Do I take the cats????

Hay, my wife and I plan on making the move to Adelaide in August and really don't know if taking the cats is a good idea. Firstly would they get along with the wildlife? So is it best to be cruel to be kind and leave them here with what they know? Also the cost of anyone has any idea please let me know. I would hate to leave members of your pride behind but need to know they would be ok out there.

They'll be fine but we keep ours inside at night here whereas in the uk they had free reign. This is primarily to stop noisy cat altercations and to give the possums some space.

Cost will be a small fraction of your overall migration costs...

I've moved this to Pets as it isn't really migration issue related.

Many people here are not keen on cats roaming and many are kept as indoor pets or confined to cat runs when out in the yard. There is a pretty noticeable concern over the damage cats can do to local wildlife. I rarely see a cat out and about in our part of Adelaide or where we lived before. Tbh if we get one in our yard these days it is short shifted and not welcome (we don't hurt them but do shoo them out as we prefer Aus wildlife over cats in our yard). Given the amount of people who keep their dogs in their backyards a cat round here is dicing with injury or death roaming round our neighbourhood across other peoples gardens.

Snakes are a risk if you let you cats out to roam freely.

Having said that many do keep cats here. Perhaps prepare to keep them indoors? Cats adjust given time. Rehoming in the UK could be hard going as many rescues are overwhelmed with cats and have waiting lists.

We took two cats (one white, one black) to Canberra which I seem to remember cost about £1,000 each all in.

There where certain parts of Canberra where you were not allowed to have cats due to concerns that they would interfere with indigenous wildlife on the local reserves (this seems to be a nation-wide issue) but the only problem we had was our white cat suffering severe sunburn to her ears which we were warned could lead to cancer and/or the need to amputate the ears so we sent both home to live with relatives.

Otherwise people do keep cats so I guess there's no real problems that can't be overcome if you're prepared to adapt a little.

Tough choice. But maybe you will find a new pet...like this.

Huntsmen spiders can be pets too.

Huntsmen spiders can be pets too.

if you have nothing worth saying, don't bother.

Are they healthy? If they're part of your family and you couldn't find a suitable home then I would take them yes. Costs are huge tho, in my opinion. Think approx $1800 AUD for quarantine plus about £1300 (that's the quote we have for one cat) for pet transport. It will depend on which company you use and where the cats will fly from.

Vet fees UK side (you need to have rabies injections, blood tests, etc etc) would be down to your vet individually however we're looking at about £230 all in. Plus the quarantine isn't in Adelaide so you'll need to get an internal flight from Melbourne or Sydney to Adelaide.

For us it's $1800 Australian dollars (at today's rate around £1,090) plus £1300 UK pounds plus vet fees £230

So £2,620 plus however much the internal Melbourne - Adelaide flight will be.

Not sure if you know however the cats will need to have their rabies injections and blood test minimum 180 days from when they travel.

We also had the do we or don't we moments. We think we'll take our wee one now but it's a big cost that we could spend elsewhere. However, we rescued our wee one, they were mistreated originally, we've had them for 8 years and for all we know they could live until they're 20. If there was somewhere here we really trusted and they really wanted a pet then we would consider it. Otherwise, no.

In my head we'll get great jobs and we'll be able to save the money back in no time. That to me is better than missing out on (if we're lucky) another 12 years or more of our wee one in our family.

@Barry1986 the first thing to look at is where you are moving to and if you know the council have a look at their guidelines. Some councils have a 24 hour ban on cats being outdoors, others have a dusk to dawn ban. Like others have said cats do get frowned at being outdoors. Once cats have had their share of freedom some can't settle in to indoor life so it may be worth while trying your cats inside for a week or more and see how they settle. If they do well and are part of the family bring them with you. Remember though that you will need to start on the rabies asap.

@Barry1986 the first thing to look at is where you are moving to and if you know the council have a look at their guidelines. .

very good advice, something I hadn't really considered.

