Taking cats

[jobolt]

Hi all, 

Has anyone taken their cats over with them?

 

[Skani]

Yes, many.  Check back through the threads on this forum.

[misskat0]

Brought four. All survived. Worth the outlay.

[rammygirl]

Be aware that so,e councils are strict about the number of cats you can have depending on the property and some insist that cats are confined inside the home or in a run at all times. Some have cat registration and de sexing as mandatory too.  

Check the information for where you intend to settle. Councils seem to be becoming more strict on this.

[Marisawright]

If your cats are indoor cats, bring them by all means. It will cost you a fortune but only you know whether it's worth it.  

If they are cats that love to roam outdoors, I'd think seriously about finding new homes for them, for a couple of reasons.  The first is risk to the cats - there's nothing much that will hurt a free-roaming cat in the UK, but here they'll have venomous spiders, snakes, scorpions, depending where you're moving to.   They'll also be at risk from humans:  many Australians do not like cats, because they kill wildlife. That's why, as Rammygirl says, some councils are getting very strict and not allowing cats out, enforcing desexing and placing limits on how many cats you can have.

You may feel sure your cats don't kill, but most Australians won't believe you.  After all, how do you know?    I saw a TV program where they followed a number of cats with cameras over several nights, and nearly all of them played with small mammals or birds (which resulted in injury or death of the prey, obviously).   All the owners were horrified because these were cats who had never brought any trophies home, or killed anything in their presence.  It shouldn't surprise anyone because hunting is a natural instinct for cats, not something "nasty".  

Edited April 26, 2018 by Marisawright

[ali]

Brought one with us - she lasted until she was 21 and as hubby said at the time "we've had her longer than the kids we can't leave her behind" lol.

No problems with the journey or quarantine (this was 11 years ago though).  She only roamed our garden and our neighbours never had a problem with her.

[jobolt]

Thanks for your replies.  I've read about certain areas being strict, but our cats are already neutered, chipped and vaccinated, so that's half the battle.  We're looking at Brisbane area, but awaiting news on work currently so difficult to specify where we'd end up, but I'm hoping for North Brisbane, but not too rural.  

[fijamez]

whats the ballpark cost to bring a cat from the Uk

 

[Shelley]

My 3 cats cost me $8,900 best money I ever spent.

[misskat0]

Yes, about £2000 each (for four...) but that was with gold service with Pet Air, all vet fees, and an additional flight Melbourne to Sydney after quarantine. Couldn't leave them behind.

We made sure to book a pet-friendly AirBnB for arrival until we found our own place, as renting doesn't appear to be easy with animals here. They have adapted pretty well to indoor life - we put up a big outdoor pen o the lawn for them to hang out in.

Edited May 18, 2018 by misskat0
Additions

[fosseboy]

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!

[misskat0]

I had my last lot of incoming Dreamies destroyed by Biosecurity! Disappointed cats. The closest match here we've found are Smittens. Everything else rejected.

[suesmalls]

I would recommend to anyone moving pets to take some pet food in their containers and suitcase to help settle your pets and some familiarity.  I can't believe the difference in cat food in England from Australia.  Perhaps those who moved from England to Australia feel the same (i.e. Dreamies).  My cats don't like Dreamies but love Felix Party Mix as treats, and thank goodness England sells these. 

But England doesn't sell the same Purina brands - wet can foods.  I actually contacted Purina England and they were prompt at getting back to me, so was pleased.  However they confirmed they don't sell the same and not sure why - no real reasoning.  Australia has some similar flavours / types as USA but again USA also has different.

Try some of the online websites in Australia and specialized pet stores as they stock a much wider range of pet foods than the supermarkets, they get better brands in as well as they commercialized brands.  I recall seeing Dreamies style treats in Australia but under another brand name.  There are treats with soft centers available.

Also in UK you cannot buy Revolution (flea, mites, worm treatment) like you can in Australia (and same goes for various vitamins & over the counter medications for humans - the strengths allowed are so much lower).  I have found online websites in UK that you can buy from (and noted the Revolution came in from Singapore, took about 1 week).

