in central Paris and driving to Tower Hamlets is not going to be easy.  Paris is going to be a terrifying nightmare and London even worse but with everything on the wrong side of the road.  To me, that option only makes sense if you are used to driving in Europe and the price of the rental makes sense. 

I'm no expert, but I've made that channel crossing many times, and from Paris as well.  Don't underestimate how likely those complicated travel plans are to go wrong.  Trains are cancelled or delayed all the time, migrants regularly Storm the tunnel causing hours or days of delays.  Just last week, the ferry port was closed all day because hundreds of migrants stormed the port.  I say this not to scare you, but to make the point that trying to go through Paris just to save £400 may cost you more than that in taxis , hotels and grief.  I would not be looking forward to that trip after a flight from the US.  You are correct that the connection between trains and ferries is not in the same place.  That route is not set up for foot passengers because they all take the Eurostar.

If I were you, next I would investigate other ferries to see if they will take pets with foot passengers.

What about the bus? My MIL takes the bus from Paris to London to visit us.  The bus takes a ferry then drives to London.

Good luck


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What about the bus? My MIL takes the bus from Paris to London to visit us.  The bus takes a ferry then drives to London.

Ooh! You may have hit on something there! I'd definitely much rather a direct route. Would probably save money too. What bus does your MIL take? (And how long does it take?) I'd have to research if they allow pets...

The two major ferries do not take pets with foot passengers so I'm stuck needing a vehicle for the crossing. :/

And good point re: migrants causing issues. I've certainly been reading about it in the papers. I plan on making this journey in Spring and it's likely migration will start to increase again....

I think both national express and megabus have routes between London and Paris. Have a check on their websites.


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