@Barry1986 if you're headed to the Adelaide Hills see here http://www.ahc.sa.gov.au/ahc-resident/Pages/PetsAnimals.aspx

If you have strong emotional attachment to your cats (mine is my baby!), it is worth taking them. Whether it is safe or even legal to let them out depends entirely where you live. You could keep them indoors or set up an outdoor enclosure. We are lucky to live in a cat friendly cul de sac, so our boy gets supervised outdoor playtime, he mainly stays in our yard or goes to the neighbours house to play with their cats.

This is just my opinion but cost wouldn't be a consideration, our cat is family and we'd never leave him behind. But then I'd rather starve than let him go hungry lol!

very good advice, something I hadn't really considered.

@Barry1986 if you're headed to the Adelaide Hills see here http://www.ahc.sa.gov.au/ahc-resident/Pages/PetsAnimals.aspx

There is one point in that PDF re cats that I think applies across the board in and around Adelaide.

'Most cat owners appear to be unaware that an unidentified cat if caught wandering can be destroyed.'

The Adelaide Hills doesn't cover the metropolitan area as that is other councils but I'd expect those councils to have their own rules and regs, so it is wise to check with whatever council area you may be residing in. Onkaparinga council has this info for example http://www.onkaparingacity.com/onka/living_here/pets_animals/cats.jsp?sstat=777277

If a cat is found and collected by the warden or whomever else is responsible, if it isn't chipped or has a tag with a contact number (and bear in mind collars can come off) then I think the claiming window is short and then the cat can be PTS or handed over to a rescue. Given the amount of rescues flooded with cats, I do wonder how many unchipped/tagged cats are PTS when unclaimed.

Also as the PDF says there is concern and community pressure growing for tighter controls on cats, ie keeping them confined to your own back yard. So building a cat run or installing cat proof fencing to stop them getting out over the top. TBH given the amount of people who don't like cats roaming, I would think that in time Adelaide will follow other cities and have strict cat curfews and controls put in place. Then any cat found out in the cat curfew time can be collected and if not claimed in time or chipped, could be PTS or rehomed.

Thanks everyone for your input there has be some great info. I think I am going to have to leave them here. Hopefully my in- laws will take them. It's not that I don't love my cats enough to take them it's because I do love them that I have to leave them. One of my cats is a proper out door cat who loves to roam so I feel his life would change for the worse. Once again thanks everyone

The Adelaide Hills doesn't cover the metropolitan area as that is other councils but I'd expect those councils to have their own rules and regs, so it is wise to check with whatever council area you may be residing in.

If a cat is found and collected by the warden or whomever else is responsible, if it isn't chipped or has a tag with a contact number (and bear in mind collars can come off) then I think the claiming window is short and then the cat can be PTS or handed over to a rescue. Given the amount of rescues flooded with cats, I do wonder how many unchipped/tagged cats are PTS when unclaimed.

Good idea about the cat run or cat proof fencing. I didn't think of that and have written that down in my 'things to think about in Oz' book. Really good idea.

Thanks everyone for your input there has be some great info. I think I am going to have to leave them here. Hopefully my in- laws will take them. It's not that I don't love my cats enough to take them it's because I do love them that I have to leave them. One of my cats is a proper out door cat who loves to roam so I feel his life would change for the worse. Once again thanks everyone

That's good you may have an option. If we had a really good option for our wee one I would seriously consider it. Ours HATES absolutely HATES traveling even for four seconds in the car and that weighs on my mind - the flight and waiting time in Dubai, then flying internally to Adelaide etc.. etc.. however, we don't have that option and I'm very happy to be taking our wee one with us. Despite cost and stress. I'm sure it will all be absolutely fine. I think that is a drop in the ocean compared to having ours with us for the rest of their (hopefully very long) life. One thing to think about also is (I don't think) petplan will move the policy across. We've been paying in for 8 years now (and it's getting more and more and more expensive by the year) and we've (touch wood) never claimed. I don't think there is a policy in Australia that would cover a cat over 8 or 9 years. (someone can enlighten me if I'm wrong)

Yours can wander in Australia - it will be different sure. Anyone else looking to move out I would suggest having the wee ones neutered and chipped.