Zooplus in UK is great for access to cheap online products but good brands (Royal Canin, Hills, Applaws, Cosmas - if only my cats would eat the last 2 listed).

In general I've found vets are more expensive in England - I use Companion Care through Pets at Home - I've got an excellent vet who performed thyroidectomy and dental removal surgery (in the same op which is not typical) on my 14 year old girl and saved her life so whatever it cost I'm so thankful.  Side note, if your cat has hyperthyroidism in Australia the gold standard is the ear cream application, however in England 10 vets in a 30 mile radius hadn't heard of it and we traced it down through 1 wholesaler - cost GBP 240 for the same tube it costs AUD $80.  Finally found 1 vet about 120 miles away who did the ear cream at reasonable price, but my vet didn't want to write the prescription.  The same medicine is used in England however, it is in liquid form and syringed into the mouth.  We did use this medicine after our ear cream ran out, it wasn't that hard to use.  However this did cause us considerable stress as we all know how hard cats are at tableting and putting anything in their mouths.  So the lesson is if you're pets are on medicine; seek out if the same medicine is available at your destination and the price.  No big surprises and you can plan ahead - get extra medication and sought out some way of obtaining your preferred medicine in the future or transition your pet to the medication sooner (at point of origin) so you can see how you're pet is going to handle the new medicine regime at your final destination.  Especially if it's life saving medicine, which Hyperthyroid medicine is.

I would take all 4 cats, you can always seek special permission to keep the cats and if they're desexed, chipped etc the case is much stronger as the threat is minimal.  I don't expect you would allow them to roam free as with any move be it up the road or next town you're going to acclimatise your pets slowly.  Just get to know what threats are in your local area. For example, I'm in England right near a city but in a green leafy area, we have foxes come past our house every night.  My neighbor let me know once we told him about our cats.  So our cats wouldn't know what a fox was, they're inside cats but we let one out at night for half hour walk with us.

We also didn't let our real estate know we had 2 cats as we were brand new to England with no rental history and I've found most houses in UK do not allow pets.  Those moving to Australia may find the same thing,  It's such a shame that landlords are not more open to pets.  This is a big reason in any country that pets are dumped and deserted.  So come on landlords be more open.

On the move - we used Dogtainers to move from Australia to England in July 2017 and costs AUD $3,800 for both cats, (best money I've spent too) and the ARC at Heathrow were very quick at processing our 2 cats (both in one cage).  They came through surprisingly well and we were amazed how good they looked and were behaving when we picked them up.  What freaked them out was living in temp accommodation on main road with big trucks and constant traffic going down in the morning, the noise freaked them out.  We had no choice as this was given to us by family and we didn't see it or know about this fact before we arrived.  In Australia we don't typically have houses right on the streets like they do in England, so it may not be a real issue for those moving from England to Australia.

Not all Australians have a dislike of cats.

 

[Amber Snowball]

8 hours ago, fosseboy said:

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!

You are lucky to get the dreamies in. All pet food coming into Australia has to be by a commercial importer and all of it is treated with radiation at the border. If you bring it in your suitcase they confiscate it.

[Guest The Pom Queen]

There are some great pet foods on the market here, it’s just knowing what to choose and obviously finding one your cat will eat. We do have applaws here and as the UK applaws is made in Asia then I would think it would be the same. 

‘One thing I do like about Australia is that like Sue mentioned, you can just get your flea/worm treatment from pet shops and chemists. It is however, cheaper to buy online from places like Budget https://www.budgetpetproducts.com.au/new/ , Pet Circle https://www.petcircle.com.au/  and for prescriptions if you have a lovely vet who will write you prescriptions you can get the meds here https://www.petceutics.com.au/prescriptions.html I know my vet said she couldn’t buy them at this price. We have a dog who as hypothyroidism and her tablets are $18 for over 3 months worth.

[fosseboy]

We came to Australia.

Our cats love Dreamies and did not take to the Australian version Temptations or many others. The formula is different as the humidity can soften both cat biscuits and human biscuits if they are left unsealed. I bring in Dreamies from Pet Connection in Northern Ireland as they have given great service. 

