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Stressing over moving pets abroad

6 October 2008 20 views 3 Comments

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We’re moving in 3 months (exact date pending some details, like buying airline tickets). The whole thought of Getting Rid of Crap and Packing Up Stuff is bad enough, but there’s a whole lot of orchestrating to do. Like buying the airplane tickets, acquiring health insurance, finding temporary housing etc.

Today’s bugaboo is researching travel for our cats. Our friggin’ cats. I say friggin‘ because travelling with them complicates things quite a bit. In 3 months they’ll have more international experience than Palin but for now they are a collective PITA.

This whole travelling with pets thing is more expensive than we expected too. We thought it would cost $100/cat, and that it would be fine as long as the temperatures weren’t obscenely hot. But researching the various airlines has been downright depressing:

US Airways doesn’t accept pets internationally
Delta charges $550 per pet
TACA/LACSA (who we flew with last year) won’t take any live animals as cargo. If in the cabin, they’d be in lieu of any carry-on luggage. Hmm – cats or snacks/entertainment for the kids?
American won’t accept a pet if the temperature is below 45 degrees, though they mention getting a note from a vet to reduce that to 20 degrees (is that like an international hall pass?). Plus they charge $150 (must be under 100lbs).
Continental charges $250 per animal under 50lbs.
United charges $100/cat but … some of their flights to CR are handled by TACA/LACSA. And no pets accepted when the temp is under 45 degrees, no ifs/ands/buts.

I’m looking into international petshippers now – it may be less hassle and I bet the cost would be a wash since it’s much easier finding low fares without having to account for the cats. I hope they know how much we love them. I’ll be pissed if one of them gets bitten by a snake and dies a week after getting there.

3 Comments »

Arp (author) said:

Looks like Continental would be our best option – no low temperature requirements due to climate controlled environments and the cats can be sent as unaccompanied freight, allowing us time to settle in. All for $265 each.

# 6 October 2008 at 8:12 pm

petblogger said:

Love your blog! No need to stress- sounds like you are completely on top of things! Wanted to mention, just in case you might need some informtation about the forms you’ll need to get your cats into Costa Rica:
1) Pet Immigration Form- issued from the Ministry of Agriculture in Costa Rica (you’ll need this when you pass through customs in Costa Rica)
2) Full feline vaccinations- FVRCP and rabies (at a minimum of 30 days before arrival in Costa Rica)
3) International Health Certificate (APHIS Form 7001)- issued by your USDA accredited vet within 10 days of your departure
4) Pet Quarantine Permit- Issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Control in Costa Rica. Can be issued prior to arrival. There is no quarantine time if your cats are up to date on their shots and the health certificate is filled out correctly
5) A personal letter or document stating your cats’ market value- this is just a basic letter or document for customs clearance.
Also- the Pet Immigration Form and International Health Certificate need to be submitted to your local USDA for their stamp of approval.
Good luck with your move!!

# 7 October 2008 at 11:50 am

Arp (author) said:

Thanks. We’re thinking of moving a couple of weeks before the cats so we can settle in & look for a more permanent place without the little critters involved. Next logistic would be to figure out where to get the Int’l Health Certificate since they’ll be housed far from our vets.

# 7 October 2008 at 12:43 pm