All the best with your decision.

Hay, my wife and I plan on making the move to Adelaide in August and really don't know if taking the cats is a good idea. Firstly would they get along with the wildlife? So is it best to be cruel to be kind and leave them here with what they know? Also the cost of anyone has any idea please let me know. I would hate to leave members of your pride behind but need to know they would be ok out there.

we used Golden arrow to bring our Shar Pei to Oz couldn't fault them

think it was $ 260 to have him flown to Adelaide

We have just been quoted by AirPets for 2 cats UK to Melbourne £2798 for both and $1798 dollars each quarantine for 10 days. Works out just shy of £5000. Such a lot of money but leaving them behind is not an option.

We brought one cat with us and adopted a second cat once we arrived. Both of our cats are old. One is 12yrs and the other 9 yrs. we prefer older cats as they tend to stay close to home, our 12 yr old never leaves our garden. Both cats are kept in a night. We have to pay an annual fee for registration with the council and if they wonder then they can be picked up by the warden.

Did we do the right thing bringing our 12 yr old from the UK? In his case I think yes. Nobody would want to adopt an old cat like him so it was bring him or have him put down :-(. Obviously we wouldn't do that. So here he is. I don't believe he is as happy here as he was in the UK. He is afraid of the big birds that visit the garden and the heat zaps his energy but we are having au unusually long hot summer.

our adopted other cat was a resort cat who was left behind when her owners moved. We took her because we were told her chances of a new home were very slim due to her age. I think we did the right thing with her. She is happy and again too old to be bothered chasing wild life.

If if your cat will tollerate being kept in or confined to the garden then no problem, but, if he/she is an avid hunter then maybe a bit more tricky.

The personality of your pets will play a part in the decision making process.

Good luck.

By the way, if you do decide to bring them, Golden Arrow were great with ours, but start saving, it's not cheap.

Hey Barry

Can i suggest something? Get the rabies vaccination and blood sample done now anyway, then it is done and the 180 day wait starts now. It may cost you £150 per cat, but we so often hear stories of people who had planned to rehome the pets and at the last minute the "rehomer" changes their minds. Then you have got 180 days wait from that point - which means extra cattery fees while they wait to be ready to go to Oz.

Also, this keeps your options open in terms of taking them or not - just in case anything changes and you do decide you do want them to go.

We could not have left our cats behind!  They are family. They settled in very well.......make your plans early for vaccinations and blood tests as you need 6 clear months so they spend the minimum time in quarantine in Oz.

Our remover quietly recommended Golden Arrow.....(not who her firm recommended). We talked to one or 2 of the bigger companies and were not impressed with the way they talked to us....they seemed to be too busy. Golden Arrow is a small outfit and they did a superb job and treated our cats as if they were their own. Their fees were well worth it. On the day, we had 2 feet of snow and Golden Arrow still managed to get through and it took away a lot of anguish as Heathrow was closed for a few hours and we wondered if our flight would get away, let alone theirs.

Oscar and Tiggy arrived safely and have settled in well....they like the weather in WA.  We built a cat run at our first house but now they are indoor cats. They don't like Aussie cat treats (too hard) so I import Dreamies every 2 months from the UK!

On 25/01/2017 at 8:51 PM, Barry1986 said:

Hay, my wife and I plan on making the move to Adelaide in August and really don't know if taking the cats is a good idea. Firstly would they get along with the wildlife? So is it best to be cruel to be kind and leave them here with what they know? Also the cost of anyone has any idea please let me know. I would hate to leave members of your pride behind but need to know they would be ok out there.

Depending where you there are local bylaws to have to adhere too.

In Victoria they are VERY strict regarding animals especially cats.

They don't like cats outside ( as they interfere with wildlife) and they are not allowed to leave your property at anytime.

Some states have a curfew for cats also 

But I wouldn't be without mine.