BUT be careful about treats containing meat. Officially cat food and treats is a prohibited category and requires a licence and an approval certificate which will cost hundreds. I now order cheese and fish flavours and it depends on the Customs Officers. They don’t normally allow meat ones in but seem OK with non meat. But I have had packets of say 10 Dreamies confiscated in the post.

if you fly in or ship your goods, then declare them. Most times when flying in they have been allowed as they were made in Britain and not say an Asian country. But one time the beef ones were almost confiscated but the Officer was a cat lover but told me to stop bringing in Beef Dreamies. And that advice may have been recorded somewhere.

But our 2 have taken to Aussie Felix treats, Dine push up soft treats which they lick, and surprisingly Fancy Feast which are a bulk biscuit. 

[Amber Snowball]

19 minutes ago, fosseboy said:

We came to Australia.

Our cats love Dreamies and did not take to the Australian version Temptations or many others. The formula is different as the humidity can soften both cat biscuits and human biscuits if they are left unsealed. I bring in Dreamies from Pet Connection in Northern Ireland as they have given great service. 

BUT be careful about treats containing meat. Officially cat food and treats is a prohibited category and requires a licence and an approval certificate which will cost hundreds. I now order cheese and fish flavours and it depends on the Customs Officers. They don’t normally allow meat ones in but seem OK with non meat. But I have had packets of say 10 Dreamies confiscated in the post.

if you fly in or ship your goods, then declare them. Most times when flying in they have been allowed as they were made in Britain and not say an Asian country. But one time the beef ones were almost confiscated but the Officer was a cat lover but told me to stop bringing in Beef Dreamies. And that advice may have been recorded somewhere.

But our 2 have taken to Aussie Felix treats, Dine push up soft treats which they lick, and surprisingly Fancy Feast which are a bulk biscuit. 

The customs chap I had coming back in last year said all pet food, no exceptions, is prohibited. Took the lot. All british made and in commercial packaging. Most of it was free samples, so not too much of a loss.

 

[Betty Crusoe]

Hi, I am really agonizing over whether to bring my cats over, one week I am, next week I'm not. I have everything done to them that they need to get in and have got PetAir on alert, now I have to finally make that decision. Please can anyone help me? Here they are outdoor cats, they come back in when they're hungry and I keep them in overnight, mainly for their own safety ie traffic, foxes and evil lunatics. In Oz would they have to be indoor because of the snakes?  How they would take that I don't know? Also how would they deal with the heat? These are my major worries. If they were indoor cats I would take them. If we were emigrating to a country with no deadly creatures I would take them. PLease advise. I think it will break my heart to leave them but am I being selfish taking them especially as my adult son has a cat allergy and we'll be moving in with him till we get our own place. Advice please - anybody left their cats behind and regretted it, taken them to Oz and regretted it. What should I do for their sakes, I have had them since they were kittens and they are three years old now. 

There is no problem with re-homing them, I had to get out of my house and moved in with my neighbour who will have them BUT in Spring he too will be moving to a lovely little cottage near Penrith which backs on to the Lake District Nat Park. So either they will be moving to Oz with me or to Penrith with him and they have already moved from my house to his at the end of August. WHAT SHOULD I DO, HELP!

[Amber Snowball]

Outdoor Cats are not tolerated so much in Australia. Depending on the council you may need to keep them confined to your property. So within your garden is fine. There are all sorts of cat runs/fencing you could get to aid that so they can still go outdoors.

Having said that I know lots of people who let their cats roam. I would be more worried about traffic and evil lunatics than snakes to be honest. Lived semi rural the whole time I was there and only saw 2 snakes in that time and they were crossing the road!

Depends where you are going to live in terms of which state, city, bush etc. Type of property in that would you be able to contain them. Not really possible on a few acres but doable on a suburban 600m block.

 I would bring them myself. 

I bought a dog to Aus 13 years ago and have returned to the Uk with a cat a couple of months ago. Couldn’t/wouldn’t leave them. But you have to make the best decision for your cats. 

Good luck.

[Marisawright]

If your cats were indoor cats, I'd be saying, bring them.  

As they're cats that are used to roaming outdoors, I'd think seriously about finding new homes for them, for a couple of reasons.  The first is risk to the cats - there's nothing much that will hurt a free-roaming cat in the UK, but here they'll have venomous spiders, snakes, scorpions, ticks (including paralysis ticks which can kill) depending where you're moving to.   Also humans, because many Australians do not approve of outdoor cats, because they kill wildlife.  That's why some councils are getting very strict and not allowing cats out, enforcing desexing and placing limits on how many cats you can have. 

And it's true that the biggest risk is not to your cats, but to our wildlife.  You may say your cats don't kill, but how do you know?  Many of Australia's smaller mammals and birds are endangered so if you care about animals, you will not let your cats roam, even with a bell (they soon learn how to get around that).  Do you think the cats would be happy if you had to keep them indoors or in a run?

You may say they don't kill, but how do you know?    I saw a TV program where they followed a number of cats with cameras over several nights, and nearly all of them played with small mammals or birds (which resulted in injury or death of the prey, obviously).   All the owners were horrified because these were cats who had never brought any trophies home, or killed anything in their presence.  It shouldn't surprise anyone because hunting is a natural instinct for cats, not something "nasty".  

Edited October 9, 2018 by Marisawright

[Skani]

What type of area will you be moving to?    It is possible to cat proof a fence so that they can't leave  your property, but that might be difficult if you are renting.  I have a "cat proofed" area in my back yard for my 3 cats which is the best of both worlds:  they can go outdoors but can't wander off the property and I know where they are at all times.    Re heat:  I certainly don't have problems with that as I live in Tasmania.  In warmer areas you will most probably have air conditioning and they will find a cool spot in the house if they are feeling uncomfortable.

[Amber Snowball]

7 hours ago, Marisawright said:

If your cats were indoor cats, I'd be saying, bring them.  

As they're cats that are used to roaming outdoors, I'd think seriously about finding new homes for them, for a couple of reasons.  The first is risk to the cats - there's nothing much that will hurt a free-roaming cat in the UK, but here they'll have venomous spiders, snakes, scorpions, ticks (including paralysis ticks which can kill) depending where you're moving to.   Also humans, because many Australians do not approve of outdoor cats, because they kill wildlife.  That's why some councils are getting very strict and not allowing cats out, enforcing desexing and placing limits on how many cats you can have. 

And it's true that the biggest risk is not to your cats, but to our wildlife.  You may say your cats don't kill, but how do you know?  Many of Australia's smaller mammals and birds are endangered so if you care about animals, you will not let your cats roam, even with a bell (they soon learn how to get around that).  Do you think the cats would be happy if you had to keep them indoors or in a run?

You may say they don't kill, but how do you know?    I saw a TV program where they followed a number of cats with cameras over several nights, and nearly all of them played with small mammals or birds (which resulted in injury or death of the prey, obviously).   All the owners were horrified because these were cats who had never brought any trophies home, or killed anything in their presence.  It shouldn't surprise anyone because hunting is a natural instinct for cats, not something "nasty".  

I think one of the wildlife rescue places said about 90% of their work was due to cat attacks. Can’t remember the exact details but it was a high percentage. Might have been on a certain type of wildlife, possums or other small critter, but anyway cats were the perpetrators.

[jobolt]

We've decided that we are taking two of our cats, the older ones won't cope and it would be selfish of us to put them through it, but the younger two have had their rabies vaccine yesterday so I've started the ball rolling...

We're in a difficult situation that my husband will potentially need to start his job mid January and therefore the two we are taking will have to go into a foster home until beg. of May until they are allowed to fly:( At least by that time we will have found a suitable rental and can provide a cat friendly area for them.

[Tootsie]

On 27/04/2018 at 07:21, Marisawright said:

If they are cats that love to roam outdoors, I'd think seriously about finding new homes for them, for a couple of reasons. 

Seriously!!

What terrible advice.

 

 

 

[Marisawright]

8 minutes ago, Tootsie said:

Seriously!!

What terrible advice.

 

 

 

Why?